Star Garments Group wins Gold at NCE Export Awards

Star Garments Group with the award

Star Garments Group (Star) recently emerged victorious at the 32nd edition of the NCE Export Awards, taking home the Gold Award for Textile and Garment Sector, under the Extra-Large Category.

The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) organizes this flagship event annually and this time around with the theme ‘embrace innovation and digitalization’. The event took place on 06 December at Shangri-La Colombo.

This stands out as a remarkable achievement for Star amidst the various challenges faced in 2023 due to global market fluctuations. Star continued to grow its footprint in Sri Lanka despite a challenging operating environment through new acquisitions including the acquisition of Kolonna Manufacturing (Pvt) Limited, marking the group’s twelfth factory. 

Star exports apparel to globally renowned brands, promoting Sri Lanka as a go-to destination for ethical, high-quality apparel manufacturing.The company’s strong export performance significantly bolsters Sri Lanka’s annual apparel export earnings, which exceeded US$ 4.5 billion in 2023, contributing a sizable portion of this by maintaining high export volumes and value-driven partnerships with top-tier global retailers.

Today, Star has a strong workforce of over 10,000 associates and 12 production facilities in Sri Lanka with a capacity of producing approximately 1.6 million pieces per month. The group also announced its plan to build a large-scale apparel export manufacturing factory in West Africa’s Togo region, through an IFC financing package. 

Star has achieved carbon neutrality across all its operations by implementing renewable energy projects like solar power systems and adopting waste-to-energy technologies. The Star Innovation Center in Katunayake is the first LEED Platinum building in Sri Lanka to be certified under the latest LEED version 4 and is regarded as the first ‘Passive House Design’ in Southeast Asia.These efforts align with Sri Lanka’s vision of becoming a global leader in sustainable apparel.

Star’s cutting-edge textile technologies appeal to modern consumers demanding eco-friendly yet functional apparel, including minimizing fabric wastage and shortening the development cycle by over 30 percent, driving innovation across the sector. Its collaborations in R&D to develop biodegradable garment tags and eco-friendly dyeing techniques for example has made it a pioneer in sustainable fashion, contributing to Sri Lanka’s global competitiveness in R&D-driven manufacturing.

Catering to world-class brands, Star, a Komarcompany, ensures Sri Lanka’s apparel exports maintain a high-value proposition compared to other peers in the region. Star’s social initiatives across the country includes efforts in mangrove restoration and supporting various impact-driven grassroots organizations. The group has also consecutively been ranked as one of Sri Lanka’s best workplaces in manufacturing by Great Place to Work. Star will continue to consolidate and expand within Sri Lanka and internationally and be a key pillar in the country’s apparel sector.