Rejoinder, our reply

Grey Bangladesh has sent a rejoinder to a report run by The Daily Star on June 23 under the headline “Cannes Gold Lion for Grey”.

The rejoinder reads, “The article states that Grey Bangladesh teamed up with Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd. ('It teamed up with Grameen Intel Social Business, a Dhaka-based social business company, to create a cooling system consisting of used plastic bottles and a piece of cardboard that fits in any window.'), whereas, the product was designed by Grey Bangladesh, and an employee of Grameen Intel volunteered only to help install the Eco Cooler in one of the many villages.”

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It adds, “Secondly, the article says that as of February Eco Cooler has reached 25,000 homes, (As of February, the two organisations have ensured the cooling system in more than 25,000 households) whereas no such numbers were ever estimated as Eco Cooler is a DIY (do it yourself) product and thus the real numbers of installation could not be confirmed.”

OUR REPLY

The Daily Star report was based on phone interviews with several officials of Grey Bangladesh and Grameen Intel Social Business, interviews of Grey Bangladesh officials published in various international media, videos available on YouTube and the official website of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 

A Grey Bangladesh senior official told France 24 Observers that to distribute the Eco-Coolers, they teamed up with Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd. (http://observers.france24. com/en/20160602-bangladesh-air-conditioner-plastic-bottles-technology.)

Employees of Grameen Intel produced a video on the innovation which is available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSbZWNk84F4).

At the time of writing the report, an official of Grameen Intel, seeking anonymity, said some of their employees had volunteered in the project. 

Asked about the number of households using the device, Grey Bangladesh officials immediately could not give the specific number, saying anybody could do as it was a DIY product.

When pressed saying that various media were mentioning the number to be more than 25,000 as of February, an official did not rule it out.

Still, we regret if there is any inaccuracy in the article.