The Global Forum for Sports and Environment conference, backed by the UN Environment Program was held for the first time in Lahore, Pakistan, the city of origin for 60% of all of the worlds soccer balls. During the Forum, the countrys sporting goods manufacturers joined together to sign The Lahore-Sialkot declaration on corporate environmental responsibility.
The Signatories pledged to boost the level of non-financial reporting of environmental factors, to scale back the use of water and energy in the production of sporting goods, to boost environmental awareness among company workers, to reduce the amount of toxic and chemical waste, and to get involved in activities linking sport and the environment.
Years ago, the country relied on children under the age of 14 to hand stitch soccer balls, but this practice has reportedly been eradicated. Now the manufacturers are trying to take the next step and espouse corporate environmental responsibility.
