 Another garment manufacturer has opted to go green. ‘Mihila’, the green apparel factory of the Hirdaramani Group, is located in Agalawatta, 70 kms southeast of Colombo.
Designed by architect Tilak Samarawickrema the factory aims to get the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Green Building Rating System ) Gold Certification, for newly built facilities. “Mihila’, which gives the meaning of ‘Planet Earth’, is an apparel facility, which provides an excellent case study for environmentally sustainable development, especially due to its location,” said Mr Samarawickrema.
This custom built, state-of-the-art apparel factory, employs 1,000 workers and specialises in knitwear. However, the factory has reduced its energy consumption by 48%, its water usage by 70% and lowered its carbon footprint by 48% compared to similar facilities of its size.
To cut energy consumption, sunlight from prismatic skylights and solar panels are used for lighting and heating. The factory uses 126 solar panels to generate 5% of its total energy requirements. Instead of air conditioning, an evaporation cooling system, that requires only 25% of the energy consumed by AC, is being used. Fresh air is circulated all the time within the factory space.
All solid waste is separated into waste cut, polythene, paper and food waste and subsequently sold, so there is no burning of waste at site. All fabric waste cutting (5,000kg per week) is sold to cottage, toy and children’s garment industries. Kitchen waste is handed over to a nearby piggery.
Mr Samarawickrema also created a woodlot in the foreground of the factory consisting of about 200 indigenous trees. When the woodlot reaches maturity, Mihila will be enveloped in a verdant tropical landscape. Maximum use of the scenery, of lush green paddy-fields, has been made, creating panoramic views from within the factory.
MAS and Brandix went green last year. MAS built a new factory called Thurulie at Thulhiriya while Brandix converted an existing factory into a green factory at Seeduwa.
The IUCN – World Conservation Union - is partnering with the Hirdaramani Group to document the bio-diversity already present in the premises of the Mihila Factory. The IUCN is also involved in developing a monitoring mechanism to determine the overall environmental impact of this project. |
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