HSBC-STAR Climate Awardee 2010
Viyellatex's way of doing more with less
Viyellatex Group, a leading apparel company, won the HSBC-The Daily Star Climate Awards 2010 for adopting green and energy-saving technology in garments manufacture.
Chairman of Viyellatex Group, KM Rezaul Hasanat, admits that it was his survival instincts that first led him to consider adopting energy efficient measures for his knit apparel and textile manufacturing business unit.
Not everyone in his company, however, understood or appreciated his business-sense at the time, says Hasanat.
“The barrier was the initial mindset. It was quite challenging for me to convince my colleagues of the endeavour. You also need to make considerable investment initially,†he states. “But now-a-days, it is in our team members' DNA.â€
Hasanat says they have replaced energy-devouring electrical equipment with environment-friendly alternatives to substantially reduce the company's energy consumption.
In addition, they have introduced a system to reuse steam that would normally be released into the atmosphere as waste during the dyeing process.
A co-generation boiler makes use of the exhaust from three gas-powered 3.2MW generators, while fabric dryer exhausts ensure lower levels of energy consumption.
“Viyellatex has been able to save more than 3 million cubic metres of natural gas in the last fiscal year with the introduction of such measures,†highlights its head of sustainability Tayef Quader.
The company has also taken some initiatives to preserve rain and ground water. For instance, it has installed a rain water harvesting system covering an estimated rooftop space of 2,50,000 square feet, he says.
“On average, Dhaka city receives 2,075mm of rainfall a year. Our system utilises this rain water by storing it in a tank. We then reuse the water for fabric dyeing, washing and other purposes,†Quader explains.
“The introduction of this system has resulted in saving roughly 45,000 cubic metres of underground water every year.â€
Tayef also says their treated waste water from the effluent treatment plant (ETP) is reused for daily toilet flushing of 9,000 workers, instead of being diverted to the main sewage line. “This again saves around 48,500 cubic metres of underground water per year.â€
The principle of Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit) plays a crucial role in shaping Viyellatex's overall strategies, policies and goals.
“We have undertaken a journey for green modernisation involving all business entities to show our sincerest commitment in preserving our precious but non-renewable resources.
"As the textile sector is both an energy and water intensive industry, there is a serious need of organisations to come forward and demonstrate their sincerity towards ensuring efficient and optimum use of resources,†says Tayef.
In this modern world of depleting environmental resources, adopting strategies of "doing more with less" is the way to move forward and pave the road to a sustainable future, he adds.
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