Brandix hosted its inaugural Sustainability Summit recently, in celebration of World Environment Day 2021 which fell on June 5. The summit focused on the theme ‘Towards a Net Zero Future - Translating Targets to Action’, providing a platform for key stakeholders to explore the business case for accelerating action in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The summit brought together the private sector, academics and key Sustainability stakeholders to underline the urgency of the climate emergency and the need to accelerate towards a net zero future. It also presented case studies, sharing perspectives on what the net zero future holds for Sri Lanka, the region and beyond, and discussed how industries could move faster towards a more sustainable future.
The Brandix Sustainability Summit assembled a panel of multi-disciplinary experts invested in sustainability. Dean of Faculty of Graduate Studies and Senior Professor in the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, Professor Ajith De Alwis; Director of Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council, Victoria Burrows; Network Representative and Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact Network Sri Lanka, Rathika de Silva; Global Lead Sustainability, EFL Global, Sabrina Yusoof; Engineer, Sustainability, Brandix Vinura Jayawardene and Sustainability Lead, Brandix, Naadia Buhary made up the panel, moderated by Savithri Rodrigo.
The 90-minute discussion focused on two key sections; establishing why organisations need to journey towards net zero, and how targets could be translated into action.
Professor De Alwis spoke with a global perspective on climate change, emphasizing that we had no other planet to go to. He also highlighted the need for organisations, nations, and individuals to push for a more sustainable future.
The second speaker, Victoria Burrows spoke with reference to the WGBC’s Advancing Net Zero Program, reiterating that “private businesses need to go above and beyond current regulations for green buildings.”
Rathika de Silva advocated for net zero carbon emissions and led the audience through a study of how corporations had their own net zero journeys, but with a common goal in mind. Naadia Buhary and Vinura Jayawardene took the audience through the Brandix journey of achieving net zero carbon operations in Sri Lanka by 2023.