Brick Lab: Testing and Scaling Cleaner Brick Manufacturing in Bangladesh

Brick manufacturing constitutes a substantial portion of the economy and employment opportunities in Bangladesh. The kilns used to make bricks also generate enormous pollution. Estimates suggest that the brick kiln sector alone may be responsible for up to half of all particulate matter in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.

The problem is a matter of global significance: each year, the global gases from brick kilns in South Asia are equivalent to the climate impact generated by the entire US passenger car fleet. Brick manufacturing demonstrates the complex tradeoffs between growth and the environment, and demands a new approach. Efforts in the past 30 years have focused on constructing expensive modern kilns, or relied on government regulations and enforcement. Due to the high costs of these new kilns and the inability to enforce regulations, progress has been slow. 

Brick Lab is taking a new approach to a problem that shows no sign of easing, given the severity of air quality across the region coupled with the growing demand for brick manufacturing. This team stretches across universities, civic organizations, and environmental advisory firms. Together, they are working to generate scientific evidence as to how to increase adoption and use of new technologies that can drive profits up and pollution down. 

With Stage 2 funding from Stanford Impact Labs, Brick Lab will develop a low-cost intervention for operators of traditional zig-zag kilns, which dominate the brick industry in Bangladesh, and conduct a randomized controlled trial of the intervention.