WWF stresses cut in carbon emissions

LAHORE (Staff Report) – The WWF-Pakistan Monday organized an awareness raising seminar in collaboration with Tetra Pak Pakistan at its Sundar Industrial Estate plant site in Lahore.

The seminar also included a training workshop on the Green Office Initiative and its role in promoting conservation and sustainability.

Tetra Pak Pakistan is part of the WWF-Pakistan Green Office Network since 2011 which aims to reduce carbon emissions, minimize their impact on environment and show commitment to environmental sustainability.

According to Nazifa Butt, Coordinator Green Office/Environmental Assessment, WWF-Pakistan, “WWF Green Office Initiative is helping Tetra Pak in cutting down their carbon emissions and conserving natural resources consumed in offices.

The success of any programme lies in the employee commitment of the organization, WWF Green Office engages employees in robust environmental awareness training workshops where they not only learn to help the organization cut down on the natural resource consumption but also this brings a positive behavioral change in them which further contributes to reducing their ecological footprint.”

Jawad Ahmed, Environment Manager, Tetra Pak Pakistan & Arabia said, “Everything we do is driven by a simple promise: to protect what’s good. The commitment relates not just to ensuring the safety of the food we eat and drink.

It is also about minimizing our impact on the environment. We do that through our 2020 strategic priority Drive Environmental Excellence.’

Farah Rashid, Programme Officer, Green Office Initiative, WWF-Pakistan discussed ways to cut carbon emissions in key performance indicators such as energy, paper, waste, water and travel.
Issues of energy and water scarcity faced by the country were discussed and better practices were highlighted that can help to reduce their ecological footprint and contribute to becoming responsible citizens of society.

A brainstorming activity was also organized where participants engaged in group discussions and gave solutions to tackle water scarcity and contribute towards conservation of the environment on an individual level.

The Green Office Initiative was launched in Pakistan in 2010.

Over the years, 41 offices have joined the programme and are working actively to reduce their environmental footprint and educating their employees to become responsible citizens and understanding their civic and environmental responsibilities.

The implementation of Green Office helps organizations to cut energy costs, reduce wastage and make better procurement choices.

In addition to cost savings they also benefit from a newly motivated and environmentally aware personnel as well as an improved corporate image.