EFL 3PL becomes Sri Lanka’s first Carbon Neutral logistics company

From left: EFL 3PL Manager – Sustainability and CSR Sajeeth Ilyas, Chief Growth Officer Leroy Ebert, Global Lead – Sustainability Sabrina Yusoof, CEO – Logistics Sammy Akbar, Climate Smart Initiatives CEO Buddika Hemashantha, EFL 3PL COO Nishan Hewagamage, Climate Smart Initiatives Sustainability Engineer Wasundara Samarawickrama and EFL 3PL Assistant Manager – Compliance, Health and Safety Russel Mendis

EFL’s five-year march towards achieving a more sustainable operational model culminates in its certification as ‘Carbon Neutral’ as of 1 April.

At present, the need for corporates to do their part in reducing the impact of carbon emissions on the world’s fragile environment remains at a crucial juncture. 

With the world facing a global climate crisis, it is one issue that is nigh impossible to ignore. Hence, addressing sustainability across industries has now become an urgent world-wide priority.

Sri Lanka’s largest logistics solutions company, EFL 3PL, a member of Expolanka Holdings PLC, is no exception; with the company having taken significant steps to move towards a Carbon Neutral operation in the past few years. The end result of which was the organisation’s landmark achievement of Carbon Neutrality on 1 April. 

The company’s achievement remains the culmination of a series of systematic initiatives implemented since 2016, which looked to transform its business into a far more efficient and sustainable operational model. These efforts by themselves resulted in a remarkable 90% reduction in its company-wide carbon footprint.

The first step taken by the company was the setting up of its own 651.28 kWp solar power plant at the EFL Campus in Wellampitiya in 2016, which is recognised as Sri Lanka’s second largest rooftop solar power plant. The hi-tech plant currently generates 70% of the company’s energy needs. 

In addition, operating the country’s first LEED Gold Accredited facility, the EFL Logistics Campus, was also was another major contributory factor. The Campus currently scores a high 60-79 points in its assessment of occupant health and productivity, resource usage, waste reduction, negative environmental impacts, and decreased life cycle costs. The facility is ISO 14001 certified for its enhancement of environmental performance, fulfilment of compliance obligations, and achievement of its environmental objectives. EFL is also the recipient of the Gold award for Environmental Sustainability at National Business Excellence Awards 2019. 

The company also implements a comprehensive ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’ (3R) system at all its locations, that includes paperless e-flow, and smart motion sensor lighting and air conditioning systems, in an attempt to cut down on its 90% electricity generated emissions.

In addition, the company has also taken a more hands-on approach towards creating a greener work space, with the planting and careful management of more than 250 trees at all its operational locations across the country.

EFL has also undertaken a reforestation initiative targeting the Bundala National Park, with a five-year plan to plant over 125,000 trees in an attempt to effect a major positive change in the park’s forest cover.

EFL’s Global Lead – Sustainability Sabrina Yusoof calls it a great start to the company’s efforts towards reaching the magical zero carbon emission certification: “Our prime strategic focus remains renewable energy, which is one aspect that we aim to increase in the years ahead, and up our dependence to 100%. This is how we plan to organically reach the enviable mark of zero carbon emissions.”

In order to reach full carbon neutrality, EFL 3PL partnered up with the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform, and its resultant eligibility for Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), which can be considered the final embellishment in its five-year-long march towards a more environmentally conscious operational model. 

CERs are emission reduction units that are generated by projects launched through the UN’s Climate Change Clean Development Mechanism, and the United Nations Carbon Offset platform allows organisations to support these projects and help contribute to sustainable development in developing countries. 

In conclusion, commenting on the company’s Carbon Neutral achievement, CEO – Logistics Sammy Akbar says: “It has now become an absolute imperative for businesses to achieve a symbiotic coexistence with the environment. The achievement of Carbon Neutrality is a badge that everyone at EFL 3PL wears with pride, and it stands for our continued commitment towards Sustainability, People, and Product Leadership. EFL 3PL aims to be the Sri Lankan gold standard for sustainability, which we hope inspires other industries and companies to follow suit.”