Head of CSR and Corporate Communications of Brandix Lanka Limited, Anusha Alles, was recognized as one of the world’s ‘100 Most Impactful CSR Leaders’ by World CSR Day during a two-day conference held in Mumbai, India recently.

A forum that brings together 1,200 professionals from 133 countries, the event serves as platform to bring together likeminded leaders with the aim of enhancing knowledge, networking and engaging in meaningful discussions in line with the theme and sub themes of the conference. Significantly, Anusha was also featured on a panel to address the topic, ‘Building and implementing CSR strategies’, in line with her expertise.

Brandix has been making a positive impact in the lives of many through its CSR efforts to provide communities access to clean water, through its ‘Care for our Own’ initiative. The concept was designed in response to the pressing need for clean water supply systems among the company’s Associates and their communities, and in line with a vision to contribute to the national goal of providing safe drinking water and sanitation for the entire populace by 2025. The focus on water was also prompted by the vital role it plays towards the manufacturing process in the Apparel industry.

As a result, the Brandix CSR Centre has endeavoured to alleviate the stress of water poverty for women across Sri Lanka under the direction of Anusha, who has played a pivotal role in driving the ‘Care for our Own’ projects with the help of an able team under the four main pillars of ‘Provide’, ‘Educate’, ‘Research’, and ‘Disaster Management’ since 2006. Additionally, the Brandix CSR Centre also conducts programmes that cover livelihood development, construction of housing, and health screenings.

Commenting on the win, Anusha Alles, Head of CSR & Corporate Communications of Brandix Lanka Limited remarked, “I accept this award with a deep sense of humility and dedicate it to my entire team at Brandix. I believe they deserve this much more than I. To me, this award is symbolic of the positive and impactful work done by Brandix over the years in line with our aim to improve the quality of life for all our Associates, who are the backbone of our organisation. We will continue undeterred with our projects to inspire the lives of those impacted by water poverty as part of our journey in Sri Lanka.”

 

About Brandix:

Ranked Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Export Brand in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by Brand Finance, Brandix is the country’s single largest Apparel exporter, and was named ‘Sri Lanka’s Exporter of the Year’ for the fifth consecutive time in respect of 2016 by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB). The pioneer of the concept of ‘total solutions’ in Sri Lanka’s Apparel sector and a preferred supplier to some of the top retail brands in the US and Europe, Brandix is also a benchmark and international award winner for eco-friendly manufacture and commitment to environmental best practice.

The Brandix Group has been recognised as the largest corporate blood donor in Sri Lanka for the eighth consecutive year, following the selfless contribution of over 4,000 pints of blood from inspired employees to the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) in 2017-18.

Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Hon. Dr. Rajitha Senaratne presented Brandix with a special plaque of appreciation at a national ceremony on 14th June – World Blood Donor Day – in recognition of the Group’s contribution. Significantly, the accolade was accepted on behalf of Brandix by the highest individual donor from the Group and a representative of the highest contributing factory from among the 26 Brandix locations that participated in the Group-wide blood donation drive.

Brandix has organised annual blood drives in collaboration with the NBTS for the past 11 years, during which, the Group’s Associates have donated 28,534 pints of blood in total.

“A commitment that has spanned over a period of 11 years is truly an inspiration to the corporate sector as well as our nation, and is representative of the kind of ‘Inspired People’ that help make Brandix what it is today. As an organisation that is driven by its credo of ‘Inspired Solutions’, continuing our commitment to provide a solution to the nation to address the need of blood amongst our fellow citizens year on year has now become a calendar event at Brandix. We not only look forward to continuing this endeavour with the invaluable support of the NBTS in the years to come but will also continue to increase the number of pints of blood donated year on year,” said Ishan Dantanarayana, Chief People Officer of the Brandix Group.

