Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB) won the award for the Best Project for GHG (Green House Gas) Emission Analysis and was adjudged first runner-up in the Less Than Rs. 15 bn Turnover Category at the Best Corporate Citizen Award 2016 held under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently.
“The initiative to reduce environmental pollution and to protect the environment pushed us to reduce our carbon footprint,” said MD/CEO Mahesh Nanayakkara. “We embarked on GHG Emission Analysis at our Head Office, quantifying the emissions emanating from our operations and seeking avenues to lower carbon growth, making it an imperative focus in our annual sustainability agenda,” he said. CDB’s flagship environmental program, ‘Mihikathata Adaren’ has, since its inception, spearheaded responsibility and affinity towards the environment not only among the team, but among customers, suppliers and communities, Nanayakkara said.
“Each year, we have introduced new green practices where we have seen tangible benefits and certainly a heightened awareness about the environment among our stakeholders,” he said. CDB, in accordance with ISO 14064-1 as articulated by the Sri Lanka Carbon Fund, tracked CO2 emissions of CDB vehicles, staff transportation, official air travel and energy consumption originating at the Head Office.
Last year, the Company’s carbon footprint was quantified at 677 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which prompted stringent measures to mitigate the impact and led CDB to be one of the first ISO 14064-1 carbon verified financial institutions in South Asia, a company spokesman said.