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A Sri Lankan outerwear apparel maker operating in the deep south and supplying to global brands such as GAP, Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren, has emerged as the 2013 National Gold winner for Cleaner Production – and the national cleaner production body NCPC has reported a stunning $ 750,000 in business cost savings for its clients in its first year as an incorporated non-profit.
“Dedicated efforts are needed to be a winner in an award ceremony like this. Therefore, let me congratulate the recipient companies including the Gold award winner tonight. The NCPC working closely with industries has helped to save more than $ 750,000 for the Lankan companies. I commend the NCPC for their efforts within the first year of their operations as a non-profit company,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on 19 February, addressing the National Cleaner Production Awards Ceremony 2013 held at the Grand Ballroom of the Galadari.
Many awards in different grades of large, medium and small scales were handed out to manufacturing firms which successfully passed cleaner production criteria assessments by the National Cleaner Production Centre and Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
The Gold award was won by MAS Active Asialine Division (a strategic business unit) located in Middeniya. Among other award winners in high ranks (such as Silver and Bronze) were such firms as Habarana’s Cinnamon Lodge, Lankem Ceylon Ltd., Wijeya Newspapers, ACL Cables, MAS Active Synergy (Avissawella) and Coca Cola Beverages Sri Lanka.
“At present, cleaner production methods are changing from a compliance need to a profitable, business tool. In that, the businesses that followed cleaner production principles, in those days due to environmental rules are taking these initiatives, on their own to receive, huge cost savings. Also, despite the high initial investment for cleaner production, the resulting sustainability and cost savings from the efforts are much higher,” said Bathiudeen.
“In today’s competitive marketplace, industries that cannot sustain are eliminated. I am given to understand that cleaner production is a business tool that helps our sustainable industrial development, which is on a growth trend, thanks to the vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. I am pleased to note that even industrial exports are rising. Industrial exports were leading the 2013 December export growth on a year-on-year basis.”
In December, Sri Lanka’s monthly industrial exports increased by 15.2% to $ 741 m. In 2013 overall exports volumes, industrial exports performed strongly driven by the large apparel export revenues, which showed a historic record of $ 4.3 b. These growth rates are reported at a time Sri Lanka is targeting a national exports goal of $ 20 b by 2020, as well as regional growth in line with the President’s vision.
“As for regional development, I believe that, in another five years’ time, industries from the north and east regions could be getting ready to enter the global market. In 2012, the North and East Provinces recorded highest regional GDP growth of 25%,” said Bathiudeen.
NCPC has now drawn up several new programs for the growing north and east. NCPC started its services to the industry as a project under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and completed almost 12 years in this field. With the valuable support of the Government of Norway, NCPC has now become a non-profit company run by a board of directors, selected from the public and private sectors.
NCPC has spent more than US$ 382,000 dollars, over Rs. 50 million, during the last 10 years in training and capacity building for industry personnel. NCPC has also provided training for more than 5,000 persons in different industries.
“On behalf of people of Sri Lanka, let me extend my warmest appreciation to the Government of Norway and to the people of Norway for the generous financial assistance provided to NCPC during the last 11 years through UNIDO facilitation, as well as Norway’s assistance to many other development projects in Sri Lanka for the last few years,” added Bathiudeen.
Asialine Division GM Nimal Chandrasiri, speaking after winning the Gold award, said: “We supply outerwear to such international brands as GAP, Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike and H&M. We are thankful for the support extended to our production efficiencies from NCPC and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. In the past, we already collected a Silver award in this series of awards. Our continued efforts to improve water consumption, energy savings and recycling have helped us to go for Gold this year.”
Gold winner Middeniya Asialine is equipped with a workforce strength of around 1,600.
