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Tuesday, 28 January 2020 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: Star Garment Group Manager Projects Kasun Rangana, Star Garment Group Executive Process Imporvement Diluskshan Silva, Star Garment Group, Executive Process Improvement Dinusha Harshani, Star Garment Group Senior Manager Madura Jayathilaka, Star Garment Group Managing Director A. Sukumaran, Carbon Consulting Company Chairman Professor Mohan Munasinghe, The Sustainable Future Group Head of Sustainability and Advisory Service Dr. Lakmini Senadheera, and Carbon Consulting Company CEO Sanith de S. Wijeyeratne
Star Garment Group (Star), a leading global manufacturing company, announced that it has been certified as CarbonNeutral by The Sustainable Future Group (SFG), Sri Lanka’s foremost sustainability verification and certification body.
This makes Star both the largest carbon neutral company in Sri Lanka, and the only one in the apparel sector to have its 14 facilities assessed and certified.
The CarbonNeutral certification is awarded by Natural Capital Partners to companies that have reduced their carbon footprint to net zero in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. The CarbonNeutral Protocol is the global standard for carbon neutral certification, providing the pragmatic guidance businesses need to measure Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and to then build credible reduction solutions through a combination of in-house efficiency measures, renewable energy and external emissions reductions projects. SFG is the regional partner of Natural Capital Partners.
“We believe that as an organisation, we should use our global scope of resources to support responsible climate action,” said Komar President and CEO Charlie Komar. “The effort and investment to achieve this certification underscores Komar’s commitment to bold innovation and environmental stewardship. I’m proud that Star is leading the way to minimising our impact on climate change.”
Star targeted becoming a CarbonNeutral Company by 2022 but was able to achieve this goal in 2020. The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) was commissioned as Sri Lanka’s most recognised consultant on integrated corporate sustainability solutions to assess Star’s operational impact with GHG Assessments conducted across its 14 facilities, and to develop customised mitigatory measures to reduce their environmental impact. Star supported a renewable energy carbon credit project to offset its quantified emissions and become carbon neutral.
“We applaud Komar’s leadership in driving sustainability in Star and we are honoured to be their partner in achieving their ground-breaking goal,” said Carbon Consulting Company CEO Sanith de S. Wijeyeratne. “It is exciting to see an entire group of factories realise such a momentous step forward within such a short period of time, and should serve as an example for others to follow.”
“Ethical and responsible business practices are inherent in our culture, including the importance of operating a sustainable company,” said Star Managing Director A. Sukumaran. “Star’s outstanding achievement is the result of collaboration, managerial focus and the desire to do business in a positive way.”
