Brandix pledges carbon reduction

After achieving its 2012 eco targets Sri Lanka's top apparel exporter Brandix has pledged a further reduction of its carbon footprint by 2020.

The head of environment and energy management of Brandix group, Iresha Somarathna told a media briefing that using 2013 as the base year, Brandix will make further investments in processes and innovations that progressively reduce the impact of its operations on the environment, aiming at a further 20 percent reduction of the Brandix Eco Index over the next seven years.

Brandix officials at the media briefingMarlex

She said the Group had invested more than $ 3 million in energy efficiency improvements in 2011, saving 28,000 GJ of energy and nearly $ 800,000 through its energy management plan. A switch to renewable energy sources such as bio-mass had resulted in the replacement of 115,000 litres of fossil fuel last year.

“Our achievements are significant because we achieved these targets while increasing our production and and revenue by 50 percent and 60 percent and therefore it is sustainable. Without profitability and people these initiatives may not be sustainable”, she said.

The announcement follows ahead-of-schedule achievements of environmental goals set for 2012 by the $ 600 million Group, which operates 42 facilities in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh and the release of its maiden Sustainability Report.

Releasing details of the sustainability-linked pledges already achieved, Brandix Director A J Johnpillai said that the Group's pledge to reduce its carbon footprint by 30 percent by the end of 2012 had already been achieved, six months ahead of schedule. Similarly, a Brandix pledge to reduce water consumption at apparel factories to 35 litres per head per day by the end of the year has also been achieved.

The Group's ‘Earth Pledge’ - to achieve zero solid waste to be turned into landfill by the end of 2012 - has been 75 percent successful and will be fully achieved by the end of the year, he said.

“Our vision of being ‘The Inspired Solution’ encompasses not only the delivery of best quality products to the shelves, but also helping our workforce and community to grow with us, while mitigating any impact of our business on the environment. We believe that to create a sustainable business all the elements that help in its success need to be nurtured in return,” he said.

Referring to the Group's commitment to the environment, Johnpillai said, “We have taken the responsibility of managing the life cycle chain from the raw material stage to the distribution stage.

This ‘cradle-to-consumer’ approach enables us to account for processes immediately upstream and downstream of the manufacturing processes that are directly under our control. Thus this approach offers a holistic view of the environmental impact of our business. Our vision is to account for each and every resource used and all by-products produced within the boundaries of this chain.”

- GW