SFL: A Green Footwear Factory
By Bipul K Debnath
The Bangladesh leather industry is now implementing the green factory concept to protect nature and keep the environment clean. Shoeniverse Footwear Limited (SFL) is the first factory in the country to introduce a green factory in the footwear industry. It is now LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certified.
About the green certification, Riad Mahmud, managing director of SLF, said: The Ministry of Commerce with technical support from World Bank Group has identified the leather sector as one of the most promising sectors for future growth in this country. The government has taken a bold step by closing the old tanneries that were operating in unhygienic conditions, and relocated them to Savar (from Hazaribagh in Dhaka) with central ETP (effluent treatment plant) system. It is a very positive approach to attract buyers for our market.
As an individual entity, SFL has tried to accentuate the image of Bangladesh footwear industry by emerging as a green factory, which we believe will be a great contribution to this growing industry and create interest towards the green factory concept. We will always be a proud member of our footwear industry through attaining sustainable growth as a logical consequence of happy employees, serving happy customers, in a green and happy environment, Mahmud said.
Our team understands that slogans like Go Green, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle, Eco- Friendliness, Green isnt a colour, its a way of life, etc, are for the benefit of the environment and for our own development as well. A skilled worker will give better service to the organisation by ensuring quality product and optimising best usage of raw materials by creating less waste. The organisation and the environment both will be mutually benefitted because of this holistic approach. Considering the entire footwear industry, our efforts might appear as a very small step, but we believe it is a step in the right direction. We believe we should be the change that we wish to see in others, and our footprints in green concept will show the path for others in the industry, added the managing director.
LEED is a rating system devised by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to evaluate the environmental performance of green buildings. LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient; they use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as save money in the long run, according to USGBCs website.
Photos: Courtesy
