Conversations on Responsible Business

This week's newsletter will focus on the following activities undertaken by CERB:

• Stakeholder consultation on labor laws on family-friendly and equal-opportunity work policies for the Centre for Labour Research
• Workshop on 'Expanding the Circular Economy Opportunities and Constraint Analysis for Pakistan' held by the IFC - International Finance Corporation
• Webinar for the case study on Achieving Prosperity through Interloop Limited 's Winning Culture

Last week, CERB spoke to senior leaders from the HR and Legal departments of various companies to gather insight on implementing Pakistan’s labour laws pertaining to family-friendly and equal-opportunity work policies. The discussions were held to inform recommendations from CERB for the Islamabad-based Centre for Labour Research, which is currently consolidating the country’s labour laws into one complete code at the request of the provincial governments. Some of the points raised are shared below:

• Companies have a harder time providing equal entitlements for employees across different provinces due to differences in provincial laws. Variations also exist between the entitlements of office employees and factory workers.
• Implementation guidelines from the government would help ensure that not only are minimum legal requirements followed, but companies can implement best practices beyond the law to support their employees.
• A transition period is recommended to be communicated and supported by the government when laws are changed, such as in the cases of minimum wage laws and paid leave.

Representatives from Pakistan Cables Limited , House of Habib , National Foods Limited , HBL , K-Electric , Soorty Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. Artistic Milliners , EBM , and 渣打银行 attended the sessions. If your organization has further feedback, please reach out to us on [email protected]

On March 26th, 2024, the CERB team participated in a workshop titled 'Expanding the Circular Economy Opportunities and Constraint Analysis for Pakistan' held at the IFC - International Finance Corporation Offices in Karachi. The workshop aimed to showcase the results of a landscape analysis focused on the value chains for paper, PET (plastic), and textiles. The session included presentations from Packages Limited , Gatronova , and Artistic Milliners . The discussions covered the concept of extended producer responsibility, emphasizing regional legislation, and the recycling models being implemented to identify investment opportunities in Pakistan.

The webinar includes a conversation with Abrar Chaudhury, Saira Taimur Khan and Humayun Javed Khan with Nazish Shekha to discuss the practical aspects of organizational culture and how to start at the top so that a holistic organizational culture can be developed. The case study aims to identify the traits of Interloop’s organizational culture within its management practices which act as enablers in navigating the challenges of exponential growth while maintaining the ethos that has led to the company's success, growth, and global recognition since its inception.

Recommended Readings

• Financing Climate Action: Enhancing Effectiveness and Transparency in Pakistan's Climate Governance?Frameworks - Transparency International Pakistan and Climate Finance Pakistan
• Achieving Prosperity Through a Winning Culture, Case study on Interloop Limited - CERB
• Calls for a ‘green’ Ramadan revive Islam’s long tradition of sustainability and care for the planet - Noorzehra Zaidi in The Conversation?

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