Bodyline remains greenest group of apparel factories

From left: SFG Manager – Sustainability Assurance and Advisory Services Lakmini Senadheera, Kanishka Jayasinghe (CCC), CCC CEO Sanith De S. Wijeyeratne, Bodyline CEO Dinesh De Silva, Bodyline Director – Finance and Sustainability Surath Chandrasena, Bodyline Director – Strategic Projects Prasad Narayan Rege and Bodyline Executive – Finance and Sustainability Sanjaya Jayawardana 

• Leading manufacturer reaffirms its CarbonConscious status

Marking its fifth year as a CarbonConscious company, Bodyline apparel group renewed its certification making it the first sustainability milestone under its new leadership. 

The company recently appointed Dinesh de Silva as CEO to spearhead Bodyline’s operations, and joining him on the directorial board is Surath Chandrasena, who has been appointed as Director Finance and Sustainability of Bodyline. 

The new appointments reaffirm the company’s vision to consistently maintain and uphold the highest standards in their continuous efforts to not only remain CarbonConscious, but to also redefine standards of environmental sustainability within the business sphere. 

Bodyline, comprising four factories, was the first Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer to be certified as CarbonConscious, with the company’s third plant located in Pimbura setting a new benchmark by being the first in the group of factories to be certified CarbonNeutral.   

The CarbonConscious certification requires clients to join a program of measurement, management and mitigation of a business entity’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions through regular monitoring and reassessments, adhering to international standards and guidelines. To this effect, Bodyline has been collaborating with The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) to obtain comprehensive annual GHG Inventories for its operations, as well as to monitor and update its Carbon Management Plan set up by the same. 

The certification was awarded by The Sustainable Future Group (SFG) – one of Asia’s first verification, validation and certification bodies to be accredited for ISO 14064 GHG Quantification and Reporting. The Conscious range is part of a proprietary, diverse range of certifications developed by SFG following internationally accepted standards and protocols to measure, manage and mitigate/enhance key environmental impact areas such as carbon, water, waste and biodiversity. 

“Stepping into a leadership role in a company which continues to demonstrate its commitment towards protecting earth’s life and compensating for its impact on the planet is a privilege,” explained CEO de Silva. “Bodyline has already set such a high benchmark in its environmental practices and through this initiative, we hope to set an example and encourage other corporates to collectively work towards becoming a part of the solution for a greener future.”

He added: “As I believe, if we each take responsibility in shifting our own behaviour, we can trigger the type of change that is necessary to achieve sustainability for all life on this planet. We change our planet, our environment, our humanity every day, every minute, through our work and we must take responsibility to make sure we change it for the greater good of Mother Nature.”

Commenting on the progress over the past years, Carbon Consulting Company CEO Sanith De S. Wijeyeratne stated, “We are immensely proud and encouraged by the fact that Bodyline continues to exceed expectations. Since we began this ambitious project, the emissions produced by Bodyline’s factories have significantly and steadily declined in comparison with its production levels, with a notable increase in performance and productivity. This is a testament to the Bodyline Team’s hard work, commitment and steadfast pledge to uphold the ethos of being not only a leading business in Sri Lanka and an apparel sector trendsetter, but also one that sets an example as an entity that holds itself accountable for its environmental sustainability.”