SriLankan Airlines receives int’l award for upcycle waste management
Creating world aviation history, SriLankan Airlines received an international award for their upcycle waste management project, ‘Mathaka’.
Project Mathaka won the prestigious Best Aviation Sustainability Program Award at the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (SMBR) Global Aviation Awards, beating out 118 other submissions.
SriLankan Airlines Captain Manushan Liyanagoda said that the airline spends around Rs. 500 million for waste disposal. “With this project we are able to save this amount.”
In addition SriLankan also spends around Rs. one million annually to purchase corporate gifts and with this program we will be able to save a huge amount from this budget. He said that these are produced by reusing airline seat covers, blankets, uniforms, curtains and several other waste materials. “Our next step of this program is to introduce some of these products to our on board duty free and also to other sales outlets enabling us to gain revenue from it.”
Through Mathaka, SriLankan is able to avert discarded waste material nearly 16 tons from going to landfill and minimize the consequential long-term negative impact on the environment. Lianagoda said that in addition to monetary gains the airline also contributes to the community as these are manufactured by House of Lonali (HOL) who in turn has outsourced to several other under privileged families.He said that this is the only such airline project that is engaged in an initiative of this nature and the award is presented in recognism for it. “We will be empowering women from low-income communities to earn a livelihood and support their families through the House of Lonali, ‘’ said Chairperson HOL, Lonali Rodrogo.”
The organization provides employment opportunities to disadvantaged women both directly and by working with non-profit foundations, namely Women in Need (WIN) that advocate for women’s causes. House of Lonali is a local, conscious lifestyle brand that designs, and manufactures upcycled lifestyle products. Jointly, an exclusive range of products and accessories will be developed under the ‘Mathaka’ brand including travel bags; wallets; books; key tags; photo frames; and jewellery all assembled from aircraft discards.