Every spring, Lahore experiences a brief period of refreshing weather. This year, a novel gathering of professionals took place during this period. 28^th of February 2023 marked the day Roshan Packages Limited held its Annual Sustainability Conference at the beautiful Royal Palm Golf and Country Club.

Roshan Packages Limited or RPL is a one-of-a-kind business in the region. Based on the principles of ethical functionality, it has stood apart for its commitment to protecting the local environment meanwhile operating on high business performance. Unlike most local businesses which damage water, land, and air with their non-compliant practices, RPL has rather set precedent in the opposite direction. Its low carbon footprint, minimal waste generation, and renewable resource consumption have minimal to negligible negative impacts on the local environment. 

RPL’s 2023 Sustainability Conference was themed ‘The Circular Economy: Towards a Roshan Pakistan’. Circular economy, a concept by British economist, David Pearce, has evolved and gained huge recognition around the world since its conception in the 1980s. Its ‘cradle to cradle’ model is now acknowledged as the better alternative to the conventional and linear ‘take-make-waste’ model. Linear practices have been a significant contributor to climate change as environmental consideration for doing business is overlooked.

The conference comprised three main panel discussions that were chaired by senior industrial experts, aspiring entrepreneurs, and local government officials. The Chief guests for the event were Mr. S M Tanveer, Minister for Industries, Commerce, and Energy, and Mr. Kashif Anwar, President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce. The attendees included representatives from different companies, media personnel, esteemed educationists, and aspiring students.

The event kicked off with an opening note from the CEO of Roshan Packages, Mr. Tayyab Aijaz Qureshi, he walked the audience through the history and vision of the Roshan group. He also emphasized the need for all stakeholders to synergize efforts for sustainable practices in the economic sector. Mr. S M Tanveer, Minister for Industries, Commerce, and Energy, then addressed the audience. He spoke at length about the severity of climate change’s impact on Pakistan and the need for the country to shift towards sustainability. Mr. Kashif Anwar also addressed the audience and emphasized the importance of bringing the needed change for the national interest.

The First panel’s discussion centered around the circular economy and the role of multinational companies in Pakistan. This robust panel explored the accomplishments and challenges of global and local circular economic initiatives. The panel strongly agreed that renewable and recyclable resources need to be fully incorporated as packaging materials to address packaging pollution. The panelists included; Mr. Jawwad Imtiaz Ahmed, Sustainability Manager, PepsiCo; Aatekah Mir Khan, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Sustainability Nestle Pakistan; Ms. Amina Khalid, Corporate Affairs Manager McDonalds Pakistan, Murad Akram, Legal Director at Coca-Cola CCI, Hammad Haider, Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs at METRO Pakistan and Babar Nizami, CEO Pakistan Today, Publishing Editor Profit.

The second-panel discussion was themed on innovations in a green economy. This insightful discussion included panelists Mr.Shayan Sohail Sarwar, Chief Operating Officer at PakVitae (Pvt) Lt; Ms. Sana Nauman Chaudry, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, of BreathIO; Mr. Saif Hasan, Director, Lulusar; Mr. Muteeb Siddiqi, CEO at the Vertical; Abid Ameen, Head of Operations and SC Beverages at PepsiCo and Ali Syed, Founder Ouroboros. Some of the key ideas that came up included the high success rate of start-ups leading environmental change, nationally and internally, and the need for prioritizing sustainability to become more resilient to climate change.

The last panel discussion was themed circular economy and women: the opportunities and challenges in Pakistan. Valuable insights surfaced on how the journey of a more equitable economy in Pakistan can become a reality. This discussion included Ms. Sam Ali Dada, Co-founder, of Women Business Network and Former President of Women Chamber Lahore; Ms. Sabahat Bokhari, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Jazz; Ms. Wajeeha Mohsin, HR Director, ServicePath Canada; Ms. Zillay Mariam, Managing Director ISP Environmental Solutions and Rija Tayyab, Marketing Manager Roshan Packages Limited.

Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. It has and will continue to wreak havoc on mass scales. The sensible way forward is to prepare ourselves to withstand the impacts. Gatherings like that of Roshan Packages’ sustainability conference contribute significantly to exploring practical solutions for environmental readiness. As the conference stressed, the key contributor to bringing the needed change is prioritizing sustainability among institutions and consumers alike. Prioritization and adopting sustainable practices like circularity can bring about a resilient Pakistan.