Sri Lanka’s Brandix clothing exporter cuts energy, water use with redesigned plant

April 15, 2008 (PBO) Sri Lanka's Brandix Group, which exports clothes to international retailer Marks & Spencer, has spent 2.5 million dollars to redesign a 30-year-old factory to meet 'green' factory standards. The conversion achieved a 45 percent saving in energy, cut water consumption by nearly 60 percent, improved solid waste management and reduced carbon emissions, a company statement said Tuesday.

The 130,000 square-foot casual-wear factory at Seeduwa, north of Colombo, to be commissioned this month, has a rain water harvesting system contributing 15 percent of the 64,000 litres of recycled water used daily.

Brandix is one of Sri Lanka's largest apparel exporters and says it has a consolidated annual turnover of over 320 million dollars.

The Seeduwa factory underwent an "exhaustive conversion" that took nearly 10 months to complete, the statement said.

It was supported by Marks & Spencer's initiative to encourage suppliers around the world to make their supply chains carbon neutral through 'Green' manufacturing processes, it said.

It quoted Brandix Group Director A J Johnpillai as saying that the redesigned factory will reduce its carbon footprint by as much as 75 percent.

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