Understanding Pakistan’s largest textile producers—and their appetite for biomass fuel
For ranking of top 10 Textile Mills in Pakistan based on exports CLICK HERE
Pakistan’s textile industry drives over 60 % of the country’s export earnings and employs millions. Beyond financial scale, these mills consume vast amounts of energy—steam, hot water and electricity—making them prime candidates for cost‑effective biomass fuel. Below we rank the top ten textile mills in Pakistan by a combined assessment of four metrics: export value, revenue and number of employees. We also note each company’s biomass usage (if known).
1. Nishat Mills Ltd (Lahore)
- Employees: 27,776 (2024)
- Revenue (FY 2024): PKR 212.5 billion (~US$740 M)
- Export Value: ≈US$307 M (FY 2021)
- Biomass Usage: Yes – its captive power boilers burn a mix of bagasse, rice‑husk and wood‑chip pellets alongside fossil fuels and they have also started buying and stocking many other biomass materials like Corn Cob which was primarily supplied by Babar Aziz Balers on their Nishat NDF plant.
As the flagship mill of the Nishat Group, this fully integrated operation (spinning → weaving → processing → garments) ranks first for turnover and workforce. Its in‑house power plants have been retrofitted to blend biomass, yielding significant fuel‐cost savings and emissions reductions.
2. Yunus Textile Mills Ltd (Karachi)
- Employees: 8,000–10,000 (group estimate)
- Revenue (FY 2022): PKR 62.6 billion (~US$395 M)
- Export Value: US$766 M (group total)
- Biomass Usage: No information found
Specializing in home‑textiles (bedding, towels), Yunus Mills supplies major global retailers. Though its export value is massive, there’s no record of biomass fuel adoption—presenting a clear opportunity for agrowaste‐based heating.
3. Sapphire Textile Mills Ltd (Lahore/Kotri)
- Employees: 10,044 (2024)
- Revenue (FY 2024): PKR 82.4 billion (~US$300 M)
- Export Value: ≈US$285 M (2023)
- Biomass Usage: Yes – rice‑husk, corn‑cob and bagasse fuel its 5.5 MW biomass cogeneration unit
Sapphire’s two‐thirds‐export ratio and integrated facilities place it high for export value and workforce. Its biomass cogeneration plant at the finishing mill replaces coal, helping cut energy costs and emissions.
4. Interloop Ltd (Faisalabad)
- Employees: 10,838 (2023)
- Revenue (FY 2023): PKR 119.2 billion (~US$410 M)
- Export Value: US$530 M (FY 2024)
- Biomass Usage: Yes – boilers running on organic/agricultural waste pellets; expanding biomass sourcing
Pakistan’s top hosiery and knitwear exporter, Interloop fuels its LEED‑certified Apparel Park with biomass, phasing out coal and slashing GHG emissions—while leading in export value.
5. Artistic Milliners (Karachi)
- Employees: ≈26,000 (global)
- Revenue Estimate: Not publicly disclosed
- Export Value: US$718 M (FY 2024)
- Biomass Usage: No information found
A world‑class denim and knitwear mill, Artistic ranks among the top exporters by value. It boasts advanced sustainability certifications, yet has not publicly disclosed any biomass fuel use.
6. Style Textile Mills (Lahore)
- Employees: Not publicly disclosed
- Revenue Estimate: ~US$600–750 M/year
- Export Value: US$750 M (FY 2024 est.)
- Biomass Usage: Large scale buyers of Biomass. The mill requires exceptionally high‑quality biomass and enforces stringent inspection standards; any sub‑par fuel will incur substantial penalties.
Style is Pakistan’s leading knitwear exporter by value. Despite vertical integration (yarn→knit→dyeing→garments), it reports no known biomass adoption—another promising prospect for biomass suppliers.
7. Gul Ahmed Textile Mills (Karachi)
- Employees: 18,466 (2024)
- Revenue (FY 2024): PKR 143.1 billion (~US$500 M)
- Export Value: US$300 M (FY 2024)
- Biomass Usage: No information found
A household name in home‑textiles and apparel retail, Gul Ahmed combines domestic retail with large‑scale exports. Its energy mix remains coal, gas and solar—yet there’s no public record of biomass use.
8. Masood Textile Mills Ltd (Faisalabad)
- Employees: 24,000 (2024)
- Revenue (FY 2024): PKR 58.7 billion
- Export Value: PKR 46.1 billion (~US$200 M)
- Biomass Usage: Planning – considering a biomass‐fired power project (type unreported)
A major knitwear exporter now part‑owned by Shandong Ruyi, Masood is pilot‑testing renewable power but has yet to commission a full biomass boiler.
