Vinura Jayewardene, Group Sustainability Engineer at Brandix, one of Sri Lanka’s foremost multinationals, provides valuable perspectives on why sustainability is crucial to the company. According to Jayewardene, Brandix’s sustainability plan is a top priority in its corporate itinerary. As a garment manufacturer, Brandix has implemented measures that not only benefit the environment and society but also confer a competitive edge in a fiercely competitive sector.
What does sustainability mean for Brandix, and where does it rank in the strategic priorities of the company?
Sustainability is a core value at Brandix. When we embraced sustainability in 2007 as part of our business agenda, it was a topic that was rarely spoken of. However, we understood its importance and made it an area of focus in our corporate agenda. Today sustainability is a key customer value proposition. In terms of strategy, it has gone beyond being a mere function and is being rolled out across the organization through our ESG framework.
Globally, sustainability, climate change and such issues are increasingly driving countries and organizations to act differently. How does Brandix view and address such issues that are currently being tackled globally?
Regulatory pressures are mounting globally. As an organization, we believe it’s better to start looking at these challenges now before it’s too late.
Having no processes in place and suddenly trying to become sustainable is not easy. There is no rule book and there is no one size fits all solution either. It’s a journey of transition and learning, and we try to improve ourselves every day. It requires us to be proactive and responsible.
How have you integrated profitability, innovation and sustainability into the core of your business and aligned people?
These are interconnected. A sustainable manufacturing facility in the long run is more cost-effective. For example, our plant in Batticaloa recycles all its water, which brings massive savings in cost. Inside our facilities, we harness natural light with solar tubes that remove heat and let the light in.
Sustainability and innovation go hand in hand. If you are sustainable you must be innovative which directly links to the profitability of a company.
Our sustainability strategy is scientific and adopts a technology-led approach. We have engineering teams at all levels to drive this initiative. Implementation is the challenge. But sustainability relates to everyone and there is a large internal marketing element attached. What may seem unimportant to an individual can be very important, like a drop of water in an organization with a workforce of around fifty to sixty thousand. That element of ‘it’s never too small’ is what we are trying to bring to teams.
How does Brandix ensure its suppliers fit into the sustainability framework and policies of the organization?
We have a rigorous supplier onboarding process. There is the Green Channel Enablement platform, and there are social and environmental assessments done on suppliers, plus, industry-specific standards. There is one standard known as the HIGG index, which is essentially developed by brands to help understand the performance of the facilities. Today, there is a lot of brand pressure being mounted as well, so there is oversight from the brand end. We do our best to monitor the progress of our suppliers and ensure they are not only compliant but forward-thinking like us.
Can you take us through your sustainability initiatives and innovations and impacts on the business?
Our sustainability framework is broken down into air, water and earth. Under the air pillar, we have renewable energy; mainly solar power and resource optimization.
With water, we provide clean drinking water to all associates, have zero discharge of hazardous chemicals and recycle wastewater to ensure zero wastage.
On the earth side, we recycle all waste. Our goal is to achieve material circularity, which means not mere recycling but to try and incorporate it back into our supply chain.
Our sustainability journey kicked off with our factory in Seeduwa becoming the world’s first LEED platinum-rated apparel manufacturing facility. LEED stands for Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design, it’s the most sought-after green rating system in the world. This was a huge boost to our sustainability journey. We then established our vertically integrated park in India, the Brandix India Apparel City and our model facility in Batticaloa is the highest LEED platinum-rated apparel facility in Sri Lanka.
The next milestone was the achieveVinura Jayewardene ment of net zero carbon status at Batticaloa, which means emissions from the facility are offset by renewable energy onsite. Our next phase focuses on tackling suppliers, especially transport and logistics.
As you contemplate the future of the global fashion industry and Sri Lanka’s economy, why is prioritizing sustainability crucial to Brandix’s growth objectives?
As an apparel manufacturer, our value chain consists of fabric suppliers, fabric mills, companies that source cotton and many more. At the other end is the retailer, hence, apparel is considered a polluting industry worldwide. At Brandix we took steps to reduce this polluting tag that negatively brands the industry. We prioritized sustainability, and it has helped us align with demands from regulatory bodies as well as customers.
Globally, there is greater oversight given to sustainability, what they refer to as the ESG performance of a company. If organizations adopt these principles we can gain a competitive advantage as a nation and stand out from the rest of the regions.
How do you keep improving your sustainability agenda in a fast-changing world?
Sustainability is a very futuristic topic and we keep learning each day. For example, today solar power may be the solution, but what’s next?
We continuously pursue best practices that are out there through our research and development functions. We also share what we have done through various forums including our sustainability summit that began in 2021. We believe these initiatives will benefit the entire apparel value chain, and we try to take these conversations beyond the apparel industry.