Opportunities and constraints for cleaner production policy in the developing world: a case study of Sindh Region, Pakistan

Abstract

The current industrial and economic activities in Sindh Province, Pakistan, polluted the region's water, air, soil, and marine resources. However, there is a rising demand for eco-friendly production, and it is important to develop new policies and tools to combat environmental degradation and enhance economic development. Cleaner Production (CP) provides opportunities to address many of these issues. Employed method for this study was based on three approaches: a literature review and stakeholder mapping; a collection of data and information from key stakeholders through focal group discussions, consultative workshops, and one-on-one meetings; and analysis and synthesis of data that were gathered from different sources. The analysis of collected information provides an overview of CP strategies moving forward. Participant workshops gave in-depth information on policy implementation, technological impediments to methods that have been employed elsewhere, and needed capacity building as well as financial consequences of policy implementation. Through increasing financial resources and institutional resources, the expansion of CP will help to replace the conventional methods of waste treatment with an eco-efficiency approach to preventing pollution at the source, thus reducing the need for expensive pollution control and management costs for environmental compliance. Experiences, achievements, and implementation pitfalls from this study can provide a lesson to other developing countries to improve their economic and environmental sustainability.

Achieving sustainability through multifaceted green functions in manufacturing

“…Besides, hypotheses for mediation ( H7–H10 ) were supported. The findings are supported by the findings of Haddock-Millar et al (2016), Agyabeng-Mensah et al (2020b), Longoni and Cagliano (2018) and Kumar et al (2023). GSCEC mainly includes both suppliers and customers.…”

“…This is contradictory to the previous findings of Agyabeng-Mensah et al (2020b), who argued that cooperation with SC partners plays an imperative role in green activities, as the cooperative implementation and execution of ecological practices to accomplish mutual green objectives along with the commitment to fewer resources are necessary to achieve sustainability. However, H8 was not supported; this is because the old infrastructure did not have sufficient capability to tackle the environmental concerns related to operations, production and logistics (Kumar et al , 2023). Another possible reason is the limited knowledge and capacity related to environmental aspects because of insufficient training.…”

“…Besides, green practices are essential for sustainability, which is a great challenge owing to the socioeconomic and environmental concerns caused by irresponsible business operations, as manufacturing operations pose serious issues to the ecosystem, which substantiates the need to respond to these socioeconomic and environmental concerns (Hussain et al , 2018). Pakistan ranked fifth for climate vulnerability, which witnessed 152 extreme weather events and suffered a loss of US$3.8bn from 1999 to 2018 (Kumar et al , 2023). Manufacturers are striving to focus on business processes that must be cohesive to maintain economically and ecologically alluring products (Ayuso et al , 2014).…”

Pakistan's path to sustainability: Advancements in cleaner production, a circular economy, and climate-smart solutions

“…From Karachi to Faisalabad and Islamabad, ecofriendly manufacturing is not just an option but a necessity to safeguard ecosystems and public health. This shift comes as Pakistani industries acknowledge the environmental costs of growth, with cleaner production practices offering a pathway to sustainable development (Kumar et al, 2024). Maximizing resource efficiency is a key goal, seen, for example, in Faisalabad's textile mills adopting closedloop water recycling to reduce water use and chemical discharge.…”

Data-Driven Predictive Analysis and Sustainable Management of Concrete Waste in Pakistan

“…Even with the substantial attention on serious requirements of sustainable waste management practices inside the construction industry, the effort towards implementing effective concrete waste management in Pakistan is full of challenges and limitations [9]. The first among these is the lack of comprehensive real-time data on the generation and disposal of concrete waste [10], which are the essence of exact prediction and planning.…”