Lankan teas branded with UN Global Compact promotes CSR

NEW YORK -- A Sri Lankan company introduced two new “ethical” teas of the Ceylon variety earlier this week, the first products ever to be jointly branded with the United Nations Global Compact to promote responsible corporate citizenship around the world by including information on the initiative’s 10 principles in packs sold to millions of consumers each year.

The launch of the products coincides with the start of the “A Home for Every Plantation Worker” project, in which Mabroc Teas will work to improve the lives of 10,000 families involved in the production of the tea in Sri Lanka’s Kelani Valley, according to a report in the UN News Wire.

“For every pack of Mabroc Single Garden and Valley teas sold, we pledge a minimum of 1.5 US cents to this programme,” Company Chairman Bandula Jayasekera told a media briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. Through the programme, “we make a difference to better the lives of our workers by improving their living conditions, their environment, supporting health and nutrition, creating capacity-building initiatives and empowering communities,” he added.

Every box of the teas will include a leaflet explaining the principles of the Global Compact, an initiative bringing together businesses, governments, UN agencies, labour and civil society organizations to promote 10 universal principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

The information is provided in five languages and the teas are shipped to some 40 countries each year. “We believe that this story is of great importance and we hope that it will inspire many others,” noted Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact. The new brand of teas not only promotes the Global Compact, but “also at the same time implements the principles and gives practical meaning to it for the many, many people who are working on plantations,” he noted.

According to Bernard Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States, his country is the largest exporter of black tea in the world. Additionally, the tea industry is the largest employer, involving one million people directly and indirectly. “It is not an exaggeration to say that Ceylon tea and Sri Lanka have become synonymous,” he said, voicing hopes that Mabroc will continue in its efforts to further the Compact’s principles.

“At the same time, the example set by Mabroc should encourage other entrepreneurs around the world to follow suit and have a closer look at the way they conduct their businesses.” Since its launch in 2000, the Global Compact has 3,800 participants, including almost 3,000 businesses from around the world.

SLS Standards to help disabled
The official launch of Sri Lankan Standards SLS ISO TR 9527:2006 providing design guidelines in building construction to suit the requirements of disabled people, was held recently at the Ministry of Science & Technology office in Colombo.

A statement issued by the ministry quoted A.N. R. Ameratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of Science & Technology as saying that “we all may become disabled one day, especially in childhood and in old age we have to depend on others. Even in other phases of life, we may fall sick or meet with accidents and become disabled.

This new policy to be implemented when building public buildings will help to avoid the difficulties that disable people come across and would enable them to lead their lives with dignity. “