WWF-Pakistan conducting audits to improve energy efficiency

Islamabad: The World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Pakistan) is conducting detailed energy audits to improve energy and process efficiency, thus aiming to save 3,400,000 KWH of electricity and reduce carbon emission in the country.

According to the data provided by WWF-Pakistan, ginning plays an important part in the cotton supply chain and is vital in determining the quality of cotton fiber in downstream industries.

“Pakistan produces more than 8.5 million cotton bales and estimates suggest that per bail, a total of 17-18 KWH electricity is used. This means that in one cotton season 153,000,000 KWH of electricity, is consumed which is equivalent to 145,350 MTs of carbon emissions,” it said.

The technical paper of climate change ministry showed that the nitrogen fertiliser has the highest share of energy consumption in cotton production (21.78%), followed by water (20.85%), diesel fuel (with 18.67%), and machinery (with 8.32%). The ministry is also pursuing a plan to reduce carbon emission in line with the framework given in the National Climate Change Policy introduced in 2012.

The cotton sector value chain beyond the cultivation of cotton includes all associated activities such as the transport of seeds, inputs and crop, ginning of the seed, baling of cotton fiber and pressing of the cotton seed for oil.

Cotton is generally considered an environmentally challenging crop because of its high pesticide use, further raising the issue of contaminants in water and soil. In the entire supply chain of garment/textiles (excluding the consumer-use part–washing and drying), the fiber production phase emits the most Green House Gases (GHGs).

The data of WWF-Pakistan said there is a potential for saving electricity in the ginning sector and the estimates suggest that 3-4 KWH per bale can be saved, which leads to a reduction of 32,300 MTs of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.