Hayleys Group CKD – CSR Water Initiative “Puritas Sath Diyawara” wins prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2015
Puritas Private Limited, wholly owned Environmental Engineering arm of Haycarb PLC, brought home the prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards 2015 under the category of SME Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - Drinking water based broad spectrum community development project. The Award honours Small and Medium Enterprises that have successful CSR policies that forms part of their core business and are appropriate to their size and business operations.
Puritas (Pvt) Ltd has been in the forefront of providing environmental engineering solutions with over 280 treatment plants in Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia treating over 24 million litres of water and wastewater per day. With over 20 years of experience in the purification industry, Puritas (Pvt) Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Haycarb PLC, the world’s leading coconut shell based activated carbon manufacturer and is also a member of the Hayleys Group which is one of the largest multinational conglomerates in Sri Lanka.
CKD is the most common illness amongst the farmers of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. While the underlying cause of CKD is yet to be determined 400,000 individuals are said to be affected with the disease and more than 22,000 lives lost. It is believed to be a water borne disease and has been proven that consumption of quality drinking water not only prevents the disease, but also reverses the early stages of the ailment. Puritas, being the specialist in water and wastewater treatment, designed “Puritas Sath Diyawara” to provide a self-sustaining, integrated solution for the communities in CKD affected areas. The project includes a Reverse Osmosis water purification system, cost effective distribution methodology, effective waste management system, knowledge dissemination centre, organic farming initiatives, good health and sanitation initiatives, and livelihood development activities. The project was implemented with the Sponsorship of different sectors of the Hayleys Group and is successfully operating in four villages of the North Central Province with two nearing completion and four more such projects are in progress and expected to be completed by December 2015.
Mr. Mohan Pandithage, Chairman – Hayleys Group said that “we are pleased and honoured to have been selected for this CSR award. “Puritas Sath Diyawara”, the CKD - CSR water project of the Hayelys Group is a result of prime collective initiative of the various sectors of group coming forward to provide hope in the form of water and related infrastructure for chosen villages, covering close to 15,000 people in ten villages”.
"There was a real need to step in and support the farming community in the North Central Province by providing them with good quality drinking water and a solution to the community’s needs. Starting with our first project at Maithreepura, Padaviya for a village of 1,500 people, we are touched by expanding the reach to cover ten villages by end of 2015. An investment of Rs. 3.5 million per project sponsored by leading sectors of the Hayleys Group, with many valuable and committed hours of our team’s own expertise in water purification, we feel honoured to be recognized and ranked amongst the top organisations in the region for CSR," Rajitha Kariyawasan, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC said.
Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC and Ms. Sharmila Ragunathan, Director of Puritas (Pvt) Ltd accepted the award at the prestigious International CSR Summit 2015 which was held at Banyan Ballroom, Banyan Tree, Macau SAR on the 19th of June 2015.
Enterprise Asia’s Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards program (AREA) recognizes and honours Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship. The programme highlights the participants’ leadership, sincerity and on-going commitment in incorporating responsible and ethical values, legal compliance, respect for people and individuals, involvement in communities and in protection of the environment into the way they run their businesses.
Haycarb records turnover of USD 90.8 Mn and profit before tax of USD 8.1 Mn for 2014/15
The Sri Lankan multinational Haycarb PLC reported revenue of USD 90.8 Mn, profit before tax of USD 8.1 Mn and profit after tax of USD 6.6 Mn for 2014/15. The earnings per share of equity holders of the company were USD 17 Cents for the year.
Haycarb is the pioneer manufacturer of coconut shell activated carbon in any coconut producing country with manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia supported by marketing offices in the USA, UK and Australia. The company contributes net foreign exchange revenues with its value adding processes whilst remaining a leading and technologically superior manufacturer in its chosen segment.
Haycarb PLC and Hayleys PLC Chairman Mr. Mohan Pandithage said that Haycarb has consolidated its position as a leading manufacturer of coconut shell based activated carbon and a provider of total solutions in related areas and has achieved a profit before tax of over Rs. 1 billion (USD 8 Mn) for the 3rd consecutive year.
