EC strict on standards:

Exporters should adopt eco-friendly manufacturing processes - ITI

Anuradha KODAGODA

It is very important for exporters to adopt eco-friendly manufacturing processes into their business, since the European Commission is very strict on the standards and there is a huge demand for eco friendly products in Europe,” said Director/CEO Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), A.M. Mubarak.

There should be enough recognition for industries that do their production according to eco-friendly standards. So far no method has been implemented to recognize and reward these industries, he said.

Government involvement is essential in this type of implementation. That would encourage eco-friendly Small and Medium Enterprises productions, until they are established in other countries as exporters,” he said.

The ITI recently said that it would lead the European Commission’s SWITCH-Asia project aimed at promoting economic prosperity and poverty reduction through enhancing environmental performance in key Sri Lankan export sector industries. The key objectives of the SWITCH-Asia project are to switch Asia from unsustainable to sustainable patterns of development, focusing on sustainable production and consumption, promote cleaner and more energy efficient industrial production and directly contributes to sustainable growth and fights against poverty.

The SWITCH-Asia project is targeting the industrial manufacturing sectors such as clay products (including ceramics, porcelain and tiles), rubber and plastic products, footwear and leather products, coconut (coir, charcoal, desiccated coconut) and tourism enterprises.

The project’s beneficiaries are the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who will be encouraged to take advantage of the new methods and technologies to make their manufacturing processes environmentally sustainable and efficient.

“We have already identified sectors such as clay, rubber and plastic, footwear and leather, coconut and tourism industries where they have shown an interest in switching to eco-friendly production”.

“There are many unique advantages that can be gained through this. For example, in the ceramics industry the energy cost is very high. Through this project we are trying to bring in some energy saving technologies in to the country to cut down the cost of production. Then it will become more competitive and it will also help them to implement more innovative products,” he said.