According to the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act of 1995 (Amended 2010), every form of industry and project must acquire environmental clearance. To obtain an Environmental Clearance Certificate, industrial units and projects must be categorized into one of the following four categories based on their location and environmental effect.

1. Green
2. Orange-A
3. Orange-B
4. Red

General Process Steps for Environmental Clearance:
Step 1: Submit an application with supporting documents.
Step 2: Verification of application and supporting documents by DOE.
Step 3: Inspection by the authorized officer after verification of all reports and documents. [Then make a decision about the clearance (Only Green and Orange-A)].
Step 4: Meeting of Environmental Clearance Committee (for Orange-B and Red Category).
Step 5: Decision.

Renewal Process:
The period of validity of an Environmental Clearance Certificate shall be, in case of the Green Category, 3 years from the date of its issuance and in all other cases 1 year. Each Environmental Clearance Certificate has to be applied for renewal at least thirty (30) days before expiry.

Documents Required for Obtaining Environmental Clearance Certificate for Different Categories of Industrial Units or Projects:

1. Green:
   1. Application through prescribed form-3 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997
   2. Prescribed fees under schedule-13 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997 (Amended 2002)
   3. General information about the industrial unit or project;
   4. An exact description of the raw materials and the manufactured product; and
   5. No objection certificate (Prescribed Form) from the local authority;
      If an application for an Environmental Clearance Certificate for an industrial unit or project of Green Category is made under article 7(5) along with the relevant documents specified in Article7(6), then, within 15 days of the receipt of the application, the certificate shall be issued or the application shall be rejected mentioning the appropriate reason for such rejection.
2. Orange-A:
   1. Application through prescribed form-3 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997
   2. Prescribed fees under schedule-13 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997 (Amended 2002)
   3. General information about the industrial unit or project;
   4. An exact description of the raw materials and the manufactured product;
   5. No objection certificate (Prescribed Form) from the local authority;
   6. Process flow diagram;
   7. Layout Plan (showing location of Effluent Treatment Plant);
   8. Effluent discharge arrangement;
   9. Outlines of the plan for relocation, and rehabilitation (if applicable);
   10. Other necessary information (if applicable);
       If an application is made under Article 7(5) along with the relevant documents specified in Article 7(6), then in the case of an Orange- A Category industrial unit or project, within 30 days of the receipt of the application.
3. Orange-B:
   1. Application through prescribed form-3 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997
   2. Prescribed fees under schedule-13 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997 (Amended 2002)
   3. Report on the feasibility of the industrial unit or project (applicable only for proposed industrial unit or project);
   4. Report on the Initial Environmental Examination of the industrial unit or project, and also the process flow diagram, Layout Plan (showing the location of the Effluent Treatment Plant), and design of the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) of the unit or project (these are applicable only for a proposed industrial unit or project);
   5. Report on the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the industrial unit or project, and also the Process Flow Diagram, Layout Plan (showing the location of Effluent Treatment Plant), design of the Effluent Treatment Plant, and information about the effectiveness of the ETP of the unit or project, (these are applicable only for an existing industrial unit or project);
   6. No objection certificate (Prescribed Form) from the local authority;
   7. Emergency plan relating to adverse environmental impact and plan for mitigation of the effect of pollution;
   8. Outline of the relocation, and rehabilitation plan (where applicable);
   9. Other necessary information (where applicable).
      If an application is made under Article 7(5) along with the relevant documents specified in Article 7(6), then Orange-B Category industrial unit or project, within 60 days of the receipt of the application, a Location Clearance Certificate shall be issued or the application shall be rejected mentioning appropriate reasons for such rejection.
4. Red:
   1. Application through prescribed form-3 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997
   2. Prescribed fees under schedule-13 under Environment Conservation Rules 1997 (Amended 2002)
   3. Report on the feasibility of the industrial unit or project (applicable only for proposed industrial unit or project);
   4. Report on the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) relating to the industrial unit or project, and also the terms of reference (ToR) for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the unit or the project and its Process Flow Diagram; or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report prepared on the basis of terms of reference previously approved by the Department of Environment, along with the Layout Plan (showing the location of Effluent Treatment Plant), Process Flow Diagram, design, and time schedule of the Effluent Treatment Plant of the unit or project, (these are applicable only for a proposed industrial unit or project);
   5. Report on the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the industrial unit or project, and also the Process Flow Diagram, Layout Plan (showing the location of Effluent Treatment Plant), design, and information about the effectiveness of the Effluent Treatment Plan of the unit or project (these are applicable only for an existing industrial unit or project);
   6. No objection certificate (Prescribed Form) of the local authority:
   7. Emergency plan relating to adverse environmental impact and plan for mitigation of the effect of pollution;
   8. Outline of relocation, rehabilitation plan (where applicable);
   9. Other necessary information (where applicable);
      If an application is made under Article 7(5) along with the relevant documents specified in Article 7(6), then Red Category industrial unit or project, within 60 days of the receipt of the application, a Location Clearance Certificate shall be issued or the application shall be rejected mentioning appropriate reasons for such rejection.

Documents required for obtaining an Environmental Clearance Certificate are here.
Further information can be found here: Department of Environment.