This report examines the state of green productivity in South Asia across five dimensions: the environmental-economic nexus (how environmental degradation constrains productivity growth), sectoral green productivity challenges (agriculture, manufacturing, energy, urban services), policy and institutional frameworks, measurement approaches, and the implications for inclusive growth, particularly for the informal sector, which employs the vast majority of South Asian workers and is both the most environmentally vulnerable and the least equipped to adopt green production practices.

Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction — The Green Productivity Imperative for South Asia
Chapter 2: The Environmental-Economic Nexus in South Asia
2.1 Carbon Intensity of Growth
2.2 Air Pollution and Health Costs
2.3 Water Stress and Agricultural Productivity
Chapter 2A: Climate Change and Productivity — The South Asian Exposure
2A.1 Climate Vulnerability and Economic Cost
2A.2 The Adaptation-Productivity Nexus
Chapter 3: Sectoral Green Productivity Challenges
3.1 Agriculture: Feeding the Region Without Depleting It
3.2 Manufacturing: Cleaner Production for Informal Enterprises
3.3 Energy Transition: The Productivity Opportunity
3.4 Urban Services: The Urban Informal Economy and Environmental Quality
Chapter 3A: The Circular Economy Opportunity
3A.1 Linear Production and the Waste Problem
3A.2 Circular Economy as a Green Productivity Strategy
Chapter 4: Policy and Institutional Frameworks
4.1 India: Institutional Proliferation Without Integration
4.2 Bangladesh: Green Growth Strategy and Garment Sector Leadership
4.3 Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka: Emerging Frameworks
4.4 Regional Cooperation and the Green Productivity Framework
4.5 International Frameworks and Their South Asian Relevance
Chapter 5: Measuring Green Productivity
5.1 Beyond Conventional Productivity Metrics
5.2 Sectoral Green Productivity Indicators
Chapter 6: Green Productivity and Inclusive Growth — The Informal Sector Dimension
6.1 The Double Burden
6.2 Opportunities for Informal Sector Green Productivity
Chapter 6A: Gender Dimensions of Green Productivity in South Asia
6A.1 Women’s Environmental Vulnerability
6A.2 Women as Green Productivity Agents
6.3 Green Productivity and the Urban-Rural Divide
6.4 Financing Green Productivity for the Informal Sector
Chapter 7: Conclusions and Policy Recommendations
7.1 Key Findings
7.2 Policy Recommendations
References
7.3 A Green Productivity Roadmap for South Asia 26
7.4 Final Reflections 27

Executive Summary
South Asia — encompassing