Describing himself as a ’lifelong learner,“ Saqib Sohail was recently listed among Vogue’s Top 100 Innovators. Straight talking yet gentle in his speech, Sohail views sustainably with a rare clarity that cuts through the noise and dives into the heart of the matter. He is not just talking the talk. He is walking the walk. “Sustainability is an overused word. At Artistic Milliners, we have made sustainability part of our Responsible Business Projects because we have to be responsible in the way we conduct our business.”

The word ‘sustainability’ has become such a trending word that the European Parliament had to come up with 16 regulations to counter greenwashing and ensure proper reporting. According to Sohail, the term has lost its meaning due to the way it has been abused.

For Sohail, the difference is imperative because, in the global context, Pakistan is emitting less than one percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is one of the top 10, if not top five, countries affected by climate change. As he points out, it is not about environmental changes and damage in the form of drought or flooding; there is an economic angle as well.

“From farming to retail, everyone is affected by this unpredictable cycle. People are unable to understand how climate affects us economically.”

In the vicious cycle of fast fashion, while trying to implement a circular economy and holding brands accountable for sustainability, there is growing concern about the role of consumers. Do they even understand their buying power or the impact of their choices? Can their demand be the defining force in ensuring sustainability? Or do they not care – is their ignorance defining their buying patterns?

Given that consumers need to be aware of what sustainability means, standards and certifications were introduced to ensure that brands could claim legitimacy in terms of what they were offering in the hope that consumers would then make conscious choices. But Sohail is not completely convinced.

“For the consumer, the question is what does sustainability mean for them. Will putting a label or a logo cover everything about sustainability, especially with our local retailers since it is already so difficult to find basic care instructions on a garment? Consumers and manufacturers are not geared towards thinking along these lines.”

So can Pakistan map its supply chain to ensure transparency in its claim of sustainable production? There are two categories in this chain: export and local. In the last five to six years, traceability has been a big problem. While there are solutions, the process involves huge amounts of investment, resources and effort. “At Artistic Milliners, we made customised apps through our partner, Retraced in Germany, tracing all goods from the farm till they’re in the finished stage. It is a huge activity and requires financial and human resources to create a linking process from the farmers to the consumers.”

Artistic Milliners did just that. “In the last five years, Pakistan has been producing organic cotton. We are currently working with 1,800 farmers in Balochistan on 10,000 acres of land and several industrialists followed us.

There are now 150,000 acres of organic cotton cultivated in Pakistan and different stages in certification.“

This is probably where Pakistan’s battle lies. The consumer side is one aspect, but certification is crucial. “Scrutiny based on certification is becoming stricter and Pakistan has to get it right; other countries get the benefit of doubt, Pakistan never does. If we do one thing wrong, we are blacklisted for a long time.”

As a result, Artistic Milliners partnered with Organic Cotton Accelerator and WWF to ensure that Pakistani products are verified and certified. No easy task given the difficulties in accessing farmers. But Sohail insists that this is the way forward. “This is how you integrate farmers into the national economy by providing them with opportunities. It is difficult and we spend thousands of dollars every month, but the ROI is that we are able to compete in the international market and don’t need to import organic cotton, which is a big win not only financially but in terms of the carbon footprint.”

Sohail highlights an overlooked element: gender. Working with women on the supply chain side, he stresses the necessity to not only integrate women but to recognise their efforts in establishing sustainable practices and creating economic change. “We started a project with female farmers who had land but no cash for cultivation. They were strong, empowered women. Starting with just five, we now have 50 female farmers. They were able to pay back the microloans we provided, despite the fact that they did not have a male counterparts. We need to drop the bias and give them an opportunity; we are neglecting 50% of our society due to our bias.”

Valuing women brings a shift in perspective and makes one question whether gender is not the issue but rather the local product. Over the years, Pakistani lawn has been appreciated globally for its quality, but now it seems to have been replaced by thicker, coarser fabric, unsuited to Pakistan’s climate.

In 2003, Pakistan was producing 13 to 14 million bales of cotton per year. More than a decade later, we are producing only six to seven million bales. With local demand (excluding exports) amounting to 18 to 19 million bales, there is no choice but to import in order to cater to the demand. “The fabric sold in the local market is not even made in Pakistan. The root cause of this is irregular zoning, where over the past 10 years we have lost 30 to 40% of the cultivable land for cotton to other competing crops and housing schemes. As a result, most local cotton is used for export.”

This is where the consumer comes in. With local fabrics going for export, local industry production is forced to turn to other fibres. But does the consumer even care?

“The question to ask local consumers is whether they know or care what the fabric composition is. If the knowledge is not available, then how will they choose? This is a global problem – consumers do not want to pay for a sustainable product. In Pakistan, this causes problems in the supply chain as there is pressure to adopt circularity and sustainable practices; when we ask for the right compensation, no one is ready to pay for that.”

Can education provide a solution and encourage conscious consumerism? The short answer is no. The curriculum is outdated and while Artistic Milliners has partnered with multiple universities to develop courses and modules, there is a long way to go. “There is limited data or case studies on Pakistan’s climate, sustainable efforts and fibres. At this point, we need a countrywide census,” said Sohail.

With the development sector pushing for a better use of natural resources and working towards pulling Pakistan up to global standards, such efforts, although commendable, will only have an impact if partnerships are offered with the people working on the ground. Furthermore, donor objectives may not necessarily align or work in the local context because, in the long term, the price is too high to pay. This puts the onus on the donor network to question where the funding goes.

Seeing Sohail being recognised on the international stage for his efforts means that a shift is taking place. Working alongside universities, donors and farmers, sustainability may well go beyond just a trending term on social media, although there is a long way to go. The fear at this point is whether it is too late given our burgeoning population and the political crises that threaten all good things in impact and reach.

Mehr Husain is an author and publisher based in Lahore. mehrfhusain@gmail.com