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Rooftop solar panels on Hela’s Mawathagama factory
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Hela Casual CEO Sanath Amaratunga
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Hela Clothing, a global apparel manufacturer with factories across Kenya, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, was recognised for its continued commitment to sustainability as it was recently presented with ‘The Most Sustainable Factory’ award at the first-ever Global Sustainability Conference organised by George, the private label clothing brand for Asda in the UK and Walmart in the US.
The award was presented to Hela Clothing in recognition of its consistently high performance in sustainability. This is the second such international award won by the company in 2021 having received the Sustainability Award at the Tesco Non-Food Partner Conference earlier this year.
The Global Sustainability Conference is George’s largest sustainability conference and a testament to the brand’s commitment to building a brighter future. The event, which brought together suppliers from across the globe, was used as a forum to conduct discussions on reducing the brand’s impact on the environment and help protect the natural world while also recognising suppliers for their outstanding achievements in these areas.
Today’s apparel manufacturers are making greater efforts to incorporate impactful sustainability measures into their business model while maintaining a healthy bottom line. All Hela Clothing factories have successfully achieved this goal as they are environmentally friendly across all pillars of water, air, chemicals, energy, emissions, and waste. Many of these factories have even achieved a Higg Index Score of over 90%. Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Higg Index is an apparel and footwear industry self-assessment standard for assessing environmental and social sustainability throughout the supply chain.
Such continued commitment to sustainability has seen Hela record a 35% reduction in water consumption across the Group with 104% of electricity needs being solar-powered, while a 51% reduction in electricity consumption has also been successfully achieved.
Expressing his views about the latest award won by the company, Hela Casual CEO Sanath Amaratunga said: “We are proud to receive this prestigious award and be recognised for our long-standing commitment to sustainability. This award further cements our position as an industry leader when it comes to this vital aspect of our business operations and will certainly motivate us to further improve in all sustainability measures.”
“Over the years, in keeping with our vision to become a global leader in providing sustainability-focused disruptive solutions for the apparel industry we have consistently registered some impressive numbers through our efforts. Through careful planning, embracing new technologies, progressive thinking, and positive action we believe these efforts can be replicated throughout the industry and help drive us closer to a fully realised circular economy,” he added.
Hela Clothing is a $ 200 million company that provides sustainability-focused apparel supply chain solutions. The company works closely with global brands, from design to delivery, in the intimate, sleepwear and children’s product ranges. With 10 factories across three countries and a workforce of over 15,000 across the globe, Hela leads the industry in ethical and sustainable working environments.
