Eco spindles ‘Change for Good’ sustainability award copywriting, IFS. Each year, IFS ‘Change for Good’ Sustainability Awards recognize ESG excellence across its global community of customers. Following an interview with key stakeholders, I created this profile for ‘Most innovative solution for sustainability’ category winner Ecospindles.
- COPY: Ian Castle, Freelance Copywriter
- CLIENT: IFS
Sustainability case study copy sample, Manufacturing sector, IFS (US English)
[Excerpt]:
Part of a group recycling 7.5 million discarded PET bottles a month collected from Sri Lanka’s coastline into innovative products, Eco Spindles is the winner for our ‘Most innovative solution for sustainability’.
Sri Lanka generates 2.62 million tons of plastic waste per year. 82% is mismanaged or inadequately disposed and ends up in rivers & waterways, according to UNDP Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also among the top five sources of plastic bags, bottles and other rubbish clogging up global waters.
Enter Eco Spindles, the recycled polyester yarn business of BPPL Holdings PLC Group, a pioneer in manufacturing recycled, premium-quality monofilaments for cleaning tools, and yarn for fabric manufacturers worldwide. MD Anush Amarasinghe positions the opportunity: “Some 50% of the world’s clothing is manufactured using polyester and, according to Greenpeace organization predictions, this will double by 2030. Manufacturing recycled polyester yarn from discarded PET bottles is one of the most sustainable solutions in the world’s modern textile industries.”
Recycled polyester is the same as virgin polyester in terms of quality yet requires 60% less energy compared to virgin polyester. In addition, recycled polyester manufacturing reduces Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% when compared to virgin materials (Pulse of the Fashion report, 2018).
Circular thinking
Faced with a compelling environmental and business case, in 2018 the company launched Sri Lanka’s first ever polyester yarn plant. “As a group, our single-minded mission is simple: to reduce the carbon footprint we make on our world,” explains Amarasinghe. “To do this, we have embarked on a holistic strategy that spans both collection and advanced processing of waste PET bottles, allowing manufacture of value-added products using the recycled plastic we recover.
“In doing so, we also create significant environmental and societal benefits. Firstly, by removing the discarded PET bottle pollution washed up on our shores; and secondly, by providing work for disadvantaged communities as bottle-collectors and roles within collection hubs. Bottle collection agents cover hundreds of Sri Lankan coastline every month collecting tons of discarded PET bottles washed up on the shore. These are then recycled into innovative products by Eco Spindles. It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” says Amarasinghe.