Roshan Packages Limited September Newsletter
From playing our part in the community by cleaning up Old Lahore to Industry- Academia Linkages, check out some September highlights below!
Roshan Packages Limited August Newsletter
Roshan Packages Limited marked its 21st birthday this August. From joining the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world to informative sessions on health and fun-filled Independence Day celebrations, we’ve had a jampacked month.
Roshan Packages Limited July Newsletter
From a surprise Mango party to sponsoring our first-ever television show, find out what we’ve been up to in July:
Roshan Packages Limited June Newsletter
Find our June Newsletter encompassing key events and activities at Roshan Packages Limited.
The Circular Economy: Towards a Roshan Pakistan
Every spring, Lahore experiences a brief period of refreshing weather. This year, a novel gathering of professionals took place during this period. 28th 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.
Ethiopian Ambassador Sheds Light on Sustainability
We were thrilled to welcome H.E. Jemal Baker, Ambassador of Ethiopia, to Roshan Packages Limited’s Flexible Plant. During his visit, His Excellency toured the Flexible Plant and expressed his satisfaction with the safety, cleanliness, and modern machinery and met with our top management.
In recognition of the long-lasting friendship between Ethiopia and Pakistan, H.E. Jemal Baker planted a tree at the facility. The planting of the tree is not only a symbol of our commitment to sustainability, but it also reflects Ethiopia’s dedication to building a greener future.
As responsible corporate citizens, we are committed to promoting sustainable business practices and environmental stewardship. We are honored by H.E. Jemal Baker’s gesture and grateful for the opportunity to host him at our plant.
We extend our thanks to H.E. Jemal Baker for his visit, and we look forward to the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Ethiopia and build a brighter future for all.
Situated in the Somali Peninsula also known as the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is one of the oldest independent countries in the region. It is also the second most populated country in Africa with a population of around 120 million people. It is host to a variety of vibrant cultures and spectacular natural beauty.
Being a developing country coupled with a post-pandemic crisis, Ethiopia is also facing strong challenges like poverty, the need for development, lack of resources, and environmental degradation. However, it is weathering the storm with utmost persistence. With the peace treaty established with TPLF in the year 2022, the country is steadily making progress as a strong nation.
The Circular Economy is an emergent concept coined by Genevieve Reday and Walter Stahel in 1976 in a report by the name of ‘The Potential for Substituting Manpower for Energy” to the European Commission. It was drawn in the shape of loops to interconnect the idea of an economic model that retained materials in the product cycle for as long as possible. This concept has now gained tremendous momentum from around the world, making it a more practical alternative for linear development.
Linear development is a concept that is based on the idea of a take-use-dispose model. This model has been the root cause of the environmental degradation of our planet for decades. Ethiopia like other responsible countries is incorporating the circular economic approach in its economic activities.
It has in particular taken concrete steps to encourage the usage of sustainable packaging in recent years. In 2019, the Ethiopian government banned the usage of single-use plastics- which still is nearly half of the plastic waste generated globally. The ban comprises of the manufacture, import, and supply of single-use plastic products like luggage, straws, and cutlery.
The Private sector is also playing an active and dominant role in promoting sustainable packaging in Ethiopia. Different innovative alternative solutions are being practiced across different companies. For instance, different packaging companies have introduced biodegradable packaging, made from botanical materials. These materials are renewable with minimal to no negative environmental impacts.
Moreover, they are investing in new innovative technologies that are esthetic, contain high value, and promote resource conservation. One such technology is 3D printing. 3D printing is largely custom-made, by default designed to make packaging as per need, therefore, helping with resource conservation and waste minimization.
The general consumer trend in Ethiopia is also significantly inclined toward using sustainable practices. For instance, jute bags are a common sight there for shopping and general carrying of goods. Also, proper systems are in place to reuse materials like glass bottles. They are collected and made available for consumption in an organized way, which is a perfect example of how Ethiopian consumers and producers have incorporated product circularity into their daily lives.
The demand for green products and packaging has also increased over the years, acting as an external pressure for businesses to incorporate sustainable practices in manufacturing and operations. Balda, A., & Singh, R. In their study ‘Driving Forces towards the Adoption of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices: Empirical Evidence from Manufacturing Industries in Ethiopia’ highlighted that higher consumer demand for greener products is acting as a significant driver for companies in Ethiopia to adopt sustainable supply chain practices.
