The SPRC as local partner of UNCTAD, implemented its four country project, in Pakistan titled “Resilient, Green and Transformative Development in Asian Belt and Road Countries”. The project aims to assist these countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related to green transformative development (SDG 12). Given the multifaceted challenges of climate change and sustainable development it is essential for developing countries to adopt innovative and integrated policy strategies to pursue resilient, green, and transformative development. Against this backdrop, UNCTAD has developed this project that aims to assist Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey; to achieve the 2030 Agenda through: 1) effective integrated policy strategies and improved capacity at national level, including South-South peer-learning; and 2) economic cooperation and policy coordination at regional level. Under this initiatives UNCTAD and SPRC held two national consultations, bringing together national and regional policymakers, researchers and stakeholders from the private sector as well as civil society. 

The first high-level consultation, held in October 2023, aimed to generate fresh knowledge on the binding constraints Pakistan has been facing in terms of green industrialization. It also presented the findings of sectoral studies on the challenges in greening Pakistan’s manufacturing sector, including textiles, agriculture, transport, loss and damage highlighted how uneven policymaking, weak climate-industry linkages, and a lack of awareness among SMEs are obstructing green progress.

The second consultation was convened in February 2025, in which government officials from provincial and federal ministries participated.  This consultation and its background sectoral studies are grounded in a five-pillar framework of green industrialization i.e. clean production processes, reduction of GHG emissions, reduction in environmental impact and pollution in manufacturing, adoption of lean and circularity and enhancement of efficiency. Seven Sectoral Studies namely plastic, vegetable oil, aluminium utensils, PVC & plastic kitchenware, textile dyeing and finishing, detergents and wheat have been produced under the project. These studies focused on the health and environmental impacts of these sectors, the lack of green practices, and the urgent need for standards, accountability, and innovation. Finally, a draft Green Industrialization Policy Framework was presented, at the second consultation to the academia, government officials and the industry.

Key themes from policy discussion

The project highlighted that the greening industry isn’t just about the environment; it’s about public health, competitiveness, and governance and explored critical environmental challenges, presented grounded sectoral research, and initiated policy conversations aimed at making Pakistan’s industrial practices cleaner, fairer, and more sustainable.

Need for a National Green Industrial Policy Framework: This was formally discussed in the 2025 consultation. The framework focuses on GHG emissions, compliance standards, resource use efficiency and sustainability, and circular economy principles.

Coordination between Ministries: Participants urged better inter-ministerial coordination between climate, industry, science & technology, and commerce departments.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Especially for the plastic and kitchenware sectors, mandating producers to manage their waste lifecycle.

Support for SMEs: Shift focus from only export sectors to domestic, pollution-heavy SMEs (like plastic, oil, and kitchenware), many of which operate informally and are left out of existing policies.

Green Finance and Green Taxonomy: There was emphasis on unlocking green finance through the State Bank’s Green Taxonomy and developing a more inclusive financing mechanism to support cleaner production technologies.

Key Outcomes and Impact

• The 2023 conference set the intellectual foundation, highlighting structural and financial constraints.
• The 2025 consultation operationalized this vision by presenting greening roadmaps for the plastic, aluminium utensils and kitchenware sectors, and by proposing a Green Industrialisation Policy Framework.
• The events created momentum around industry-academia-government linkages, leading to more locally informed and realistic strategies.
• The discussion also included everyday issues like household kitchen pollution, unsafe cooking pots, and oil waste management, which makes the topic of being environmentally friendly more relatable to everyday Pakistani life.