Sri Lanka's top apparel exporter Brandix has pledged to reduce its environmental footprint by a further 20 per cent by 2020, significantly raising the bar on the Group's sustainability targets.

The announcement follows ahead-of-schedule achievements of environmental goals set for 2012 by the US$ 600 million Group, which operates 42 facilities in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, and the release of its maiden Sustainability Report, the first by a private company in Sri Lanka.

Releasing details of the sustainability-linked pledges already achieved at a unique news conference powered entirely by renewable energy at 'Nuga Gama', Brandix announced it was developing its own Eco Index, a ground-breaking environmental assessment tool that will enable companies Group-wide as well as supply chain partners to benchmark and measure their environmental footprint.

Using 2013 as the base year, Brandix will make further investments in processes and innovations that progressively reduce the impact of its operations on the environment, aiming for a further 20 per cent reduction of the Brandix Eco Index over the next seven years, Brandix Director AJ Johnpillai said.

He declared that the Group's pledge to reduce its carbon footprint by 30 per cent by the end of 2012 had already been achieved, six months ahead of schedule. Similarly, a Brandix pledge to reduce water consumption at apparel factories to 35 litres per head per day by the end of the year has been achieved.

The Group's 'Earth Pledge' - to achieve zero solid waste to landfill by the end of 2012 - has been 75 per cent fulfilled and will be met by the end of the year, Mr. Johnpillai said.

"Our vision of being 'THE Inspired Solution' encompasses not only the delivery of best quality products to the shelves, but also helping our workforce and community grow with us, while mitigating any impact of our business on the environment," he said. "We believe that in order to create a sustainable business, all the elements that help in its success need to be nurtured in return."

Referring to the Group's commitment to the environment, Mr. Johnpillai said: "We have taken on the responsibility of managing the lifecycle chain from the raw material stage to the distribution stage. This 'cradle-to-consumer' approach enables us to account for processes immediately upstream and downstream of the manufacturing processes that are directly under our control. This approach offers a holistic view of the environmental impacts of our business. Our vision is to account for each and every resource used and all by-products produced within the boundaries of this chain."

Iresha Somaratne, Head of Energy & Environment Management at Brandix said the Group had invested more than US$ 3 million in energy efficiency improvements in 2011, saving 28,000 GJ of energy and nearly US$ 800,000 through its energy management plan. A switch to renewable energy sources such as bio-mass had resulted in the replacement of 115,000 litres of fossil fuel last year.