A survey by the International Labour Organisation has named seven Sri Lankan companies as having good practices in providing ‘green’ jobs that ensure decent work for employees and environmental sustainability.
Use of ‘green’ sustainable initiatives was high among the 50 companies covered in the survey by the ILO and the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, although there were many gaps that remained to be filled, officials said.A key recommendation of the study was the need to work out policies on green jobs with relevant government ministries to improve implementation, said Mahesh Jayaweera, who headed the study team.
“To see a positive growth in green jobs, organizations must foresee the benefits of green jobs and the possibility of inclining towards a green business by catering to green needs and opportunities and the green market.”
For this to be successful, employers should take the leading role with the employees given proper training so that more ‘green’ jobs are created, he told a news conference where survey results were unveiled.
The seven companies recognised were Hatton National Bank, Seylan Bank, Heritance Kandalama, part of the Aitken Spence group, Cinnamon Lodge hotel of the John Keells group, CKT Apparels, Mas Active (Pvt) Ltd. and Halgolle Estate of Kelani Valley Plantations.
The EFC said the study was done among its members to find out not only which organizations were implementing green initiatives but also to evaluate just how green their actions really were.
“The results reveal which Sri Lankan businesses are leading the way in transforming the country’s economy with sustainable, low-carbon workplaces that provide decent work for people,” it said.
Only 50 of the 540 EFC member companies the survey team sent questionnaires to had responded.The survey was part of an Asia-wide project conducted by the ILO to help five Asian countries including Sri Lanka shift to a low-carbon, environmentally friendly and climate resilient economy.
The ILO said climate change and excessive use of scarce resources showed the need for a shift towards more sustainable development and greener economies.
“Jobs are green when they help reduce negative environmental impact and ultimately lead to environmentally, economically and socially sustainable enterprises and economies,” the UN agency said.
Green initiatives actually created more jobs in the companies surveyed as well as globally, contrary to fears they lead to job losses, Jayaweera said.
Almost all the companies surveyed had want help in training for green initiatives, he added.
Jayaweera said the contribution of enterprises and workers are crucial in drastically reducing global emissions of greenhouse gases.
Green jobs helps curtail unsustainable use of natural resources, reduce waste, prevent pollution and safeguard sustainable food production, he said.
The ILO defines green jobs as those providing decent work and environmental sustainability.
The decent work criteria includes freedom of association, effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining and abolition of child labour, elimination of forced labour and discrimination, and occupational health and safety.
The environmental sustainability criteria for companies covers adaptation for climate change, energy conservation, environmental pollution control, and conservation of eco-systems and of bio diversity.
