Ansell Lanka expands ‘woodship heat generator’ capacity

Ansell Lanka, established in 1989 in the Biyagama Export Processing Zone, is rapidly expanding its woodchip heat generator capacity.

Ansell technical experts were also part of the UNDP funded project to develop a sustainable fuel wood sourcing standard which saw the birth of SLS 1551:2016, the Sustainable Produced Fuel Wood Certification standard. “This was because the organisation understood the need to ensure that without sustainable practices, the sourcing wood chips could have other serious environmental and social problems,” an official from Ansell said.

In order to recognise this milestone achievement in their sustainability journey, a ceremony was held recently to appreciate the efforts of the 11 supply partners and to reinforce Ansell’s sustainability commitments in their hearts and minds.

This event was attended by the Country Representative of the IUCN, Dr. Shamen Vidanage, and representatives from the Board of Investment, the Central Environmental Authority, the Sustainable Energy Authority, the Forest Department and the Sri Lanka Standards Institution.

Since 2022, Ansell Lanka has renewed its focus and determination with the goal of ensuring that all the woodchip suppliers obtained the SLS 1551: 2016 certificate from the SLSI, ensuring that all suppliers followed sustainable sourcing practices and processes.

Thermal energy is a major requirement for the manufacturing process and since furnace oil was the main fuel source utilized for the generation of this heat since the inception of the company.

However, in 2009, the company started using wood chips as the main fuel for heat generation. This change marked a significant milestone in Ansell Lanka’s commitment to sustainability and reducing its environmental impact

Ansell Lanka set up this first woodchip heat generator in 2009, reducing furnace oil usage by 23,000 liters per day and 11,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. As manufacturing capacity increased due to business growth, in 2014, a second woodchip heat generator was installed reducing daily usage by 29,000 litres and 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

In 2018, the third woodchip heat generator was built, reducing daily usage by 29,000 liters and avoiding the fossil fuel related emissions to very low figures. By transitioning to wood chips, Ansell Lanka has reduced its fossil fuel based carbon dioxide emissions by 39,000 tons per year. This represents the equivalent of cultivating 234,000 of 20-year-old trees.

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