9. Al‑Karam Textile Mills Pvt Ltd (Karachi/Nooriabad)
- Employees: 10,000+
- Revenue (FY 2024): PKR 64.4 billion
- Export Value: ~US$100–120 M (70–80% of output)
- Biomass Usage: No information found
Renowned for its vertical integration and retail outlets, Al‑Karam has invested in solar and waste‐heat recovery—but no public evidence of biomass usage to date.
10. Chenab Limited (Faisalabad)
- Employees: 12,000
- Revenue (FY 2023): PKR 3–4 billion (turnaround)
- Export Value: US$160 M
- Exported Fabric: ~70,000 tons (historical peak)
- Biomass Usage: No information found
Once Pakistan’s top bed‑linen exporter, Chenab’s historic capacity (70 kt fabric/year) highlights its past scale. Today it runs gas‐fired boilers, with no public biomass adoption.
Why Biomass Matters for Textile Mills
Steam and heat requirements make textile mills some of Pakistan’s largest industrial energy consumers. Switching to biomass (rice‑husk pellets, wood‑chip briquettes or mixed agrowaste) offers:
- Up to 30 % fuel‐cost savings vs. furnace oil
- Lower carbon emissions than coal or heavy fuel oil
- Stable, local supply chains through agricultural by‑product sourcing
At Babar Aziz Balers (www.babalers.com), we specialize in premium biomass solutions—rice‑husk baled or loose, wood‑chip briquettes and blended or non blended agro‑waste fuels—tailored to each mill’s calorific and moisture specifications. From 5‑ton trial loads to 1000 plus‑ton bulk contracts, our nationwide warehousing and logistics ensure just‑in‑time delivery so your boilers never go cold.
Contact Us
+92=3132222527
or email us at
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Sources:
Nishat Mills Ltd
Sustainability Report 2023, p. 22 (company website)
Annual Report FY2024 (PSX filings)
Yunus Textile Mills Ltd
PACRA Financial Profile (pacra.com)
Company brochure (Yunus Brothers Group site)
Sapphire Textile Mills Ltd
Annual Report 2023 (sapphiretextiles.com.pk)
UNIDO Case Study: “Biomass Cogeneration at Sapphire” (unido.org)
StockAnalysis.com financial summary
Interloop Ltd
Annual & Sustainability Report FY2023 (interloop-pk.com)
Wikipedia – “Interloop” article
Industry news coverage on export figures (Dawn, Business Recorder)
Artistic Milliners
Dawn.com: “Pakistan’s Top Denim Exporters” (dawn.com)
Company website (artisticmilliners.com)
LEED certification details (usgbc.org case study)
Style Textile Mills
Dawn.com: “Style Textile’s Export Performance”
Walizahid.com: Industry blog on FY2024 apparel exports
Gul Ahmed Textile Mills
Pakistan Today / Profit Magazine: “Gul Ahmed FY2024 Results” (profit.pakistantoday.com.pk)
Financials.PSX.com.pk – audited financial statements
StockAnalysis.com profile
Masood Textile Mills
PACRA Credit Report (pacra.com)
Masood Textile official “Investor Presentation Q1 2024” (masoodtextile.com)
Wikipedia – “Masood Textile Mills Ltd”
Al‑Karam Textile Mills
VIS Group Annual Report (docs.vis.com.pk)
Company website (alkaram.com)
Chenab Limited
Wikipedia – “Chenab Limited”
Chenab corporate fact sheet (chenabgroup.com)
- General Trade / Export Data
- UN Comtrade database (comtrade.un.org)
- ITC Trade Map (trademap.org)
- Additional Industry Analysis
- WhatTheyThink.com: “Global Hosiery & Knitwear Rankings”
- zaraye.co: “Pakistan Textile Export Statistics”
- exhibitorsearch.messefrankfurt.com: “Sapphire at Techtextil”
- financials.psx.com.pk: Karachi Landhi factory land parcels
- brecorder.com: “Nishat Mills Workforce Data”
- stockanalysis.com: “Employee Counts & Revenue Summaries”
- dawn.com: assorted news on export rankings
By drawing on company filings, stock‐exchange disclosures, reputable trade databases and industry press, we have cross‑verified all major figures for exports, revenue, employment, biomass use and (where available) fabric tonnage.
