The 2nd year Environmental Science students were taken on a field visit to Ceylon Knit Trends (CKT) Apparels (PVT) Ltd., in Agalawatte. The main objective of this visit was to study the Environmental Management System (EMS) within the facility.
CKT Apparels is comprised of manufacturing units based in Maharagama, Eheliyagoda and Agalawatte. The factory in Agalawatte, is called “Mihila” – meaning Earth – and is the first Carbon Neutral Apparel Factory in Asia and the first custom built Green Apparel Factory in the world. It has been in operation since 2009.
As we walked into the premises the first thing that caught our eyes were the solar panel lights along the perimeter of the property. Our field visit began in the auditorium where the General Manager of Mihila Mr. Chamara De Silva made a presentation on the company’s ‘green’ concepts. He said that the key feature of the factory was that it was built as a ‘green factory’ from scratch. As a result no harm had been caused to the Sinharaja Rainforest which is part of the borderline.
We were then taken inside the production unit where most of the industrial process takes place. The entire unit was well lit by sky lights, making use of the sunlight that is received throughout the year. We were surprised to find that it wasn’t as warm as we expected it to be with the machinery heating up. Evaporative cooling systems kept the place 5⁰C cooler than the external environment by simply employing the principles of the cooling effect of vapourization. Rain water is harvested for the water needed to run these systems.
The Three R’s (Recycle, Reuse and Reduce) are followed when managing the factory waste. Polythene is recycled, water (after treatment) is reused for toilet flushing and paper and fabric usage has been reduced. Their food waste is sent to a piggery and they obtain waste from pigs for bio gas generation. Garden waste is used for organic fertilization.
The field visit helped give perspective to what we had learnt in the classroom. As a Sri Lankan I felt very proud of myself for being part of a nation that has begun to think in ‘greener’ ways. It felt good to know that there are individuals who’re determined to take care of the environment. As an Environmental Science student I felt there is a scope in this field and that there are multiple career opportunities to be pursued.
But more than the certifications and the career opportunities, what really struck me was the fact that somebody had taken an initiative to ‘go green’. This world needs more of such individuals. Because like Chief Seattle said,
The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
Image : http://www.hirdaramani.com/sustainability/green_mihila.php