From bamboo toothbrushes to shampoo bars, Ohama Raaz believes sustainability should be part of everyday life rather than a passing trend. As the founder of Antobihin, she has spent the past five years promoting a zero-waste lifestyle in Bangladesh while challenging the country’s dependence on single-use plastics.
Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, she reflects on entrepreneurship, consumer culture, and her vision for a cleaner future.
TIMES: How did the idea of Antobihin come about? What inspired you to promote a waste-free lifestyle in Bangladesh?
Ohama Raaz: Antobihin is an organisation that provides eco-friendly products to help people lead a more zero-waste lifestyle. The idea came during the Covid-19 pandemic. I realised I was producing an enormous amount of plastic waste myself through online shopping and everyday consumption.
At the same time, I was becoming more conscious of my lifestyle. I was meditating, paying attention to what I was putting into my body, the environment around me, and even the air we breathe. I wanted to reduce my own waste, but when I went looking for alternatives, I found almost none in Bangladesh.
Products like bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo bars, or sustainable menstrual products simply weren’t available. I realised there must be many people like me who wanted to live more sustainably but had no options. So, I decided to create those options.
TIMES: Did you face any major challenges while starting the business, especially as a woman entrepreneur?
Ohama: I was fortunate that my family was incredibly supportive. I started Antobihin with around Tk50,000 from my own savings and gradually built it from there.
I didn’t face significant gender-based barriers, but I have experienced some amusing situations. At exhibitions or pop-up stalls, people often admire the products and then ask, “Where is the founder?” Instead of looking at me, they turn to every man standing nearby. It simply doesn’t occur to them that I might be the founder.
The same thing occasionally happens in business meetings. Some people assume I lack experience simply because I’m a young woman. I don’t take it personally. I think perceptions are changing, and the more people see women leading businesses, the more those assumptions will disappear.
TIMES: You often talk about conscious living. Do you think environmental awareness is still limited to educated people?
Ohama: At the moment, many of our customers are educated people or those who have travelled abroad and understand the importance of sustainable living. But environmental awareness shouldn’t remain confined to one social class.
When floods or pollution affect our country, it is ordinary people who suffer the most. Everyone deserves access to healthier, environmentally friendly alternatives. The challenge is creating awareness beyond a privileged audience, but I’m optimistic because people genuinely do care.
There’s a common misconception that Bangladeshis don’t care about the environment. My experience has been exactly the opposite.
TIMES: Your shampoo and soap bars have become some of your most popular products. What makes them different from conventional products?
Ohama: We use natural ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, and essential oils. Our products don’t contain harmful chemicals like sulphates, parabens or silicones that are common in mainstream products.
Traditional liquid shampoo is mostly water packaged inside plastic bottles, making transportation more carbon-intensive. Shampoo bars are concentrated, long-lasting and plastic-free.
For me, it’s also philosophical. If our inner world is healthy, our outer world inevitably becomes healthier too. Today, microplastics have entered almost every part of our bodies. Caring for ourselves and caring for the environment are inseparable.
TIMES: How can ordinary people begin living a more waste-free lifestyle?
Ohama: Small changes matter. Carry your own shopping bag. Avoid single-use plastic bottles whenever possible. Buy only what you actually need.
At Antobihin, we don’t encourage unnecessary consumption. Instead, we promote buying fewer, better-quality products that last longer.
I also believe community plays a huge role. When you’re surrounded by people who share similar values, sustainable living becomes much easier. Awareness alone isn’t enough; it has to become part of everyday life.
TIMES: Greenwashing has become a popular marketing trend. What are your thoughts on it?
Ohama: I’m happy to see more businesses talking about sustainability, but sustainability should be more than an aesthetic.
Sometimes companies market themselves as eco-friendly while wrapping products in plastic or using harmful ingredients. Simply adding words like “green” or “earth” to a brand doesn’t make it sustainable.
Real sustainability requires genuine commitment, not just branding.
TIMES: How do you market Antobihin?
Ohama: We’re active online through Facebook and Instagram, but what matters most to us is building real human connections.
We organise awareness campaigns at universities, schools, festivals, and pop-up events because those conversations matter. Word of mouth has been one of our strongest marketing tools. Many customers discover us because a friend or family member recommended our products.
TIMES: What kind of response have you received from awareness campaigns?
Ohama: The response has been overwhelmingly positive. When people understand that plastic doesn’t simply disappear after we throw it away, they become much more conscious about their choices. We’ve conducted campaigns on sustainable menstrual hygiene and environmental awareness, and students have responded enthusiastically.
I also believe women are driving much of this change. In my experience, women are increasingly making conscious choices for themselves, their families, and their communities.
TIMES: If you had the opportunity to sit down with policymakers, what would you tell them?
Ohama: I would ask them to take environmental regulations seriously. Plastic bags were banned in Bangladesh years ago, yet they’re still everywhere. Regulations mean little without proper enforcement.
Corporations must also be held accountable. They shouldn’t always choose the cheapest plastic packaging simply because they can. If slightly better packaging costs more, they should absorb that cost.
Just because something has become normal doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.
TIMES: Where do you see Antobihin five years from now?
Ohama: I want to expand our impact, create more local jobs and export more Bangladeshi eco-friendly products. Many people tell me I should move to Scandinavian countries because sustainability is more popular there. But I don’t want to leave Bangladesh. I want these values to grow here.
Ultimately, my dream is simple: Less plastic in our homes, supermarkets and daily lives, and a Bangladesh where protecting people’s health and the environment becomes the new normal.
TIMES: Finally, what does success mean to you?
Ohama: Of course, every business needs profit to survive. But I believe profit and success are byproducts of meaningful work.
If you’re genuinely helping people and solving real problems, success follows naturally. That’s the philosophy we’ve tried to build Antobihin on since day one.