Haycarb PLC Managing Director, Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan said that the company operated in a challenging external environment during the year under review. He said, “The increase in price of the primary raw material, coconut shell based charcoal impacted the profitability of the Sri Lanka and overseas operations, as the prevailing market conditions prevented the company from passing the increase in raw material and other input costs to end customers adequately. The markets continued to be affected by the depressed gold mining industry and low-cost competition from countries such as Philippines, Indonesia and India. The depreciation of currencies in key markets in which we operate, notably in the second half of the year, contributed to the erosion of margins. ”
Mr. Kariyawasan added that in this background, several initiatives contributed to the recovery of profitability, especially in the last quarter of the year.
Haycarb Group crossed the significant milestone of 40,000 MT of installed manufacturing capacity per year with the commissioning of the new plant in Indonesia and a major thrust on lean initiatives targeting productivity improvements. The lean projects launched by technical and manufacturing teams to achieve cost savings, notably through energy saving initiatives helped the company to retain its competitiveness. The increase in market share of value added carbons, and the growth in its non-traditional markets and purification systems were positive factors that helped to achieve the overall results. During the year, the company focused on expanding its supply chain network for coconut charcoal in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, consequently reducing dependency on India. The supply chain relationships and sustainability were strengthened by providing the technology and financing to install environmentally friendly charcoaling pits under the initiative “Haritha Angara” to selected suppliers in countries we operate in.
Mr. Kariyawasan said that performances by the operations in Thailand and in Indonesia contributed significantly to overall Group performance. The allocation of value added sales supported by enhancement of production capabilities, processes and systems together with initiatives to grow the local markets helped to achieve the notable results. Similarly, the Group’s Environmental Engineering Company, Puritas (Pvt) Ltd showed a significant growth in its revenue, PBT and operational footprint.
Puritas Sath Diyawara, the flagship CSR initiative of the Haycarb Group, provides purified drinking water to families in the North Central Province where it is estimated that over 400,000 persons are affected by the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Haycarb Group commissioned the first Sath Diyawara project to provide purified drinking water to over 1500 people, through a Reverse Osmosis (RO) Purification Plant and water distribution system in Maithreepura , Padaviya. Mr. Kariyawasan said that it was encouraging to note that in view of the success of this initial project that our Parent Company, Hayleys pledged to install a total of 10 similar Projects to service over 15,000 people. We are proud to announce that Puritas Sath Diyawara has won the prestigious “Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2015” under the category SME CSR from Enterprise Asia in recognition of this initiative.
Mr. Kariyawasan re-iterated the growth potential of the activated carbon industry in view of the continuous emphasis and awareness on environmental sustainability worldwide. Haycarb’s strength in the industry as a leading player renowned for quality, reliability and consistent performance in its entire spectrum of activated carbon products and purification solutions, positions the company to capture the growing opportunities in this industry.
The Board of Directors of Haycarb PLC comprises of Messrs Mohan Pandithage – Chairman, Rajitha Kariyawasan – Managing Director, Dhammika Perera, Arjun Senaratna, Sarath Ganegoda, Mrs. Jeevani Abeyratne, Dushantha Ranaraja, Nimal Perera, Dr. Sarath Abayawardana, Sujeewa Rajapakse, M. S. P. Udaya Kumara and Brahman Balaratnarajah
Veolia Water - Hayleys commission a pioneering centralised treatment plant in Passikudah
Rs 185 million BOT project provides eco-friendly waste water treatment infrastructure for National Holiday Resort on east coast
Plans to revive tourism in the picturesque Passikudah bay on Sri Lanka’s east coast reached a milestone on 6th March 2012, with the commissioning of a hi-tech central sewage and waste water treatment plant for the proposed National Holiday Resort, comprising of 13 star class hotels.
