The European Union has been helping Pakistan get ready for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). Pakistan expects to gain this facility in 2014, which would help its textile industry optimally utilize its potential, which still remains untapped. A comprehensive strategy is being developed in this regard to take full advantage of the free market access under the GSP Plus system.

Germany particularly has been helping Pakistan’s textile industry to improve its operations through energy conservation. Meanwhile, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) is gearing up to invest in a coal-based 3,000 megawatts energy project to address the energy issue and is planning to organize several road shows across the EU and the US to promote Pakistani textiles in those markets.

In this context APTMA has taken up a new initiative called ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL). This is a corporate social responsibility strategy that focuses on people, planet and profit to project the entire textile supply chain of Pakistan as an environment-friendly and socially responsible industry. 

APTMA is also formulating an integrated policy to convince international customers that Pakistan has a reliable textile chain for business purposes. It has already adopted a number of initiatives during the last three years to comply with international business practices.