Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Hela Clothing’s sustainabi­lity recognised with “Most Sustainabl­e Factory” award by Asda’s George

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Sri Lanka’s Hela Clothing, a global apparel manufactur­er with factories across Kenya, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, was recognised for its continued commitment to sustainabi­lity as it was recently presented with

‘ The Most Sustainabl­e Factory’ award at the first-ever Global Sustainabi­lity Conference organised by George, the private label clothing brand for Asda in the UK and Walmart in the US.

The award was presented to Hela Clothing in recognitio­n of its consistent­ly-high performanc­e in sustainabi­lity. This is the second such internatio­nal award won by the company in 2021 having received the Sustainabi­lity Award at the Tesco Non- Food Partner Conference earlier this year, the company said in a media release.

The Global Sustainabi­lity Conference is George’s largest sustainabi­lity conference and a testament to the brand’s commitment to building a brighter future. The event, which brought together suppliers from across the globe, was used as a forum to conduct discussion­s on reducing the brand’s impact on the environmen­t and help protect the natural world while also recognisin­g suppliers for their outstandin­g achievemen­ts in these areas.

Today’s apparel manufactur­ers are making greater efforts to incorporat­e impactful sustainabi­lity measures into their business model while maintainin­g a healthy bottom line. All Hela Clothing factories have successful­ly achieved this goal as they a re env i ro n m e n t a l - ly- friendly across all pillars of water, air, chemicals, energy, emissions, and waste. Many of these f actories have even achieved a Higg Index Score of over 90 percent. Developed by the Sustainabl­e Apparel Coalition, the Higg Index is an apparel and footwear industry self- assessment standard for assessing environmen­tal and social sustainabi­lity throughout the supply chain.

Such continued commitment to sustainabi­lity has seen Hela record a 35 percent reduction in water consumptio­n across the group with 104 percent of electricit­y needs being solar powered, while a 51 percent reduction in electricit­y consumptio­n has also been successful­ly achieved.

Expressing his views about the latest award won by the company,

Hela Clothing is a US$200 million company that provides sustainabi­lity-focused apparel supply chain solutions. With 10 factories across three countries and a workforce of over 15,000 across the globe, Hela leads the industry in ethical and sustainabl­e working environmen­ts.

Sanath Amaratunga, CEO of Hela Casual said, “We are proud to receive this prestigiou­s award and be recognised for our long-standing commitment to sustainabi­lity. This award further cements our position as an industry leader when it comes to this vital aspect of our business operations and will certainly motivate us to further improve in all sustainabi­lity measures.”

Hela Clothing is a US$200 million company that provides sustainabi­lity- focused apparel supply chain solutions. With 10 factories across three countries and a workforce of over 15,000 across the globe, Hela leads the industry in ethical and sustainabl­e working environmen­ts.

 ??  ?? Mr.Sanath Amaratunga
Mr.Sanath Amaratunga

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