NCPC completes low-emission food production project

Taking a bold Step towards sustainable food production, National Cleaner Production Centre Sri Lanka (NCPC) successfully completed a project titled ‘New Solutions for Low-Emission Food Production,’ an initiative aimed to improve the energy landscape of the country's food and beverage sector. 
 
The project results were announced last week at a special dissemination event held at Galadari Colombo, which was graced by key figures from the food sector, government ministries, non-governmental organizations, relevant authorities and industry partners.
 
The project has been funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Small Grants Programme, which is jointly commissioned by three German Federal ministries and was implemented with several partners in Sri Lanka.
 
GIZ Sri Lanka monitored the project on a local level on behalf of IKI programme. The Ministry of Industries and Sri Lanka Food Processors Association (SLFPA) has provided necessary guidance to NCPC Sri Lanka to implement and complete the project successfully. 
 
The project was aimed at reducing energy losses in the food sector by implementing energy management systems, streamlining production processes and obtaining international certifications, with a focus on achieving ISO 50001 Energy Management System certification. This strategic move was introduced not only for companies to cut energy costs but also to enhance their reputation on the global stage. 
 
The project firstly conducted energy reviews in the factories of 24 selected beneficiary companies, followed by capacity building activities that assisted companies in adopting renewable technologies and  enhancing their energy management competency, leading to ISO 50001 certification.
 
Addressing the GHG emissions aspect of the project a separate capacity building activity on the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions were conducted, developing companies on their capacities in GHG emissions quantification and verifying based on the reporting standard of ISO 14064-1.
In a significant milestone for corporate sustainability, 25 companies were selected at the application stage and following a rigorous selection process and based on their interest, 10 companies were chosen for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Verification under the scope of ISO 14064-1:2018. The recipients of the prestigious GHG Verification Certifications included: 
 
Anods Cocoa (Pvt) Ltd, Cargills Dairies (Pvt) Ltd – Banduragoda, CBL Global Foods Limited & CBL Cocos (Pvt) Ltd, Elpitiya Plantations PLC – Dunsinane Estate, Finlays Colombo Ltd, Kelani Valley Plantations PLC – Ingestre Estate, Dickoya, MA’S Tropical Food Processing (Pvt) Ltd, Sunquick Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Sunshine Consumer Lanka Ltd, Hatton Plantations PLC – Waltrim Estate, Carbon Neutrality Certifications: Presented to Aitken Spence Garments Ltd and ACE Apparels Pvt Ltd.