Brandix lauded at international forum

Top apparel exporter Brandix was among Sri Lankan companies cited as examples of good CSR practice and compliance with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) at a prestigious international forum earlier this month, at which Sri Lanka was conferred with an important accolade.

The company's Green Factory at Seeduwa, an international benchmark for eco-friendly manufacture, was featured at deliberations on 'Low Carbon Future' and the Head of Energy and Environment at Brandix, Iresha Somarathne was invited to sit on the panel at this forum, in recognition of the company's commitment to environmental best practice.

The event, a regional conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on Corporate Responsibility themed 'Why Responsible Business Conduct Matters' was organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for signatories to the UNGC and coincided with UN ESCAP's First Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Week.

Sri Lanka, represented by several leading companies and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, was presented with the 'Best Performing Global Compact Principles by a Local Network' Asia Award 2009 at this event.

The conference and subsequent workshops on Global Compact and Corporate Social Responsibility issues were well represented by Sri Lanka with companies like Brandix Lanka Limited, Aitken Spence, MAS Holdings, Kelani Valley Plantations and Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce among the invitees.

Leading companies such as Kelani Valley Plantations and Brandix Lanka Limited were cited by some of the panellists as examples of companies practicing their CSR and Global Compact principles to the fullest.