Forbes ranks Punjab’s ‘Suthra Punjab’ among world’s top climate-innovation models

Pakistan’s Punjab province has earned global recognition as Forbes named its “Suthra Punjab” initiative one of the world’s leading models for sustainable waste management and climate innovation. The magazine highlighted the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) as a flagship example at COP30, noting that major international cities—from Nairobi to Jakarta—are now studying Punjab’s framework for replication.

For decades, Punjab struggled to manage waste in rural areas, where nearly 70 million people had no organised disposal system. The turning point came when the province launched LWMC under CEO Babar Sahib Din, a Pakistan Administrative Service officer who presented a revamped strategy following the 2024 provincial elections. With full governmental backing, the team built an integrated provincewide waste-collection system in just eight months, Forbes reported.

A new provincial authority now supervises cleanliness in all cities and villages, lifting roughly 50,000 tons of waste daily. The system is digitally monitored end-to-end: vehicles and bins carry IoT sensors, GPS trackers, and RFID tags, sending real-time data to a central control room. AI tools optimise routes and reduce fuel consumption, while automated weighing machines log tonnage on arrival at dumping sites. Contractor payments are linked directly to this digital data, a mechanism Forbes says has sharply curtailed corruption, with automated penalties enforced for lapses.

The initiative’s financial model combines a modest user fee with government grants, revenue from recycling and waste-to-energy, carbon credits, and electricity sales. All income flows into a transparent joint account reserved for purchasing new equipment. According to Forbes, the project is on track to become financially self-sustaining.

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“Suthra Punjab” is now moving toward turning waste into economic value. A dedicated recycling unit is operational, and upcoming plans include composting plants, biogas generation from landfill gases, and producing high-protein animal feed using black soldier fly larvae. A 25MW waste-to-energy plant is in the pipeline, expected to power over 50,000 homes and cut carbon emissions by nearly 2 million tons annually.

Beyond environmental gains, the initiative has improved sanitation, reduced disease spread, and limited water contamination across the province. More than 100,000 jobs have been created—spanning sanitation staff, drivers, recycling-plant operators, women, and youth participants.

Forbes concludes that the initiative is restoring Punjab’s environment, eliminating illegal dumping, and positioning the province as a regional leader in climate-smart innovation. CEO Babar Sahib Din says the effort demonstrates how committed leadership and a motivated workforce can solve even massive challenges in record time.