Exporters need shared responsibility

The Express Tribune published a column arguing that environmental performance is becoming a prerequisite for staying competitive in key overseas markets for Pakistan's textile, sports goods and leather exporters. The writer contends that the expense of greener production ought to be spread across factories, global buyers and lenders, instead of falling mainly on small and medium-sized suppliers that lack the capital to absorb it quickly. The piece also highlights the Shared Transition Responsibility Movement, a coalition of researchers, practitioners, advocacy groups and development lenders that seeks shared moral and financial responsibility from international brands.

Shipments from the textile and apparel sector totalled $17.93 billion in FY2025-26, based on Pakistan Bureau of Statistics figures, though growth was only 0.26%. The sector accounted for 59.7% of total exports from July to March of FY2025-26, and the European Union remains its largest market. Pakistan is also the biggest beneficiary of the EU's GSP+ scheme, which provided about 732 million in tariff exemptions in 2024.

The column argues that brands gain from cleaner supplier plants and should therefore co-invest, while short sourcing contracts discourage manufacturers from committing to renewable energy. It also calls on the state to offer predictable policy, competitive power, green finance and incentives, and urges firms to treat sustainability as part of production and finance rather than a compliance task.