Atlas’s commitment to sustainability recognised at National Cleaner Production Awards 2020

The Large Scale Manufacturing (Other Category) award was received on behalf of Atlas Axilla Co. by Managing Director Asitha Samaraweera (left) and Director of Operations Viraj Jayasooriya (right) accompanied by Harshanie Jayawardena and Shirantha Chularathna at the National Cleaner Production Awards 2020

Achieving yet another significant milestone, Atlas Axillia Co. Ltd. has been recognised as the sector winner for Large Scale Manufacturing (Other Category) at the National Cleaner Production Awards 2020. 

This award recognises Atlas for its cost competitiveness and social responsibility, demonstrated by its conservative, effective and efficient usage of resources and reduction of waste. 

The National Cleaner Production Award is awarded by the National Cleaner Production Centre of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka NCPC), which is the foremost cleaner production solutions provider in Sri Lanka. The award was received on behalf of Atlas Axilla Co. by Managing Director Asitha Samaraweera and Director of Operations Viraj Jayasooriya, respectively.

Discussing Atlas Axillia’s overall approach to Cleaner Production, Asitha Samaraweera said, “Many years ago, we understood the importance of efficiency and embarked on the Lean journey. Today, we are the benchmark for Lean and Kaizen in Sri Lanka. Through these efforts, we have reduced our waste significantly and now more efficiently use resources. We’ve implemented waste reduction programmes, pushed forward with innovation in product design and re-engineering processes and enhanced the lives of our people through various programs and many other efforts. We have achieved all this whilst consistently continuing to provide world-class tools for learning to Sri Lanka’s future leaders. Therefore, we are grateful and proud to have had our efforts recognised on this national platform. We take this opportunity to thank our teams, our loyal customers and the awarding body for this recognition and honour.”

Emphasising on the stringent guidelines and criteria demanded by this award, Director of Operations Viraj Jayasooriya added, “The eligibility requirements for the National Cleaner Production Awards are rigorous and tough. Atlas has won this award as a result of our commitment to sustainability and our effective use of resources with minimal waste. We have streamlined our processes to ensure that we always use an efficient amount of resources for production. This is critical in today’s environment where resources are scarce and are responsible to ensure a healthy and prosperous world both now and for future generations. This is why we are so focused on “Cleaner Production”, which is a step beyond our highly acclaimed lean program, to achieve the best possible levels of sustainability and minimise any negative impact on the environment. As a company that equips Sri Lanka’s future leaders with the tools for success, we are thoroughly committed to creating a sustainable world where everyone can thrive.”

The highly demanding selection criteria for the National Cleaner Production Awards cover many areas including Resource Efficient Cleaner Production, Waste Management Methods, Use of Advanced Environment Management Tools, Resource Flow Management and Systems Implementation and Compliance with international standards including ISO14001, ISO 50001, ISO45000/OHSAS18000, ISO9001 and ISO14064-1. 

Atlas Axillia Co. Ltd., formerly known as Ceylon Pencil Company Ltd., was founded in 1959 and has since grown to become Sri Lanka’s market leader in school stationery manufacturing. Fuelled by a passion for providing school children with essential tools for success, Atlas has created a strong connection with Sri Lankan consumers, being voted Sri Lanka’s Most Loved Brand in 2017 and has also recently won many national and international awards for excellence including the Global Performance Excellence Award 2019, the National Quality Award 2018, the National Productivity Award 2018, the Nagaaki Yamamoto KAIZEN Gold Award 2018. Company has also been recognized for the most systematic safety approach at the National Occupational Safety and Health Excellence Awards 2018.