Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2025 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, facing extreme weather events and energy deficits. At the same time, its economy and large youth population offer potential for green growth if innovation and investment are directed wisely. This paper analyzes Pakistan’s green startup sector and its role in mitigating climate change while supporting economic development. We review the latest data (2023–2025) on Pakistan’s greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks, renewable energy targets, and startup financing. Key findings include that Pakistan’s fossil CO₂ emissions were about 199 million tons in 2022 (≈0.9% of global GHG), and it ranks very high on climate vulnerability (ND-GAIN index rank 149). Pakistan’s updated NDC aims for a 50% emissions cut by 2030 (15% domestically, 35% with external finance), including a target of 60% renewable energy share and 30% electric vehicles by 2030. Despite these targets, Pakistan’s green technology startups have received only a small fraction of venture funding (≈2–3% during 2019–2023). From 2019–2023, only 16 GreenTech deals (≈$15 million) were closed. Pakistan’s overall startup VC funding plummeted from over $300M annually in 2021–2022 to <$76M in 2023. We assess how recent initiatives (e.g. the $50M Climaventures fund) and policies (e.g. renewable energy and EV incentives) are catalyzing a nascent green startup ecosystem. Using tables of key indicators (emissions, targets, funding) and sectoral analysis (renewables, agri-tech, waste, etc.), we argue that green startups can improve Pakistan’s climate resilience by introducing clean technologies (solar, wind, bioenergy), sustainable agriculture (drip irrigation, agroforestry), and circular economy solutions. These activities not only reduce emissions and environmental degradation, but also create jobs and diversify the economy. We conclude that scaling up Pakistan’s green startups through improved finance, infrastructure, and policy support is crucial for aligning its development with global climate goals and achieving sustainable growth....
The transition from a linear to a more circular economy has pressured companies from different sectors to implement circular business strategies and redesign their existing business models or even create new ones. The aim of this investigation is to identify the different circular business strategies adopted by Portuguese companies in the textile and clothing industry and evaluate their impact on the sustainability of the business. This article presents a framework of strategies to guide managers in addressing the challenges of moving from fast to more sustainable fashion. This exploratory research is based on a qualitative methodology, relying on semi-structured interviews with the managers of six companies in the textile and clothing sector in Portugal that have implemented circular practices. The primary data collection took place between 20 July and 30 September 2022. The results show that companies have supported their circular economy practices mainly through product life extension strategies (mostly based on durable product design) and resource use reduction strategies, with resource recovery being the most common. The use of personalized product design and clothing repair strategies is still largely unexplored by companies. The findings also suggest that companies have to adapt their way of production and market relationships with consumers in order to accommodate the practices of a circular economy in their businesses. In the future, a quantitative approach could also provide new insights, as well as longitudinal and cross-country comparison studies....
As cities increasingly adopt smart technologies and seek to foster innovation-driven economies, it is vital to understand how smart city development relates to the strength of local startup ecosystems. This study investigates whether a statistically significant relationship exists between a city’s performance in the smart city ranking and the strength of its startup ecosystem. The study employed available data from the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (by Startup Genome) and the Smart City Index (SCI by the IMD World Competitiveness Center). A balanced panel regression analysis was conducted on a dataset comprising 77 cities across the years 2020, 2021, and 2023 (2022 is excluded as the SCI was not published). The findings reveal that the Random Effects model yielded statistically significant results, indicating a weak (R² = 25.63%) but significant inverse relationship between SCI and startup ecosystem development, which means cities that rank higher on smart city metrics tend to show lower levels of startup ecosystem performance. This counterintuitive result challenges the assumption that technologically advanced cities automatically provide fertile ground for entrepreneurial activity. One possible explanation is that smart cities, dominated by large tech players and rigid governance structures, may present entry barriers for emerging startups. High operational costs, regulatory constraints, and a focus on large-scale infrastructure projects may disincentivize startups from localizing their innovations within these environments. Although the R² suggests that other variables beyond the smart city ranking influence startup development. This study highlights the need for urban policies that actively integrate startup-supportive mechanisms into smart city strategies....
This paper exclusively examines the relationship between corporate culture—specifically innovation variables—and the success of digital firms in Saudi Arabia. Importantly, it provides significant empirical evidence highlighting the role of different innovation components—such as shared decision-making, reward strategies, learning programs, tolerance for mistakes, recruitment of innovative employees, and teamwork—in contributing to the success of digital firms. Data were gathered from 157 e-mail survey questionnaires sent randomly to managers working in various digital firms in Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using logistic regression methods and micro-econometric techniques. The findings from the ordinal logistic regression model with a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method pointed to the significant impact of innovation-based corporate culture variables on the success of digital firms in Saudi Arabia. More importantly, the econometric results indicate that digital firms that adopt an innovation culture, namely trust, talent retention, reward strategies, and learning programs, had the highest level of success. The results also revealed that the success of digital firms in Saudi Arabia depends on their willingness to innovate. This paper has implications for digital firm managers or policymakers who want to formulate policies and target appropriate corporate capacities to effectively adopt innovation culture values. It recommends cultivating a healthy corporate culture and targeting appropriate corporate capacities to effectively implement innovative cultural strategies. These actions can decrease reliance on government support and create job opportunities for young Saudis....
Incorporating economic policy uncertainty into the Melitz and Ottaviano theoretical model, this study systematically examines the impact of economic policy uncertainty on firm markups, contributing to our understanding of how macroeconomic conditions affect business sustainability. The results reveal a significant negative relationship between economic policy uncertainty and firm markups, with particularly adverse effects observed in labor-intensive industries, smaller firms, and export-driven companies. As investment irreversibility increases, so does the detrimental impact of economic policy uncertainty on business markups. Importantly, it is discovered that innovation efforts can mitigate these negative effects, promoting sustainable business practices under high policy uncertainty. This research extends the mechanism through which EPU affects markups and highlights the critical roles of investment irreversibility and innovation behavior as moderators. By exploring these dynamics, our findings contribute to the broader discourse on sustainability by identifying strategies for enhancing corporate resilience and competitiveness amidst economic uncertainties....
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