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Monday, 2 March 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: Management Executive – R&D Razmina Razick, Manager – Commercial Ajitha Y. Perera, HJS Condiments Director/CEO Ananda Pathirage, Managing Director Rizvi Zaheed, Carbon Consulting Company CEO Sanith de Silva Wijeyeratne, Lakmini Senadheera and Kanishka Jayasinghe (Carbon Consulting Company)
HJS Condiments Ltd., the agri food export arm of Hayleys Agriculture, was certified as a CarbonConscious and WaterConscious manufacturer recently.
These certifications were obtained by signing up for a three-year program of regular monitoring, reassessments on the mitigation of carbon emissions and water consumption of the operations, with the Carbon Consulting Company (CCC). Thereafter consultants of CCC assessed and quantified the total amount of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) emitted from various aspects of HJS Condiments’ operations for a period of 12 months and conducted a comprehensive audit of their Biyagama factory’s water system.
Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Managing Director Rizvi Zaheed stated: “These certifications not only enhance the value of our business, but also underscores our commitment to the environment and efficient use of resources. This has caught the attention of our global customers and is expected to significantly contribute to the expansion of our high value-added agri food products.”
Sri Lanka’s largest fruit and vegetable exporter, accounting for 43% of the country’s processed fruits and vegetables exports, HJS Condiments Ltd. is a major supplier to world-renowned brands such as McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Unilever, Heinz, and Nestle. It also contributes to leading global private labels as well as to the food service and restaurant sectors.
HJS Condiments Director/CEO Ananda Pathirage stated: “The certifications have already created enthusiasm among our global partners in the food and beverage industry, who have been with us over the past 25 years, towards our commitment and involvement to reduce the impact made by us to our planet.”
The water audit included a detailed analysis of the factory’s consumption levels, patterns, distribution system, identification of leakages, inefficient practices, wastage and potential water savings at all major points of its operation.
“The impacts of climate change are no longer a subject of endless speculation. It is now an established fact that the human impact on the earth’s eco systems is causing an ever-escalating spiral towards planetary disaster. And very few industries feel this impact to the extent of the Agricultural Sector. In this context, it is great to see leading icons of this industry step up to the plate and make a significant commitment towards environmental sustainability. I am pleased that HJS Condiments has taken this bold step to become an industry leader and example worthy of emulation,” added CCC CEO Sanith De S. Wijeyeratne.
As a requirement of the Conscious range of certifications, separate carbon and water management plans were implemented at HJS Condiments along with an in-house ‘Green Team’ charged with a mission of introducing KPIs and performance measures to track and monitor their carbon footprint, as well as their water consumption and wastage, in the day-to-day business operations.
