Eswaran Brothers – First tea company in the world to be certified CarbonNeutral®

Dec. 16, 2010 - PRLog -- 15th December 2010: Eswaran Brothers Exports, one of Sri Lanka’s leading tea exporters,
announced that it has achieved CarbonNeutral® company certification, a major milestone in the sixty seven year history of the family owned tea company.

“Not only is Eswaran Brothers Exports the first company in Sri Lanka to achieve this prestigious and much sought after certification, but we are the first in the world to do so, proving that Sri Lanka is out there, making its mark and doing its bit for the environment”, said Vice Chairman of Eswaran Brothers and a third generation tea taster, Mr. Subramaniam Eassuwaren. “As part of a family that has been devoted to tea, this is an important landmark for us. It’s among the initial steps we have taken in our drive to become a truly ethical and sustainable business while still maintaining profitability. It is also an extension of our heritage and values that have guided all our activities at Eswaran Brothers since my grandfather first started his own business in 1943. If the environmental problems that we face had been apparent during my grandfather’s time, I am sure he would have called himself an environmentalist, as all of us were always taught to look at our impact on our community.”

The company is also ISO 14001 certified for its environmental management. Mr Eassuwaren went on to say that as a Company, one of its prime objectives was to see how it could reduce the environmental impact of its operations at every point. “We have a lot to learn and a long way to go, but we have definitely taken the important first steps to reducing our carbon emissions to net zero.”

Outlining the process involved in order to obtain this certification, Eassuwaren said that the first steps necessitated calculating the carbon emissions produced in the existing processes within its operations. “We obtained the services of the Sri Lankan based Carbon Consulting Company as well as UK based Ecometrica who were able to measure the emissions produced.” These included, calculating the carbon emissions produced in the Eswaran Brothers’ premises as well as from business travel, company owned vehicles and third party deliveries. The carbon footprint was then reduced through internal initiatives and by purchasing carbon offsets carbon offsets from a biomass renewable energy project in a tea plantation in Sri Lanka.

Eswaran Brothers has been certified as a CarbonNeutral® company in accordance with the
CarbonNeutral Protocol, which is the global standard for carbon neutral certification used in 32 countries. The Protocol is aligned with the WBSCD/WRIs GHG Protocol for company reporting and the principles of the PAS2050 for products and services.

According to Mr. Chalaka Fernando, Head of Consulting at the Carbon Consulting Company, “Carbon Neutrality is a significant achievement for Eswaran Brothers which is the first Sri Lankan tea exporter and the first tea company globally to achieve CarbonNeutral® certification. We are confident that it will see the Triple-Bottom Line benefit of people, planet and profit from this.”.

Rani Virdee, Managing Director Asia Pacific, The CarbonNeutral Company said, “Eswaran
Brothers is a leading example to other businesses that implementing an offset inclusive carbon management strategy will not only help tackle climate change, but will reduce bottom line costs and enhance its reputation within the marketplace.”

Notes to editors:
About Eswaran Brothers Tea Exports
Eswaran Tea Exports is a family owned Tea Company that has been in operation since 1943. With customers in over 43 countries, Eswaran Brothers Tea Exports provides total tea solutions, including Branded Tea and Private Labelling, to a global market. To learn more, visit http://www.eswaran.com and http://twitter.com/eswarantea
For more information contact Subramaniam Eassuwaren at +94 77 7304588 or subra@eswaran.com

The CarbonNeutral Company (www.carbonneutral.com) is a world leading provider of carbon reduction solutions. It has worked with over 300 major businesses and thousands of small and medium sized companies in 32 countries to develop offset inclusive carbon reduction programmes. Since 1997, it has purchased carbon credits from over 200 projects in 24 countries.

CarbonNeutral® is the registered trademark of The CarbonNeutral Company and is a global standard to certify that businesses have measured and reduced their CO2 emissions to net zero for their company, products, operations or services. Permission to display the CarbonNeutral® mark is only given to clients whose carbon reduction programme is implemented in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. The
Protocol assures quality of offset projects, carbon footprint assessments and communication and is regularly reviewed by an Independent Advisory Group. The company’s ‘audit trail’ includes an annual independent verification of CarbonNeutral programmes – from contracts with carbon offset partners through to contracts with clients and everything in between.

The CarbonNeutral Company has offices in New York, London and Singapore. The CarbonNeutral Company is a founding member of The International Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance (ICROA), which provides leadership and a unified voice advocating for rigorous industry standards www.icroa.org.