ENVIROMENTAL, SOCIAL & ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY AT CARGILLS/ KOTMALE

When it comes to Sustainability, the work Cargills/Kotmale is doing is admirable and commendable. Kotmale Dairy products and Cargills dairies became the first dairy companies in Sri Lanka to complete a carbon footprint verification. They also secured the Silver Award at the Presidential environment awards. We know that a fully functioning dairy industry has a negative impact on the environment because of its carbon emissions. The effort put into being environmentally friendly can also be seen in their efforts to reduce the carbon footprint. They have a 1.3 megawatts (MW) roof solar panel installation. The target is to achieve a carbon neutral factory.

Cargills/Kotmale also go the extra mile. There is also a focus on internal road improvements, done by laying plastic waste mixed asphalt. This is to promote the recycling of thin plastic waste material. Priority has also been given to the initiative of re-using plastics.

They also have their own five -acre coconut land. This land is called an Environmental Buffer Zone. It is vital for the operation of the factory effluent treatment plant. Since the factory is surrounded by coconut land, there is no other place for the water to flow out. The water is kept inside the site. For irrigation purposes, this water is then released into the buffer zone.  The waste is used as fertilizer on the trees. 600cbm (cubic meter per minute) a day. So it really is an ingenious system. Also 230cbm/day of treated effluent water is recycled through a RO (reverse osmosis) plant and used for refrigeration cooling purposes. Reverse Osmosis is making clean water from water that is polluted. So it is a well- planned operation.

Social and economic sustainability can also be seen in the work that they do with 17,000 dairy farmers in the country. And it’s not just buying their products. They work directly with the society. One billion rupees go directly to 14,000 families of dairy farmers’ in a month.

Nimal Gunarathne -chief operating officer- Dairy Sector, Deva Weerasuriya - Director Engineering- Manufacturing, Vikum Nissanka - Head of New Product Development - Manufacturing,

Saranga Wijesundara Managing Director Dairy Sector, Budath Bandara - Chief Financial Officer- Chrishantha Kumarage - Head of milk procurement and development. Chaminda Wijerathne - Factory Engineer- Utilities

Sandamali Hewanayake Group Manager Corporate Communications

Tharushi Senavirathna Corporate Affairs

Sukitha Arangallage Head of Sustainability