According to the NBTS, donations of this scale over a significant period of time are necessary to meet the establishment’s blood supply requirements. By being geographically widespread, the Brandix campaign increases supplies of blood in many areas, including those that do not often receive donations of a higher volume in comparison to areas like Colombo. Brandix blood donation campaigns are also conducted on weekdays instead of the general norm of weekends, which is particularly helpful in sustaining blood platelets that have a lifespan of five days, for use during the course of the week.

Ranked Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Corporate Export Brand in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Brand Finance, Brandix is the country’s single largest Apparel exporter, and has been named ‘Sri Lanka’s Exporter of the Year’ by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) over the past three consecutive years. The Group is also the highest employment provider in the country’s Export industry according to the EDB. The pioneer of the concept of ‘total solutions’ in Sri Lanka’s Apparel sector and a preferred supplier to some of the top retail brands in the US and Europe, Brandix is also a benchmark and international award winner for eco-friendly manufacture and commitment to environmental best practices.

A week-long environment awareness campaign that culminated with an island-wide sapling planting initiative and a ‘Green Walk’ in Colombo, was successfully carried out by the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka (GBCSL) with support from Brandix, an inspirational practitioner and advocate of eco-friendly manufacturing.

Themed ‘Go Green – Change tomorrow, today,’ the campaign was conceptualised to celebrate World Environment Day 2018.

The ‘Green Walk’ that encouraged raising voices for a better environment attracted over 3,000 participants, prominent among them the Mayor of Colombo, Mrs. Rosy Senanayake. The walk began at Independence Square and concluded at the Vihara Maha Devi Park’s open-air stadium. The sapling planting campaign to plant fifteen different species across all 25 districts of the island is also currently underway.

The Council’s campaign was targeted at the general public, green business-related organisations and sustainability adopted products and service suppliers. It was organised to create enhanced awareness on the importance of environment protection and to enlighten participants on practical solutions such as savings through green building practices, conservation of the environment, and driving sustainable development to control the harmful effects of climate change and other environmental degradations.

The Green Building Council of Sri Lanka is a consensus-based not-for-profit organisation committed to developing a sustainable property industry for Sri Lanka by encouraging the adoption of green building practices. It is diverse and possesses an integrated representation from all sectors of the property industry and academia.

A spokesperson for Brandix said the Group’s support for this programme was in line with its own sustainability agenda and an expression of appreciation for the efforts of the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka. Brandix built the world’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-rated apparel factory under the Green Building Rating System of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and has since obtained LEED certification for its facilities in Seeduwa, Koggala and Ratmalana.

One of the latest examples of the Group’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint is a 1.65 MW solar power plant at the Brandix Essentials factory in Batticaloa, which notably is the largest rooftop solar plant in Sri Lanka.

The Brandix Group’s sustainability road map has required the development of its own ‘Eco Index’ — an assessment tool which is used to measure the environmental performance of Brandix factories and offices across the group. The Index computes percentage reductions in key environmental indicators for Air, Water and Earth as measures are rolled out across group factories to minimise CO2 emissions, energy and water consumption and solid waste disposal. The Group has set itself the target of becoming 100% carbon neutral by 2020.

Inspired Solutions provider Brandix, with an employee base of 60,000 globally, has embarked on a milestone collaboration with the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC) to launch the Brandix – CINEC Centre of Excellence (BCCE), a facility to train and inspire the Group’s workforce.

Located within the Malabe CINEC Campus, the Brandix – CINEC Centre of Excellence will facilitate joint training programmes and research for the Apparel sector, following the recent signing of an agreement between the Brandix Group and CINEC, one of the largest non-state sector higher education institutions in Sri Lanka. The BCCE will initially cater to the Associates and Supervisory grade employees of Brandix, offering programmes covering technical topics and behavioural aspects as part of the curriculum at a later stage.

The signing of the agreement between Mr. Ishan Dantanarayana, Chief People Officer of the Brandix Group and Prof. Nalaka Jayakody, Vice President of the CINEC Campus in the presence of Capt. Ajith Peiris, Chairman/ Managing Director of CINEC was followed by the induction of the first batch of trainees for the inaugural programme designed for the Garment Technician position. The event was attended by participants and family members as well as Brandix management teams and CINEC officials.

