BIZ

SriLankan Airlines rolls out eco-friendly carpets onboard

Published

12 months ago

December 18, 2023

editor

In a pioneering move, SriLankan Airlines will become one of the first airlines in South Asia to introduce eco-friendly carpets onboard its aircraft after a successful trial.

The eco-friendly carpets, sourced from Lantal Textiles in Switzerland, will help SriLankan Airlines reach another milestone in its journey toward a reduced carbon footprint through gradual fuel efficiency improvements.

“We are excited to debut sustainable carpets onboard our aircraft, which brings us a step closer to realizing our long-term plan of making our inflight experience more eco-friendly in tune with contemporary traveller expectations. We appreciate that travellers are becoming increasingly conscious about making ethical and sustainable lifestyle choices, as do businesses, and SriLankan Airlines is looking forward to embracing even more green solutions in its operations as we go forward,” remarked Maria Sathasivam, Manager Product Development of SriLankan Airlines.

The carpets are light-weight and assembled from regenerated nylon made of material typically headed for landfill such as abandoned ocean fishing nets better known as ghost nets, aquaculture nylon waste, used carpet waste, used fabric waste and fabric scraps from mills. Besides being a green technology that minimizes landfill waste, it also uses significantly less crude oil, water and energy during production unlike in the manufacture of conventional virgin nylon.

The carpets’ light weight design will help reduce flight weight and in turn fuel cost. Once the fleet is fitted out with the carpets, SriLankan Airlines’ jet fuel consumption will decrease leading to savings of about LKR 21 million annually. The reduced use of fuel will additionally enable the airline to shrink its yearly carbon footprint by approximately 248.79 tons.

The airline’s environmental sustainability strategy is multifaceted, with initiatives on carbon footprint and waste reduction; biodiversity conservation; and environmental compliance running parallelly at any given time. SriLankan was the first airline in Asia to introduce ‘Planet Friendly Flights’ back in 2009 and was named the second lowest carbon emitting airline in the Asia-Pacific in 2016 by Business Traveller. SriLankan Airlines’ signature upcycle project, ‘Mathaka,’ beat out 118 other submissions to win the Best Aviation Sustainability Program Award at the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (SMBR) Global Aviation Awards in December 2022.

BIZ

ASPI records an all-time high passing the 14,000 mark

Published

16 hours ago

December 12, 2024

editor

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recorded an all-time high, surpassing the 14,000 mark for the first time ever in Sri Lanka.

According to the CSE, the ASPI increased by 150.72 points to close at 14,035.81.

A turnover of Rs. 7.3 billion was recorded at the close of trading.

BIZ

Sri Lankan start-ups ace at SolarX Startup Challenge

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2024

editor

Sri Lanka has emerged as the country with the highest number of winners at the SolarX Startup Challenge (Asia-Pacific Chapter).

The Challenge launched at COP 28 by the International Solar Alliance in collaboration with Invest India is committed to identifying and fostering innovative solutions in the solar energy sector.
This year, the Challenge has identified top 20 startups from across Asia-Pacific, including Sri Lanka, Australia, Papua New Guinea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other countries. Four of the twenty selected start-ups are from Sri Lanka. These start-ups were introduced to the Challenge in a workshop organised by High Commission of India earlier this year, in partnership with Invest India and the International Solar Alliance.

The following winners from Sri Lanka have been awarded grants of USD 15,000 each, alongside acceleration support encompassing mentorship, investor connections, and market access opportunities.

Bio Lanka Exports (Pvt) Ltd : Bio Lanka Exports offers eco-friendly, solar-powered container homes, minimizing material use and construction waste for residential and commercial needs.
Magicbit Pvt. Ltd. : Magicbit provides an open-source, real-time monitoring and analytics platform for solar energy, integrating IoT, cloud, and AI technologies for high scalability and real-time visibility.
Syntax Genie (Pvt) Ltd : Syntax Genie’s AI-driven platform optimizes solar mini-grid management, addressing energy poverty in remote Asia-Pacific areas with scalable and sustainable solutions.
Bluechip Technologies Asia : Bluechip Technologies leverages AI, IoT, GPS, and drone technology to optimize solar project deployment across the entire lifecycle, ensuring efficient site selection and planning.

Invest India is organising the second round of the SolarX Startup Challenge workshop in Colombo on 12 December 2024. This Physical Acceleration Workshop will be a capacity-building event to further empower startups in the renewable energy sector with mentorship sessions, interactive discussions, and pitching opportunities. It will also feature field visits to solar and renewable energy facilities in Sri Lanka, providing startups with hands-on exposure to the local ecosystem.

BIZ

ASPI hits record high

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2024

editor

The All Share Price Index (ASPI) of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has reached an all-time high of 13,511.73 points, marking an increase of 171.69 points.

The S&P SL20 stood at 4,016.60 points.

The CSE reported a trading turnover of Rs. 5.2 billion at the close of the session.

The previous record was achieved on January 19,2022. Amidst multiple off-board transactions, the turnover surged past Rs.5.2Bn, marking a 48.8% increase from the monthly average.