Thursday, 26 September 2013 00:00
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In keeping with the company’s ‘Triple Bottom Line’ business philosophy, Alliance Finance Co PLC (AFC) launched a new initiative which seeks to negate the ill effects of harmful emissions from motor vehicles that impact the environment. AFC, a leading player in the non-banking financial services sector has pledged to plant a tree for every lease issued for a motor vehicle, further strengthening the company’s commitment to its business ethos of being mindful of ‘People, Planet and Profit’.
Elaborating on the project, AFC Chief Operating Officer Suresh Amarasekera said: “We will ensure a tree is planted in lieu of every lease Alliance Finance issues for a motor vehicle, throughout our island wide branch network. The cost incurred on each tree will be as low as Rs. 65 per plant, but the impact it would make to our environment and planet is priceless. We are determined to cause a change and give rise to an environmentally conscious generation that will help reduce Sri Lanka’s carbon footprint in a sustainable and financially viable manner.”
On 28 July 2013, the Company’s former Chairperson Pratapkumar de Silva signified the firm resolve of the company to officially launch the ‘Tree for a lease’ program by planting the first tree in the greenest garden in Ward Place, which is the AFC Head Office. This was followed by several of their branch offices following suite by presenting their lease customers with a tree which they could nurture in their own home garden. Those who did not possess enough space to nurture a tree will now have the assurance that a tree will be planted and nurtured by the company itself through a multi-pronged scheme already set in place by Alliance Finance company as a corporate commitment.
The company has already commenced a partnership with RRI (Rainforest Reserve International) headed by Ranil Senenayake to partake in the creation of a rainforest corridor which will help link the Singharaja forest with the Kaneliya rainforest to help sustain the mini eco systems and prevent the extinction of certain species of animals, insects, amphibians and plants due to the dwindling of their natural habitat by deforesting that has happened in Sri Lanka. A commitment to plant 1,600 trees initially in Himiduma will be a mere token of the long term pledge AFC has made towards negating its carbon footprint as a triple bottom-line commitment.
The company hopes to use a multi-pronged effort of encouraging its customers to nurture trees in their home garden to create a social awareness of the carbon footprint in the communities AFC works with. It will also help many plant nurseries to have sustainable and assured business with the ongoing commitment to purchase good quality trees and species that are endemic. As AFC branches are already established in every province in Sri Lanka, this campaign will have a substantial impact even on the livelihood development of each province.
The company will not confine itself to work with one party and one strategy when doing mass scale tree plantations in the long-term. It will be open to working with many organisations to ensure every plant is nurtured over the long-term and monitored diligently to ensure a sustainable and committed tree planting campaign as a corporate commitment.
Pioneers in the field of gas-powered three-wheelers and small ticket leasing, AFC’s commitment to the environment and social upliftment has seen the company initiate a number of groundbreaking programs involving self employment for the under privileged sectors. It was recognised even at the Global sustainable conference held in Germany this year in July, where Alliance Finance was the only non bank financial institution to be awarded a Merit Award.
