ISLAMABAD: The Buyers Forum set up last year with the objective of making the textile industry more sustainable and attractive to international buyers has agreed on a joint roadmap and specific working groups.

The decision to form working groups and agreeing on the roadmap was decided during the fourth meeting of the Buyers’ Forum, organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), here on Monday.

Buyers showed commitment to expand their sourcing from Pakistan, if factories improve their compliance levels.

A consensus was built on importance of compliance with environmental, labour and health and safety standards.

This compliance is critical not only for enhanced business productivity and sustainability, but also for maintaining preferential trade conditions under its current GSP Plus status.

Jeannette Seppen, Ambassador-designate of the Netherlands, one of the three co-conveners of the Forum, said that IDH, a Dutch NGO specialised in global value-chains, will assist the Buyers’ Forum in formulating precise joint activities within the common strategy.

Highlighting the progress of the forum since December last, the Co-Convenor of the Buyers Forum stated that expanding from 17 to 24 brands with national presence and international outreach is a tremendous achievement.

Cumulatively these brands and retailers make-up for about 50 per cent of Pakistan’s apparel and home-textiles exports.

The deliberations concluded with a briefing on the status and commitment of the forum to the government ministries concerned of overseas Pakistanis and human resource development, commerce and textile industries and partners from donor agencies and diplomatic missions.

The government updated the forum on the progress made on various policy and programme initiatives to improve productivity and competitiveness in the industry and reaffirmed its commitment to effective compliance and reporting on labour, social and environmental standards.

An additional working group will be constituted for each of the three priorities for buyers for improving practices at textile producers not yet compliant with international labour and environmental standards.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2015

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