Leading CarbonNeutral leather garment manufacturer recertifies for second year

From left: Kanishka Jayasinghe – CCC, CCC CEO Sanith de S. Wijeyeratne and Lanka Leather Fashion CEO Marco Weidemann

Lanka Leather Fashion Ltd. (LLF), Sri Lanka’s only, and one of Asia’s leading manufacturers of high-end leather garments, retained its CarbonNeutral status through recertification for a second consecutive year, and in the process reinstated their position as the trailblazer of sustainability within their industry.

The certification was awarded by Natural Capital Partners of the UK – experts in the delivery of solutions for positive impact on carbon and renewable energy – through its regional partner, The Sustainable Future Group (SFG). The rigorous certification process involved an independent validation of LLF’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Assessment conducted by a third party sustainability services firm – The Carbon Consulting Company. 

Since commencing operations in 1982, LLF has been providing quality leather garments to globally renowned clients such as Hugo Boss, Gerry Weber, Michael Kors and Taleco. During the past year, LLF has continuously monitored and measured their Carbon Footprint using a comprehensive Carbon Management Plan, which is overseen by an in-house Sustainability Team tasked with the responsibility of working towards reducing the company’s overall footprint. 

Not stopping there, LLF has gone the extra “green” mile by mitigating their footprint to ‘net zero’ in line with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, by supporting clean energy projects both locally and internationally through the purchase of high quality, verified carbon credits. 

Lanka Leather Fashion CEO Marco Weidemann said: “This initiative to calculate and offset the Carbon Footprint of our operations was not a client requirement, but a personal choice. We all have to do our part for the environment, and we felt this would be an ideal starting point in hopefully what would be a long-term sustainability journey for us.”

CCC CEO Sanith de S Wijeyeratne remarked: “If we take the Leather Industry as a whole, including the farming operation, then its contribution to global warming in terms of GHG emissions could be considered quite significant. But with leather being a by-product of the meat and milk industry, the GHG Assessment boundary for the leather industry is taken from the point the hides are collected. In which case the environmental impact then depends on the type of operation of the leather product manufacture, and what LLF has done is negate that very impact of theirs. We’re proud to have partnered with a forward-thinking company such as LLF which helps spread the word of sustainability in Sri Lanka.”