Mihila Stands Firm as Longest Certified Carbon Neutral® Apparel Factory

 (From Left) Glenn Sonntag – Manager, Sustainable Development and Strategy, SFG; Nik Bollons - Senior Consultant, CCC; Kanishka Jayasinghe - CCC; Sanith de S Wijeyeratne - CEO, CCC; Chamara de Silva - General Manager, Hirdaramani Knit, Agalawatta; and delegates from Patagonia Inc.

Hirdaramani Knit Agalawatta [Mihila], the flagship eco-factory of leading apparel manufacturer Hirdaramani, recently announced the renewal of their Carbon Neutral® status for the fourth successive year, thereby reinforcing the company’s position as the trendsetter in sustainability in their respective group, as well as in the regional Apparel Industry.

Receiving the certificate in the presence of visiting delegates from global clothing giant Patagonia Inc, one of the factory’s largest clients, Chamara de Silva - General Manager of Hirdaramani Knit Agalawatta, said, “Sustainability is an inherent element in our culture, it informs every choice we make as a business & manufacturer. Working with industry professionals such as CCC has enabled us to take this commitment to greater heights and we are very proud of our achievements - a direct result of the dedication of our staff at all levels who are passionate about ensuring that we establish and continue to maintain sustainable business practices. “Mihila” was commissioned as the world’s first custom-built “green” apparel factory with LEED Gold certification, and our decision in 2012 to go further by becoming a CarbonNeutral® factory was guided by our desire to set the tone for doing business in a manner that is environmentally positive.”

Carbon Neutral® is awarded by Natural Capital Partners (NCP) of the UK, leaders in delivering high quality solutions that ensure immediate, positive impact on the world’s natural capital. The certification was subsequent to a comprehensive review conducted by a third-party sustainability firm, The Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) - NCP’s Regional Assessment Partner, who has been assessing the factory’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and monitoring its footprint mitigation solutions for the last four years. Each year, after reaching the mitigation threshold limit, Hirdaramani Knit Agalawatta has invested in renewable energy projects through the purchase of registered carbon credits to offset their annual footprints, with the company’s management selecting the Ratnapura & Kandy Small Hydro Power Project for their 2016 credits requirement.

“The Hirdaramani Group are always embracing innovation, as was the case when they decided to take the initiative to focus on Environmental Sustainability by measuring, managing and mitigating their impact, starting with the Mihila factory”,Sanith de S. Wijeyeratne, CEO of CCC remarked. “They’ve been championing sustainability and the dedication shown by their team is heartening, as it takes a combined effort to make sustainable business practices a reality”.

In addition to its Carbon Neutral® status, the factory also announced that it is in the process of obtaining ISO 14064-1 Certification. This demonstrates the consistent push by Hirdaramani Knit Agalawattato improve existing frameworks to quantify and report on their environmental performance. In this particular case, for GHG accounting & verification as per stringent requirements that is expected of an ISO standard, further highlighting their commitment towards sustainability.