The new platform can help align Pakistan’s apparel sector around common transition priorities—but delivery will depend on credible data, finance and factory-level implementation.
Pakistan has become the third country to join the Apparel & Textile Transformation Initiative (ATTI), following the establishment of ATTI Pakistan in partnership with the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA). The commitment was formalised through a memorandum of understanding at a London Climate Action Week event co-hosted by ATTI and British International Investment.
ATTI Pakistan gives the country’s export-oriented garment sector a structured route to engage with an international, manufacturer-led initiative focused on energy efficiency, water, emissions and related environmental impacts. ATTI is jointly led by the International Apparel Federation and the International Textile Manufacturers Federation; its country chapters are intended to develop nationally grounded transformation plans rather than impose a one-size-fits-all global template.
From commitment to diagnosis
The immediate task is not setting a headline net-zero target. ATTI and PRGMEA will first convene an in-country kick-off with relevant stakeholders, supported by a scoping visit. An initiating technical committee is then expected to guide the design of the Pakistan chapter and its national transformation plan.
ATTI’s methodology starts with a needs assessment across five pillars: data; capacity building and technical assistance; technology and machinery; finance; and policy. The exercise is meant to identify systemic constraints that cannot be resolved efficiently by individual factories acting alone. Its scope includes emissions, water consumption and discharge, chemicals and waste.
Why the platform matters
Pakistan’s textile industry faces a practical competitiveness challenge. Decarbonisation is increasingly tied to buyer expectations, access to sustainability-linked finance, traceability requirements and the ability to offer credible Scope 1, 2 and eventually value-chain emissions data.
The sector is also materially exposed to the issue. A 2025 UNCTAD policy review estimated that textiles account for roughly 6% to 9.5% of Pakistan’s national greenhouse-gas emissions, with energy, water and chemical use identified as the major environmental pressure points.
PRGMEA represents more than 500 garment-exporting companies, giving ATTI Pakistan a potentially meaningful channel to reach value-added apparel manufacturers.
The finance test
Pakistan has previously pursued textile decarbonisation through WWF-Pakistan, the Ministry of Climate Change, the Ministry of Commerce and NEECA, including programmes aimed at concessional lending for energy- and resource-efficiency technologies.
ATTI Pakistan should build on that experience rather than duplicate it. Its credibility will depend on publishing a prioritised plan with baseline data, investable technology pipelines, financing mechanisms, buyer engagement and measurable annual outcomes.
The next signal is whether the needs assessment translates into a practical transition programme that manufacturers—especially small and medium exporters—can afford to implement.