Hailed as the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the waste water infrastructure sector in Sri Lanka, the Rs 185 million ‘Lakdiyatha Passikudah’ facility was designed and built, and will be operated for 20 years, by a joint venture involving Veolia Water, India and Puritas Pvt Ltd.
Veolia Water India, part of Veolia Water France, is a world leader in water and wastewater services. Puritas (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of Haycarb PLC represents the Purification Sector of the Hayleys Group.
The unique BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) project comprises of a centralised treatment plant, more than eight kilometres of waste water lines and over four kilometres of treated water lines that link it with the 13 hotels spread over the 100 acres set aside for the resort. The plant utilises the new Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) technology to treat 750 M3 of sewage and kitchen waste a day, and is designed for 100 per cent recycling of treated water.
The central treatment plant was formally commissioned by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Mr. Sunil Hettiarachchi, Director General of the Ministry of Economic Development, the Hayleys Group Chairman/CEO Mr. Mohan Pandithage, Mr Fabrice Brochet, Executive Vice President Veolia Water Systems Development and Mr. Patrick Rousseau, Managing Director of Veolia Water India, along with other dignitaries and senior officials of Veolia Water and Hayleys Group.
“This ground-breaking project reflects not only the Hayleys Group’s and our partner Veolia Water’s, competencies in large-scale environmental solutions, but also our commitment to support economic resurgence in post-conflict Sri Lanka,” Hayleys Group Chairman Mr. Mohan Pandithage said. “It illustrates the potential for public-private partnerships, particularly in infrastructure development.”
Speaking at the commissioning of the plant, Chief Guest Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said one of the challenges in meeting the government’s targets for growth of the tourism industry is to ensure infrastructure is in place. “I am glad that Puritas and the Hayleys Group, together with Veolia won the contract to build this facility,” he said. “They have been very professional and delivered beyond expectations.”
Representing Veolia Water India, Mr Patrick Rousseau said: “This project will play a decisive role in Sri Lanka’s development by showcasing that public private partnerships are actually a way of bringing the best of both worlds and paving the way for more such partnerships in Sri Lanka.” He said the project also provides answers to environmental challenges by promoting green and innovative technologies in the field of water and wastewater treatment, to help Sri Lanka remain one of the world’s most beautiful countries.
Under the terms of the BOT agreement, the Lakdiyatha Passikudah plant will offer a concessionary rate to hotels for the first three years of its operation, in reciprocation of concessions granted to the project by the Economic Development Ministry. Two of the 13 hotels at the resort are already in operation and the others are expected to be operational by the end of 2012, at which point the resort will offer a total of 930 rooms.
The centralized waste water treatment plant was designed and built with expertise in Sri Lanka and India, with equipment supplies from France, Sweden, Japan, India and Sri Lanka, while all civil works were built with local labour. Lakdiyatha has recruited and trained personnel from the Passikudah area to operate and maintain the plant under supervision of Puritas and Veolia Water.
A company that traces its origins to Compagnie Générale des Eaux founded in 1853, Veolia Water specialises in outsourcing services for municipal authorities, as well as industrial and service companies. It is also one of the world's major designers of technological solutions and constructor of facilities needed in water and wastewater services. With 96,260 employees in 67 countries, Veolia Water provides water service to 100 million people and wastewater service to 71 million. The company’s 2010 revenue amounted to €12.1 billion.
Incorporated in 1995 as a fully-owned subsidiary of Haycarb PLC, the world’s leading producer of coconut shell based activated carbon, Puritas (Pvt) Ltd., provides consultancy and turnkey solutions for raw water and liquid, solid and gaseous effluent treatment. In addition, Puritas offers customised, innovative solutions to suit specific waste characteristics, site conditions and budgets. With its state-of-the-art analytical laboratory, Puritas differentiates its services by performing in-house analysis and running pilot-scale trials to optimize treatment processes. The company’s portfolio encompasses Pollution Control, Water Treatment, Activated Carbon Products, Energy and Specialty Chemicals.
