Aarong (BRAC)

unlisted

Retail / Lifestyle · BRAC

Aarong is a Bangladeshi lifestyle and ethical-retail brand operated by BRAC, the development organization, selling handicrafts, apparel and home goods sourced from rural artisans.

Business: Retail of handcrafted apparel, textiles, leather goods, jewellery, home furnishings and food products; a social-enterprise supply chain linking rural artisans and producers to urban and export markets.

Policy exposure

Social enterprise and artisan livelihoods As an NGO-linked social enterprise, Aarong sits at the intersection of rural-livelihood, cottage-industry and informal-sector policy. Source: analysis

Taxation of NGO-affiliated commercial activity Revenue-generating arms of development organizations raise questions about tax treatment and the boundary between charitable and commercial activity. Source: analysis

Handicraft and cultural-product export Promotion and certification of handicraft exports connects the brand to trade-facilitation and intellectual-property (geographical-indication) policy. Source: analysis