Climate Expert Tool Training: Climate Adaptation and New Market Opportunities for the Pakistani Textile Sector

From Jan 26-30, 2026, Sven Gehlhaar, managing director of IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH, led two practical training courses in Lahore, Pakistan, on the use of the Climate Expert Tool (CET) with the aim of developing detailed climate change adaptation strategies. The training courses were specifically aimed at large and medium-sized companies in the Pakistani textile sector – from cotton production and processing to the export of textiles and textile products.

The Climate Expert approach was developed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to support companies in partner countries in becoming resilient to the effects of climate change. The Excel-based tool serves to raise awareness of climate risks, identify individual and context-specific risks, and systematically develop robust adaptation strategies at the company level. The training courses were held on behalf of GIZ's Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) IV.

Together with a total of twenty executives, Mr. Gehlhaar analyzed climate-related risks along the entire value chain and developed concrete adaptation measures that strengthen the resilience of companies and improve operational processes.

In addition to new climate adaptation measures, a particular focus was placed on identifying market opportunities. These were systematically evaluated and tested for economic viability using sound cost-benefit analyses. The result: practical strategies that reduce climate risks while opening up new opportunities for growth and competition.

With these training courses, the IAK is making an important contribution to the climate-resilient transformation of the Pakistani textile sector and to the sustainable strengthening of companies along the entire supply chain.