Pakistan

Fragmented pilot projects have long defined regenerative agriculture efforts in Pakistan's cotton sector, but mounting climate and market pressures are exposing the limits of that approach. Drawing on a recent industry roundtable, Abou Bakar, Country Representative – Pakistan, CottonConnect, explains what a coordinated national framework would look like, and why farmer incentives and traceability now sit at the centre of that conversation.

Pakistan has the recycling infrastructure and brand relationships needed to capitalise on EU circular economy regulations, new research has found. Gaps in digital traceability and cross-ministry coordination risk undermining the country's competitive position, with three policy instruments proposed to close the data gap before a narrow compliance window closes.

Pakistan’s fashion sector is undergoing rapid change, shaped by industrial growth, heritage practices, and sustainability challenges. The country’s integrated supply chain, reliance on cotton, and emerging use of synthetics highlight systemic risks. Traditional eco-friendly practices are fading, while small-scale sustainable brands point to alternative paths. Weak governance, industry greenwashing, and missing education remain critical barriers to meaningful progress.

A new investigation has uncovered the hidden realities of Pakistan’s garment industry, exposing wage theft, forced overtime, and widespread informality across eight factories supplying European brands. Based on 126 worker interviews, the report challenges the effectiveness of social audits and highlights systemic exploitation in one of South Asia’s largest textile and apparel export hubs.

Pakistan's cotton industry faces its worst crisis in decades, with production plummeting to historic lows whilst ginning mills shut en masse. As the government considers emergency tax relief measures, the textile sector's survival hangs in balance, threatening millions of livelihoods and the nation's crucial export earnings.

The Cotton Association of India has joined the nationwide call to boycott Türkiye and urged the cotton trading community “to consider stopping” all trade with Türkiye and explore alternative options to suit “our nation's interest.”

Pakistan can transform its textile recycling industry, reduce environmental impact, enhance economic growth, and position itself as a leader in sustainable textile production by addressing the various challenges and leveraging opportunities, that will not only benefit the domestic economy but also align the country with global sustainability trends, ensuring long-term competitiveness, says a new report.

Cotton production is under multi-dimensional stress in Pakistan brought about collectively by factors ranging from low yields to low government support, to outdated farming methods on many of the farms, to constant fragmentation of farmland from one generation to the next, to the palpable impact of climatic change.

A UNEP-led integrated programme (IP) has been launched to promote sustainable supply chains in the fashion industry in a bid to address the impact of the sector on biodiversity loss, chemicals and waste, climate change, international waters, and land degradation.

A report by the Global Labor Institute warns that if 4 key hubs of garment production fail to make climate adaptation investments, nearly one million new apparel and footwear jobs will be foregone by 2030.