Brandix has believed and practiced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for years, but finding an element that unified our business with the needs of our Associates and our communities also became important. On consulting our Associates, it became clear that the lack of potable water and sanitation were fundamental problems that needed to be focused upon, especially in the rural areas. Further, effluent water treatment is an important part of our own manufacturing process: our wet-processing facilities - Brandix Textiles, Brandix Finishing, American & Efird Lanka, and Quenby Lanka Prints – continue to safeguard the environment from the by-products of textile manufacturing, through the recycling and reuse of water. For these reasons we focused on ‘water’ as the key resource for our commitment and it is now the core of our CSR ethos. Our plan for collective action is on the platform of water, via our ‘Water is Life’ initiative as a sustainable life giver to the people

From 2005, Brandix engineering teams began the vital task of constructing and maintaining desalination plants in strategically located areas along the southern and western coastal belt. The process is two-fold: firstly, to convert sea water into fresh, drinkable water and secondly, to distribute this to the local populace through the most efficient and effective mechanisms available. We also commissioned a mobile unit to provide urgent relief during times of disaster. This unit proved particularly useful in our Tsunami relief efforts. In addition to providing immediate relief during the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami, our expertise in water was used to clean contaminated wells and in the longer term to provide permanent water supplies to affected households.

In addition our ‘Water is Life – Care for Our Own’ initiative which began in 2006 will work towards providing access to water to approximately 1,000 Associates, their families and communities over the next three years.

We work in partnership with our customers such as Gap and MAST and with technical specialists such as the Water Resources Board, International Water Management Institute and the University of Peradeniya in these initiatives.