Textile sector urged to adopt environmental standards

Global experts lay stress on eco-friendly production, safe working conditions

FRANKFURT:

Global experts participating in Heimtextil have said that due to the increasing awareness of environmental protection among consumers and regulatory measures adopted globally, sustainability and environmental protection is now weaved into the DNA of textile industry.

They called on the manufacturers across the world, including Pakistan, to implement these standards.

Heimtextil, an international trade fair for home and contract textiles being held at Messe Frankfurt, is focusing largely on the global textile industry trends and meeting the environmental standards of production.

Messe Frankfurt Textiles and Textile Technologies Director Olaf Schmid said that the textile industry was witnessing a major change in consumer trends as well as regulations and reporting systems.

“Now the consumers and retailers are giving more importance to sustainability as it has become the DNA of textile products,” he stated.

In last year’s Global Sustainability Study, 75% of the 12,000 global consumers said that the importance of sustainability in purchasing products had increased significantly over the course of a year, he added.

Meanwhile, to meet the demands of European buyers, Pakistani textile companies are focusing on making their manufacturing process and supply chain environmentally friendly as well as socially sustainable.

As a result, European buyers are taking more interest in the products of Pakistani companies participating in Heimtextil. Pakistani exporters said that European buyers were using environment friendliness as a basic criterion, along with the quality and price of Pakistani products as a buying criterion, as well as the safe working environment for workers.

Many exporters displayed the global certifications they had acquired to verify their eco-friendly production processes.

Alhadi Textiles Director Nafey Mazhar Khan told The Express Tribune that to maintain their presence in the European market, it was important for Pakistani firms to focus on meeting the demands of European buyers, including the environmental standards.

“Not only the new, but also the old customers of Europe are making it mandatory to implement the environmental protection standards, while the Supply Chain Act of the European Union also requires a complete supply chain to be environmentally friendly,” he said.

Mazhar stressed that the companies investing in standard production measures had secured their future for the next decade.

Mehmood Group Director Muhammad Muzaffar Iqbal said that big brands in Europe used to emphasise only on worker and social security, but now “they are prioritising environmental protection”. He claimed that the entire process in his company and supply chain from farm to fabric was not only integrated but also environmentally friendly, which had been endorsed by international certification.

“Wet process and dyeing houses in Pakistan are rapidly getting international certification, which shows that the industry is adapting itself to the changing market trends, which will ultimately lead to long-term benefits,” added Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2023.

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