Business

Pakistani startup declares war on climate change

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Suftech Innovations, a Pakistani startup, has put on the war paint to launch a groundbreaking assault on climate change by introducing disruptive technology to most efficiently reutilise resources, reduce marine and soil pollution, and plug greenhouse gas emissions to a measure that matters.

Suftech — which leads the transition from a linear plastics economy to a truly circular and sustainable plastics economy — is a climate tech startup with state-of-the-art patent-pending technology that can create pristine polymer from plastic waste. The resultant product is of such a premium quality that it can be used as a replacement for virgin polymer.

This directly takes the firm a step closer to the Net-Zero emissions goal, promotes circularity and sustainability and helps commercial organisations fulfil their commitments related to recycling and reusing plastics responsibly.

It should be noted that the technology is replicable, and scalable and can be relocated to any global destination.

“The reason for doing something related to climate change was very simple, it was something that is very close to our heart,” Ahsan Ejaz, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Suftech Innovations Private Limited, told Geo.tv.

The logo of Suftech Innovations. — Twitter/@suftechi

With the focus on being able to help solve global environment-related issues, the founders of Suftech believe “the Earth is our only home and if actions weren’t taken now, this home will not be liable for our future generations”.

With no investors on board, the founders of the startup kick-started their operations after they were awarded the Green Challenge Fund by Karandaaz Pakistan, the implementation partner of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in 2021.

The funding helped them set up their commercial scale plant and they now aim to make Suftech Innovations as a regional company in the next five years with at least two manufacturing facilities located in the MENA region.

Ejaz claims that Suftech has already brought a revolution within Pakistan and they aim to expand to the US and the UK markets in the next ten years.

He elaborated that within a few months, the firm has prevented 30,000+ kilograms of plastic waste from entering the environment and causing soil/marine pollution. “The technology helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 450,000kg and helped save $60,000 of precious foreign exchange by replacing virgin polymer with our product,” he added.

While most of the startups are struggling to continue operations, Suftech hasn’t been affected by the economic crunch that others are facing.

Ejaz believes every crisis is also an opportunity. “Due to the unfortunate economic scenario in Pakistan that has put restrictions on import and made everything imported extremely expensive it has at the same time created opportunities for businesses that rely on local materials,” he said.

“At Suftech we create virgin-like polymer from plastic waste which is readily available in Pakistan therefore we were not impacted by the shortage of raw materials ensuring the availability of our product and cementing our position as a reliable supplier for our customers,” he added.

The co-founder, however, added that the very high cost of electricity and the taxation system in Pakistan for startups needed to be simplified.

“This would allow startups like ours to reach our potential much more quickly and efficiently,” he maintained.

Business

With its second-largest surge ever, PSX approaches 114,000 points.

Published

18 hours ago

Farwa

Driven by renewed activity from both private and government financial institutions, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) saw its second-largest rally in history on Monday.

The market regained many important levels in a single trading session as it rose with previously unheard-of momentum.

Intraday trading saw a top increase of 4,676 points, and the PSX’s benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 4,411 points to settle at 113,924 points. This impressive rebound demonstrated significant investor confidence by reestablishing the 100,000, 111,000, 112,000, and 113,000-point levels.

The market also saw the 114,000-point limit reestablished during the trading session.

The positive tendency was reflected when the market’s heavyweight shares touched its upper circuits. Among the most busiest trading sessions in recent memory, an astounding 85.78 billion shares worth a total of Rs55 billion were exchanged.

Experts credited the spike to heightened institutional investor activity and hope for macroeconomic recovery. Considered a major market recovery, the rally demonstrated the market’s tenacity and development potential.

Business

In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee beats the US dollar.

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

In the international exchange market, the US dollar has continued to weaken in relation to the Pakistani rupee.

The dollar fell to Rs278.10 from Rs278.17 at the beginning of interbank trading, according to currency dealers, a seven paisa loss.

In the meantime, there was a lot of turbulence in the stock market, but it recovered and moved into the positive zone. The KSE-100 index recovered momentum and reached 116,000 points after soaring 1,300 points.

Both currency and stock market swings, according to analysts, are a reflection of ongoing market adjustments and economic uncertainty.

Business

Phase II of CPEC: China-Pakistan Partnership Enters a New Era

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

The cornerstone of economic cooperation between the two brothers and all-weather friends is still the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the initiative’s flagship project.

In contrast to reports of a slowdown, recent events indicate a renewed vigour and strategic emphasis on pushing the second phase of CPEC, known as CPEC Phase-2, according to the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.

According to the statement, this crucial stage seeks to reshape the foundation of bilateral ties via increased cooperation, cutting-edge technology transfer, and revolutionary socioeconomic initiatives.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal is leading Pakistan’s participation in a number of high-profile gatherings in China, such as the 3rd Forum on China-Indian Ocean Region Development Cooperation in Kunming and the High-Level Seminar on CPEC-2 in Beijing.

His involvement demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to reviving CPEC, resolving outstanding concerns, and developing a strong phase-2 roadmap that considers both countries’ long-term prosperity.

At the core of these interactions is China’s steadfast determination to turn CPEC into a strategic alliance that promotes development, progress, and connectivity.

Instead of being marginalised, CPEC is developing into a multifaceted framework with five main thematic corridors: the Opening-Up/Regional Connectivity Corridor, the Innovation Corridor, the Green Corridor, the Growth Corridor, and the Livelihood-Enhancing Corridor.

With the help of projects like these, the two countries will fortify their partnership, and CPEC phase-2 will become a model of global economic integration and collaboration that benefits not just China and Pakistan but the entire region.