“The focus of this initiative is to shape well-rounded individuals, following through on our commitment to create and foster inspired people,” Mr. Dantanarayana said, commenting at the launch of BCCE. “We want to unleash the technical and leadership potential of our people through a carefully curated, comprehensive learning and development process in collaboration with CINEC to create the next layer of talent to take the industry on an inspired journey.”

The learning received at BCCE will be further enhanced with the support and guidance of the Vocational Technical Authority of Sri Lanka (VTA) to align the programme content with that of the nationally-accepted NVQ qualification equivalent to a Diploma, he additionally disclosed.

Senior Consultant of CINEC Campus, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe addressing the trainees emphasized the importance of being competent in the chosen vocation through knowledge and skills acquired through practical hands-on-training and personality development. He added that the Brandix – CINEC partnership will endeavour to achieve this objective through a collective effort.

Notably, the Brandix Group has also signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the VTA; one to create an NVQ Level 5 equivalent qualification for Garment Technicians – the first of that level in the apparel industry, and the other to enable Brandix to identify and employ school leavers who have received a three-month training as Industrial Sewing Machine Operators at the VTA’s island-wide network of vocational training centres.

 

About CINEC:

The CINEC campus was established in 1990 with the vision of building a close working partnership with the industry, professional organisations and other stakeholders to serve in the best interest of its clients and customers. It caters to over 20,000 students, annually, who follow more than 185 study and training programmes, all leading to highly sought-after opportunities of employment in the fields of Maritime, Engineering, Information Technology, Logistics and Transportation, Aviation, Law, English, Hospitality & Vocational Training. CINEC also manages National Maritime Training Institutions of The Republic of Fiji and Seychelles earning international recognition.

 

About Brandix:

Ranked Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Corporate Export Brand in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Brand Finance, Brandix is the country’s single largest Apparel exporter, and has been named ‘Sri Lanka’s Exporter of the Year’ by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) for the past three years. The Group is the highest employment provider in the country’s Export industry according to the EDB, and operates 42 manufacturing units in Sri Lanka, India (a 1000-acre self-sufficient industrial park) and Bangladesh, with operations in Haiti, Cambodia and UK. Further, the company has secured a Gold Medal and the award for ‘Best Training & Talent Development’ for Sri Lanka, in addition to being presented the South Asia HR Excellence award by SHRM, the world’s largest HR organization.

Over 7,600 children of Associates of the Brandix family ushered in the new school year on a positive note, receiving gift of stationery, a school bag each and other school essentials from Brandix, under the company’s employee welfare initiative, ‘Ran Daru Thilina’.

Launched in 2016, ‘Ran Daru Thilina’ benefits children from nursery age to Grade 5, with each receiving a pack containing a school bag, exercise books, drawing books, colouring and standard pencils, rulers, glue, and other essentials, which are required for his or her academic year. The packs of younger children also include modelling clay, scissors and crayons.

This year, children of 4,971 Brandix Associates employed at 22 manufacturing locations around Sri Lanka were the beneficiaries of this initiative, which, since its inception, has proven to be a source of relief to the employees. Additionally, Brandix has a scholarship scheme titled ‘Ran Daru Scholarships’, under which financial assistance is extended to Grade 5 children of Associates.

“While the beginning of a school year is an exciting time for children, it is also a period during which parents experience financial constraints. By presenting these school essentials to our Associates’ children, our aim is to alleviate the burden of any additional expenses that could impact their overall quality of life during this time,” said Anusha Alles, Head of CSR and Corporate Communications of the Brandix Group. “Our employees are the backbone of our enterprise, and the Brandix ‘Ran Daru Thilina’ initiative is demonstrative of our commitment to take care of our own at all times.”