Rs 185 million BOT project provides eco-friendly waste water treatment infrastructure for National Holiday Resort on east coast
Plans to revive tourism in the picturesque Passikudah bay on Sri Lanka’s east coast reached a milestone on 6th March 2012, with the commissioning of a hi-tech central sewage and waste water treatment plant for the proposed National Holiday Resort, comprising of 13 star class hotels.
Hailed as the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the waste water infrastructure sector in Sri Lanka, the Rs 185 million ‘Lakdiyatha Passikudah’ facility was designed and built, and will be operated for 20 years, by a joint venture involving Veolia Water, India and Puritas Pvt Ltd.
Veolia Water India, part of Veolia Water France, is a world leader in water and wastewater services. Puritas (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of Haycarb PLC represents the Purification Sector of the Hayleys Group.
The unique BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) project comprises of a centralised treatment plant, more than eight kilometres of waste water lines and over four kilometres of treated water lines that link it with the 13 hotels spread over the 100 acres set aside for the resort. The plant utilises the new Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) technology to treat 750 M3 of sewage and kitchen waste a day, and is designed for 100 per cent recycling of treated water.
‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ opens a Reverse Osmosis Plant for CKD affected villages in the North Central Province
Puritas (Pvt.) Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Haycarb PLC commissioned its Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in D10 Maithreepura, Padaviya under their CSR project, ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ on August 15th. The RO plant will provide purified potable water to mitigate the spread of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in the North Central Province, and uplift the socio-economic conditions of the people of the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the water purification plant, Hon. Tissa Karaliyadda, Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs stated “ it is a positive sign that H.E. Mahinda Rajapakse had advised provisioning of Rs. 900 mn from the budget to eradicate Chronic Kidney Disease from the North Central Province and supply purified drinking water to the people in the area.
We should also commend the work carried out by companies like the Hayleys Group whose efforts are directed towards providing purified drinking water to the people affected by CKD.”
Studies indicate that an approximate 400,000 people are currently affected by CKD, of which men between the ages of 15-60 years are the most vulnerable. Studies show that providing purified water is found to be the key solution not only to eliminate CKD but to reverse the effects of those affected by it.
Commenting on the initiative carried out by Puritas, Mr. Mohan Pandithage, Chairman
Hayleys Group stated “I’m humbled in knowing that our team has come together in providing a solution for a severe problem faced by the people of the North Central Province. With this project, Maithreepura, the third most affected village in the NCP will now have access to purified water. I am confident that the health of the villagers and their lives as a whole will improve with access to purified drinking water provided through this initiative.”
‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ CSR project with reach out to the people of the North Central Province overshadowed by CKD, via livelihood development activities, health camps, knowledge dissemination activities and education. This programme will see the establishment of a library and internet facility for villagers of all ages and gender as well. In addition, activities will be carried out to improve health and sanitation of the villagers. Sustainable environmental management will be encouraged by promoting best practices in agriculture, integrated farming and organic agriculture by establishing a model farm to demonstrate organic farming. This Reverse Osmosis water purification plant will benefit approximately 1500 people in the Maithreepura village.
Elaborating on the Group’s CSR initiative in water purification arena, Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasan, Managing Director of Haycarb PLC stated “this entire project was funded by the Haycarb Group, while the design and the construction were overseen by Puritas, under the guidance of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board. Our aim is to create an integrated sustainable village in Maithreepura. We are pleased that we’re able to hand over the entire initiative to the “Maithree” Community Based Organisation today.
Under this programme, the centralized water treatment plant will provide approximately 10,000 liters of purified water per day. Besides the main water treatment plant, additional five docking stations from where the water can be sourced are stationed across Maithreepura to ensure that purified water is accessible to everyone in this village. Surveys will be conducted on a regular basis to monitor that the villagers are benefited from this initiative and to ensure that the best is always given to the people.
