Star Garment Group awarded Carbon Neutral certificate
View(s):The first apparel company to open its factory at the Free Trade Zone Katunayake with one factory and 300 employees, grew up to 5000 employees with six factories in 2015. In 2018 Star Garment owned 10 factories with 8000 employees, said the Star Group Managing Director A. Sukumaran at a function held at the Shangri la Hotel in Colombo last Friday.
Receiving the award
The event was held to celebrate Star Garment Group being certified as Carbon Neutral by Sustainable Future Group, Sri Lanka’s foremost sustainability verification and certification body. Star Garment Group with its 14 facilities was assessed and certified as Carbon Neutral. The Carbon Neutral certification is awarded by Natural Capital Partners to companies that have reduced their carbon footprint to net zero in accordance with the Carbon Neutral Protocol. The Carbon Neutral Protocol is the global standard for carbon neutral certification that provides guidance for businesses to measure Greenhouse Gas emissions. Prof. Mohan Munasinghe, a Vice –Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change who was the chief guest presented the Carbon Neutral Certificate to Star Group Managing Director A. Sukumaran. Prof. Munasinghe said that he was delighted that Star Garment Group become Carbon Neutral.
Mr. Sukumaran said that in 2016 a change in ownership happened when Komar, a global design and manufacturing company based in the US, acquired Star Garments that helped expand its operations. The company has gone through many transitions, improvements and steady growth from its inception. The company represents 100 lifestyle brands and licenses with a network of factories in 12 countries and a sourcing partner in Hong Kong and distribution centres in the US, Europe and Canada. Star Garment was founded in 1978, when the country was moving towards an open economy, he added.
Meanwhile Komar is a global apparel products company specialising in design and marketing sourcing and distribution of sleepwear, loungewear, intimates and layering products. The company is an industry leader across a diverse range of competitive retail categories.
(JJ)