The families that benefitted from the Brandix ‘Ran Daru Thilina’ programme this year are located across the country, in areas that include Batticaloa, Giritale, Polonnaruwa, Nivithigala, Koggala, Rambukkana, Kahawatte, and Pannala, to name a few.

The families that benefitted from the Brandix ‘Ran Daru Thilina’ programme this year are located across the country, in areas that include Batticaloa, Giritale, Polonnaruwa, Nivithigala, Koggala, Rambukkana, Kahawatte, and Pannala, to name a few.

Ranked Sri Lanka’s Most Valuable Export Brand in 2015, 2016 and 2017 by Brand Finance, Brandix is the country’s single largest Apparel exporter, and was named ‘Sri Lanka’s Exporter of the Year’ for the fifth consecutive time in respect of 2016 by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB). The Group is also the highest employment provider in the country’s Export industry according to the EDB. The pioneer of the concept of ‘total solutions’ in Sri Lanka’s Apparel sector and a preferred supplier to some of the top retail brands in the US and Europe, Brandix is also a benchmark and international award winner for eco-friendly manufacture and commitment to environmental best practice.

An outstanding display of talent and relentless effort from the Brandix Cricket team ensured that they conquered ‘Akbar Brothers’ at the Division ‘F’ Championship Finals played at the MCA grounds recently.

Securing a score of 126 runs at the end of 25 overs, the Brandix team followed through with skilled bowling and fielding efforts that restricted the opposition to 114/9, establishing the Brandix team as winners by 12 runs.

Sathira Fernando (BCW) was named Man of the Match for his all-round performance during the tournament. Significantly, with this victory, the Brandix Cricket team will be promoted to Division ‘E’.

 

Nearly 50,000 people in 16 towns across Sri Lanka received better access to water and sanitation facilities at public institutions they visit, work or study in, as a result of an inspired community initiative executed in 2017-18 by Brandix, the country’s single largest apparel exporter.

The Brandix Model Village programme, which serves communities located within both a five-kilometer and ten-kilometer radius of the Group’s factories, engaged in the construction and donation of 74 water supply or sanitation projects to schools, hospitals, police stations, community centers, and places of religious worship during the year 2017 – 2018. The areas benefitted through these projects included Katunayake, Ekala, Giritale, Rideegama, Seeduwa, Batticaloa, Kahawatte, Koggala, Rambukkana, Ratmalana, Avissawella, Minuwangoda, Mirigama, Welisara, Pannala and Wathupitawala – locations that are home to 22 Brandix factories.

The Brandix Model Village programme is inspired by the temple, school and tank-centered village development concept, and initially identified and addressed water and sanitation related needs of people resident within a five-kilometer radius of Brandix factories. The second phase, embarked upon in 2017-18, extended its reach beyond the five-kilometer radius to ten-kilometers, to help 38 schools, 19 places of worship, seven hospitals, and four police stations, while also ensuring the completion of six standalone community projects.

Commenting on the Brandix Model Village programme, Ms. Anusha Alles, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility of the Brandix Group, said: “Inspiring communities by improving their quality of life with access to clean water and sanitation has been the central theme of our Corporate Social Responsibility agenda since the very beginning. The very visible impact of the first phase of the Brandix Model Village programme inspired a ripple-like extension that we hope will continue to benefit more and more people every year, and lead, ultimately to the elimination of the many issues faced by communities in areas where Brandix has factories.”

Since the inception of the Brandix Model Village programme in 2015, the company has helped alleviate water related problems faced by more than 161,000 people with a total of 234 community water supply and sanitation projects.

The Brandix Model Village programme focuses on assisting public institutions and communal locations by bringing communities together and building a sense of ownership that has lasting beneficial impacts. These projects enable the Group’s factories to play a role in the community, and become important contributors to the wellbeing of the people in their neighbourhoods. As a result, Brandix factories, which are usually among the biggest employers in the beneficiary communities, become an intrinsic part of the social fabric of the villages and towns assisted under the programme.