Ethiopia holds immense potential to immerge as a successful circular economy model. With an existing consumer and investor demand for greener products and increased investment in green practices, Ethiopia is set to become an example that other countries can follow for implementing sustainable development goals in their regions.
Day of the Girl Child at RPL
The “International Day of the Girl Child” was celebrated at our Corrugation Plant. The focus of the day was to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ importance, education and empowerment.
At Roshan Packages we believe that ending all forms of discrimination against women is an important issue to discuss and acknowledge. Empowering girls is not only a basic human right, but it also has a multiplier effect across all other development areas. We must therefore give girls the tools they need to succeed – and create an environment that allows them to do so.
Participants were really inspired and they vowed to celebrate and invest in a girl’s future.
Annual Report 2022: Towards a Circular Economy
Our cover, a crumpled piece of paper surrounded by lush leaves, represents the importance that we as a company place on waste as a solution to climate degradation. In particular, we believe in reusing and recycling waste paper and paper products to create packaging solutions following the principles of a Green Circular Economy.
Pulp and paper is the 3rd largest industrial polluter of air, water, and soil and when it rots, it emits methane gas which is 25 times more toxic than CO2. Moreover, 42% of all global wood harvest is used to make paper i.e. paper production is one of the main causes of deforestation. Worse of all, demand for paper is expected to double before 2030.
However, the solution is simple and has been available for decades: recycling. Recycling 1 tonne of paper saves around 1400 liters of oil, 26,500 liters of water and 17 trees as well as combating pollution and climate change caused by deforestation. In an effort to highlight this solution and the importance RPL places on it, we have chosen this simple yet effective image to represent us this year.
As the climate crisis deepens, we must all, as consumers, producers and individuals, play our part. As companies set ambitious goals to use more recycled content in their packaging, there is more need than ever for partnerships and investments. Together, we must develop the infrastructure and processes that allow us to recover high-quality materials that can be used for recycled packaging, since Pakistan in particular lags behind the world.
In the linear economy, raw natural resources are taken, transformed into products and disposed off. On the other hand, a circular economy model aims to close the gap between the production and the natural ecosystems’ cycles, ultimately eliminating ‘waste’. Companies cannot create a circular economy on their own, and our stakeholders have an important role to play.
Conscious of our contribution to society and the environment, we seek to continually expand our horizons while keeping sustainability and diversity at the heart of our efforts. We hope that along with our stakeholders, we can participate in this program in order to re-use, reduce and recycle, ultimately playing our part in fighting against climate change.
Our strategy to make this a reality is closed-loop recycling model: a process where waste is collected, recycled and then used again to make the same product it came from. To stretch the use of recovered paper as a raw material in papermaking, it is imperative that paper is source segregated and collected from reliable sources. This means that every source plays a crucial part in the paper recycling and paper making process’s success and to achieve high recovery percentages of paper.
Through our collaboration, we hope that the used corrugated boxes we collect from supply chains, will be recycled and turned into new corrugated boxes in our packaging division, creating a real closed-loop solution for our customers. As one of the leading packaging companies in Pakistan, with over 20 years of experience in recycling and waste management, we will try our best to find a way to make 100% of the resources you send us into something useful once more. Thus, reducing waste sent to landfill and reducing the company’s impact on the environment.
Click here to download our Annual Report for 2022
Domestic Violence Awareness Workshop at Roshan Packages Limited
On the 10th of April, a workshop was conducted at one of Rohsan’s plants regarding a social cause prevalent in our nation: domestic violence. The workshop was led by the young leaders at ‘Himmat’. ‘Himmat’ is a youth-led initiative aiming to empower and equip those affected by domestic violence with the tools and skills they need to fight back as well as create awareness about domestic violence in society.
The United Nations defines domestic violence as “a pattern of abusive behavior toward an intimate partner in a or family relationship, where the abuser exerts power and control over the victim.” Furthermore anyone regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, faith, or class can be a victim of domestic violence. Some studies estimate that up to 50% of men have also faced domestic violence. Victims of domestic abuse are not just women and may also include children, relatives, or any other household members. Moreover, it is important to note that domestic abuse can be mental, physical, economic, or sexual in nature. Incidents are rarely isolated and usually escalate in frequency and severity. Domestic abuse may culminate in serious physical injury or death.
The workshop shed light upon several facts and statistics regarding domestic abuse, which many employees were unaware of. This information was shared with the employees with the help of a presentation and questionnaire. Firstly, the scale of domestic abuse in Pakistan was explained. The presentation then went on to explain the effects of abuse on women and children living in these households.
