Hemas-MEPA partner to address marine plastic pollution

Marine Environment Protection Authority Sri Lanka General Manager Jagath Gunasekara, Chairman Dharshani Lahandapura, Hemas Holdings Director Mobility Sector Mushin Kitchilan, Hemas Holdings Senior Manager Group Sustainability and Corporate Communications Ishani Ranasinghe and Hemas Holdings Manager Group Sustainability and Special Projects Mindika Thilakarathna

Evergreen Shipping Agency Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd, a joint venture between Hemas Transportation (Pvt.) Ltd and Evergreen Marine (Hong Kong) Limited, partnered with the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) to address marine pollution in Sri Lanka.  

Evergreen Lanka has committed to the installation of an Ocean Strainer floating trash trap at the Samanala Canal, Galle and five Beach Caretaker Projects across the country, including the Paranambala and Luna Pokuna beaches. The partnership aligns with Hemas’ Environmental Agenda, which strives to protect Sri Lankan endemism through a three-prong action plan, which includes responsible usage and disposal of plastic waste, safeguarding our ecosystem and protecting our natural resources. 

Commenting on the partnership, Hemas Holdings Group CEO Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson said, “We are honoured to partner with the MEPA in its efforts to ensure that we safeguard our marine ecosystem from plastic waste. As a part of the Group Environmental Agenda, we are committed to ensuring the reduction of the use of plastic that is harmful to the environment and the responsible disposal of plastic waste. This partnership is the first step in our efforts to reduce plastic pollution in our country by facilitating initiatives across the island to continuously collect community plastic waste disposed to the environment, while also working towards offsetting our plastic footprint.”
The beach caretaker programme aims to keep the coastline clean through community-led conservation while empowering their livelihood, by providing caretakers with a reliable source of income. The initiative hopes to keep approximately five tonnes of plastic waste out of the ocean, assisting the conservation of Sri Lanka’s threatened and degraded marine ecosystem.  

“Sri Lanka is a nation that is rich in biodiversity and marine ecosystems but unfortunately, this is under threat due to plastic pollution. As a responsible corporate that focuses on making healthful living happen across all communities we serve, we felt it is important that we play a role in ensuring the protection of our marine ecosystem. 

Clean and healthy oceans play a vital role in balancing ecosystems and water resources and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Through these initiatives we hope to reduce the plastic waste that enters the ocean and protect the marine ecosystem of Sri Lanka,” said Hemas Holdings Director Mobility Sector Mushin Kitchilan.