Commenting on why Puritas embarked on this noble cause, Ms. Sharmila Ragunathan, Director
Puritas (Pvt.) Limited stated “we at Puritas, have been in the forefront of providing water and wastewater solutions with over 250 plants in Sri Lanka and in the Republic of Maldives treating over 20,550,000 litres of water per day (both water or various forms of effluent). We take pride in addressing the need for purified water by, arguably, the most sensitive group of fellow citizens of our country right now."
Puritas (Pvt.) Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Haycarb PLC commissioned its Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in D10 Maithreepura, Padaviya under their CSR project, ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ on August 15th. The RO plant will provide purified potable water to mitigate the spread of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in the North Central Province, and uplift the socio-economic conditions of the people of the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the water purification plant, Hon. Tissa Karaliyadda, Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs stated “ it is a positive sign that H.E. Mahinda Rajapakse had advised provisioning of Rs. 900 mn from the budget to eradicate Chronic Kidney Disease from the North Central Province and supply purified drinking water to the people in the area.
Haycarb Trades Carbon Credits under Kyoto Protocol
Haycarb became one of the first companies in Sri Lanka to successfully register and trade-in carbon credits by obtaining approval to receive the first block of payment for carbon credits traded under the Kyoto Protocol. The company traded over 4, 000 CER (Certified Emission Reduction) credits under the program, that was generated during the period 2009-10. The payment was approved after completion of the verification process in April last year. The credits were awarded to Haycarb’s Recogen plant situated in Badalgama, for environment friendly coconut shell charcoaling process which reduces harmful emissions and in turn generate electricity that is supplied to the national grid contributing towards reducing the fossil fuel driven power generation in the country.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement which binds its participating members to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on December 1997 and entered into force on February 2005.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), one of the 3 mechanisms under Kyoto Protocol, allows developing countries not bound to reduce green-house gasses under the protocol, but have a commitment towards the protocol to implement projects that reduce or limit green-house gas emissions. These projects, after fulfilling the stringent verification process, earn Certified Emission Reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to a ton of carbon dioxide reduced, which can be sold and set off against greenhouse gas reduction targets applied to developed countries under Kyoto protocol.
The Recogen project, designed and implemented in-house with local engineering and technical expertise, is a patented process for ‘Green Charcoaling’. The project allows Haycarb to significantly reduce its carbon footprint, allowing the company to claim that it produces the world’s most ‘green’ activated carbon having the lowest carbon footprint per ton of activated carbon produced.
Haycarb became one of the first companies in Sri Lanka to successfully register and trade-in carbon credits by obtaining approval to receive the first block of payment for carbon credits traded under the Kyoto Protocol. The company traded over 4, 000 CER (Certified Emission Reduction) credits under the program, that was generated during the period 2009-10. The payment was approved after completion of the verification process in April last year. The credits were awarded to Haycarb’s Recogen plant situated in Badalgama, for environment friendly coconut shell charcoaling process which reduces harmful emissions and in turn generate electricity that is supplied to the national grid contributing towards reducing the fossil fuel driven power generation in the country.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement which binds its participating members to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on December 1997 and entered into force on February 2005.
Recent News
- Haycarb Trades Carbon Credits under Kyoto Protocol
- ‘Puritas Sath Diyawara’ opens a Reverse Osmosis Plant for CKD affected villages in the North Central Province
- Veolia Water - Hayleys commission a pioneering centralised treatment plant in Passikudah
- Haycarb records turnover of USD 90.8 Mn and profit before tax of USD 8.1 Mn for 2014/15
- Hayleys Group CKD – CSR Water Initiative “Puritas Sath Diyawara” wins prestigious Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Award 2015
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Haycarb PLC is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of coconut shell based activated carbon solutions. We have over 35 years of experience...
View on YoutubeHayleys is one of Sri Lanka's largest multinational business conglomerates with a history spanning 134 years. We drive a globally competitive busin...
View on YoutubeHayleys is one of Sri Lanka's largest multinational business conglomerates with a history spanning 134 years. We drive a globally competitive busin...
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