Research Abstract:

South Asia faces a defining development challenge: how to sustain the rapid economic growth that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty while addressing the environmental degradation that threatens to undermine those very gains. The region’s GDP growth has averaged 5–7% annually over the past two decades, yet this growth has been accompanied by accelerating carbon emissions, severe air and water pollution, deforestation, soil degradation, and increasing vulnerability to climate change impacts. The productivity of South Asian economies — measured conventionally as output per worker or output per unit of capital — has improved significantly, but this conventional measurement ignores the environmental costs embedded in the production process. When these costs are accounted for, the region’s productivity performance appears considerably less favorable.

Green productivity — defined as the integration of productivity improvement with environmental protection and sustainable resource use — offers a framework for reconciling these tensions. Originally developed by the Asian Productivity Organization in the mid-1990s, the green productivity concept has evolved from a niche environmental management tool into a comprehensive approach to sustainable economic development that encompasses cleaner production, resource efficiency, circular economy principles, and climate-resilient growth strategies.

Table of Contents:

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
7.3 A Green Productivity Roadmap for South Asia 26
7.4 Final Reflections 27
References