According to some estimates, 70-90% of women from ages 15 to 49 have experienced some kind of domestic violence. However, considering domestic violence is an issue shrouded by many, these figures are most likely a gross under-estimation. In reality over a million cases of domestic abuse go unreported each year.
Several factors play a pivotal role when it comes to the reasons for domestic abuse. These factors include the low-economic status of women, lack of awareness about women’s rights, lack of education, falsified beliefs, an imbalance of power between men and women, male-dominant social structures, and lack of support from the government. 5000 women in Pakistan are brutally murdered per year from domestic violence, with thousands of others left severely injured or disabled. Domestic violence has become an important public health concern.
After the enlightening presentation, a questionnaire was handed out, which aimed to peruse how the participants viewed the increased rate of domestic violence. The set of questions included in the questionnaire was in relation to the number of cases that have been reported in the last ten years and the percentage of women who have faced abuse at the hands of their husbands or in-laws.
Himmat aims to spread awareness in areas where people do not have access to education. It aims to reduce the rate of domestic violence by opposing the falsified beliefs which have been created by our society. Their visit to Roshan was effective as it assisted in making an impact on the mindset through which others viewed domestic violence. The questionnaire helped people realize the difference in the statistics they had envisioned compared to the prevalence of the problem. Spreading awareness can have a positive impact on the reduction of domestic abuse.
-Bahisht Nadeem, Intern, Roshan Packages Limited
Supply Chain Challenges in Pakistan’s Corrugation Industry
Greetings! My name is Ahsan Shafique. I am a Mechanical Engineering graduate from GIK Institute. I have been recently hired as a Management Trainee Officer in the Supply Chain Planning Department at Roshan Packages.
Roshan Packages is a rapidly growing organization, and in the process, it is ensuring that its employees also grow at an equal pace with it. Not only enhancing the skill set of its employees but also working on their personal grooming and development, and providing a working environment that is conducive to exponential learning and growth. The environment and the work culture here at Roshan Packages are very professional as people here are not working as individuals but as a team, helping and supporting each other, and focused on achieving success as a team. At Roshan Packages, the success of an individual is the success of the team he is part of.
I am pleased to be a part of a talented bunch of individuals selected as Management Trainees after a rigorous process. Unlike other organizations, the Management Trainee Program at Roshan Packages is designed to create future leaders capable of accelerating the growth of the organization. I feel very lucky and accomplished working for Roshan Packages, and I look forward to having a great working experience with all my colleagues at Roshan Packages.
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a major challenge Roshan Packages, and the corrugated packaging industry, in general, is facing right now. Roshan Packages is facing a shortage of raw materials and rising input costs. For instance, prices of Kraft paper, which is utilized for making corrugated boxes have doubled – a record – in the past 2 years. The reason for the increase in Kraft paper price is that European Union has banned exports of waste cuttings, a relatively less expensive raw material. Also, post-covid, the import of input materials has been seriously impacted, due to worsened logistical problems.
Apart from this, irregular supplies have compounded the already existing problems of soaring waste paper prices, and soaring input costs, mainly fuel and starch, and there are little signs of this price pattern turning around soon. The conversion costs have also increased due to an increase in the cost of starch. Prices of chemicals such as caustic soda have almost doubled in the last few months. Even the prices of ink have surged.
Another major reason for the crisis is China’s decision to ban imports of wastes, including waste paper. With this ban coming into effect, China is now importing kraft paper that is now being used as a fiber to produce paper. This, in turn, has created a shortage of Kraft Paper in Pakistan.
For the corrugated industry in Pakistan to remain viable, especially the SMEs, the government must limit the export of Kraft paper, as it would restore the supply of Kraft paper for the local industry. Also, there is a need to raise the price of corrugated packaged boxes to remain viable.
I would also like to briefly mention the sustainability of corrugated packaging since sustainability is essential to ensure non-disruptiveness in the future. It is very encouraging that currently corrugated is the most sustainable packaging material and it is because of the following reasons:
- Managed Forestry — corrugated is made from renewable raw materials.
- Renewable Resources — paper mills can generate energy from byproducts of the paper manufacturing process
- Continuous Recycling — the fiber in corrugated is recyclable once a box has been used.
-Ahsan Shafique, MTO Supply Chain, Roshan Packages Limited