At the launch of its 1-megawatt rooftop solar solution, the apparel and fabrics giant MAS says the greatest, biggest or best isn’t good enough. 

The real switch to renewable solutions is sometimes a simple change of mind and how determined you are to look beyond cost.

The solar story is not a new one to MAS Holdings but the group’s commitment to renewable energy went a notch higher this month with the unveiling of Sri Lanka’s largest rooftop solar plant at the MAS Fabrics Matrix plant inside its Fabric Park in Thulhiriya.

But that isn’t the real story. For Matrix whose rooftop now carries the weight of 3,900 solar PV panels, roughly the size of 1.3 football fields, the project began with a simple decision by its CEO Ivan Brown that solar Power will somehow be part of its energy mix as an extension of their sustainability investments.

Matrix operates as a dedicated knitting facility for Nike Flyknit and Ivan says the solar investment is a milestone that adds further value to a product which already has the environment in mind with the use of recycled polyester and closed loop initiatives.

MAS inherited a dilapidated building when it acquired the former textile mill in 2006. When Matrix joined the MAS family in 2012 it chose to restore and renovate 400,000 square feet instead of building a greenfield site to ensure its carbon footprint stays small.

“At MAS the Matrix solar solution is not just another solar project it’s the one which has harnessed all the good energy of the group and I am not talking simply of electricity.” says Ivan Brown, CEO of Matrix who spent a large part of 2014 changing minds about the need to switch on what he calls the “inner change”

“Breaking that paradigm that it takes 20 years to get a return on clean energy is the toughest job. We revisited the concept of ‘cost’ and we did it after countless hours of rehashing the ‘standard’ ROI measurement and seeing the value beyond revenue growth” he added.