Business
Sierra begins New Year with initiatives to achieve net carbon zero status by 2025
Sierra Construction Limited, a construction sector leader in Sri Lanka, commenced 2023 on a green note, launching a series of eco-friendly initiatives that has enabled the Company to achieve a reduction of Greenhouse gas emissions by 6,270 Kgs of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in January alone.
Embarking on the Company’s ‘Vision 2025’ Transformation Agenda designed to achieve net carbon zero status within the next three years, Sierra Construction completed the first phase of its recycling drive in collaboration with Neptune Recyclers and shredded a total of 6,270 Kgs of confidential documents-turned wastepaper in an environment friendly manner.
The environmental return on this initiative translated to the saving of 107 trees, 11,004 litres of oil, 25,080 kwh of electricity, 199,261 litres of water, and 19m3 of landfill space, Neptune Recyclers confirmed. In addition to saving Sierra the cost of transportation and labour involved in burning wastepaper at a designated location as was customary, the recycling programme also eliminated the environmental cost of this activity. The Company said it plans to continue with this recycling initiative in phases throughout the year.
Sierra also organised a beach clean-up project which covered 16,000 square metres of beach.A spokesperson for the Company said Sierra is in the process of educating staff on its Green initiative and is conducting awareness programmes across the country for employees to emphasise the importance of reduction of wastage, recycling and transformation. In addition, the Company is promoting carpooling and encouraging cycling as a means of commuting to work.
Sierra Construction has also inaugurated a weekly yoga and exercise programme for its staff. Designed to boost mental wellness and encourage physical fitness among Company employees, the programme focusses on building and strengthening one of the core assets of the company, which is its human resources, the spokesperson said.
A leading general engineering and construction company in Sri Lanka, Sierra Construction Limited was established in 1981. It is one of the most experienced contractors in the country for telecommunications, building construction, electrical engineering, water supply & sewerage, road and bridges projects and has an unblemished record of undertaking large-scale projects in Sri Lanka and overseas. Sierra Construction has operations in the Maldives, Bangladesh, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi.
The Company has been assigned the CS2 Grade, the highest ranking issued by the Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) in the field of engineering and construction and employs a skilled workforce of more than 4,000 including over 100 qualified and experienced engineers in Sri Lanka and overseas. Sierra Construction is an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified company.
The Board of Directors of the company comprises Priyantha Perera (Chairman), Buwanaka Perera (Deputy Chairman), Cynthica Irugalbandara, Anura Premarathna, Kamaj Wanigasooriya, Prasad Erathna and Chaminda Ranasinghe.