In 2012, the Hirdaramani Group achieved the milestone of having the First CarbonNeutral® Apparel Factory in Asia, driven by the phenomenal efficiencies achieved at its flagship green factory ‘Mihila’ in Agalawatta. The commitment of the company to sustainability has always gone beyond milestones, and this is reflected with the ongoing commitment to maintaining the rigorous standards needed to achieve this certification year on year as they announce that Mihila has been certified CarbonNeutral® for the 9th consecutive year. 

“Although this is our 9th year as a CarbonNeutral® manufacturer, every year it means something to us and the teams that ensure we keep up our efforts and meet changing goals and standards. This year is especially meaningful as it comes after an extremely challenging 12 months due to the Global Pandemic,” said Nikhil Hirdaramani Director of the Hirdaramani Group. “Staying committed to our sustainability goals in the worst of times, and not using it as an excuse to fall back is a true testament to the values that drive everyone in our organisation and I hope it is an example for others to keep their focus on our shared responsibility to protect the planet for future generations”. 

Mihila commenced operations in 2008 and is the world’s first custom-built eco-friendly apparel factory. Although built as an eco-friendly factory and showing incredible results in reducing energy, water consumption, and waste generation to name a few, Mihila has also continued to evolve adopting new technologies, operational processes, and meeting new global standards.

The factory is one of Sri Lanka’s most accredited, with certifications ranging from LEED (USGBC) Gold to WRAP, GSV, Fair Trade, HACCP, ISO 14001 & 45001, Ethical Trading & BSCI. 

In addition, in 2018 the factory’s on-site renewable energy generation was vastly expanded, from the original 22,000 kWh per year to generating 1,292,500 kWh in 2020 as part of the group-wide rooftop solar project “Suryadhanavi”. In 2020, with the Group’s investment in IREC’s (International Renewable Energy Credits), Hirdaramani is also able to have more accountability of the renewable energy generated onsite. All of these continued improvements and the investment in external emission reduction projects, such as financing Wind power projects in the region had helped the factory maintain its CarbonNeutral® certification. 

The CarbonNeutral® Protocol (www.carbonneutral.com) defines the emissions that must be measured to become a CarbonNeutral® Manufacturer. The calculation and the verification to award Hirdaramani Knit Mihila with this status were carried out respectively by the Carbon Consulting Company (Pvt) Ltd and the Sustainable Future Group. The Independent Certification was Issued by Natural Capital Partners Europe Limited. (www.naturalcapitalpartners.com). 

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