Business

Beyond the Fashion Value Chain: MAS Leads Global Biodiversity Restoration

Published

9 months ago

2026/01/11

Aerial Reforestation Project

Sri Lanka is one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots, with nature deeply intertwined with community life. Reflecting this connection, across the island, small-scale conservation efforts have always thrived in pockets. For MAS Holdings, the urgency of the environmental crisis made it clear that scattered initiatives were not enough- it was time to bring them together into an impactful, long-term approach. Employees have also welcomed the chance to be part of projects that protect nature, finding meaning in contributing to something that benefits both their communities and the environment.

Recognising this, apparel-tech conglomerate MAS Holdings has made biodiversity restoration central to its sustainability roadmap, the MAS Plan for Change 2030. Building on its commitments for 2025, the company has pledged to reforest and restore biodiversity across an area 100 times larger than its global operational footprint.

For an organization that spans 15 countries- across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, this amounts to more than 31,700 acres of land. According to Nemanthie Kooragamage, Director – Group Sustainable Business at MAS Holdings, achieving reforestation on such an ambitious scale demands bold and innovative approaches.

“Well-planned restoration can do far more than replace lost trees,” she explains. “It can reconnect fragmented landscapes, stabilise soils, improve freshwater quality, rebuild coastal and mangrove nurseries, and create wildlife corridors- benefits that safeguard nature and the long-term resilience of apparel supply chains and communities.”

Building a Scalable Goal

The roots of MAS’ biodiversity goal trace back to 2017, when it pledged to restore 250 acres of land, equivalent to its operational footprint at the time. By the end of the initiative, the company had doubled its target and restored 500 acres of land.

Even then, MAS recognised that planting trees alone was not enough. As it pursued this goal, it became clear that landscapes face different pressures, from invasive species to degraded soils, and therefore require tailored interventions. And so, MAS developed its six-model framework for restoration: Conservation, Reforestation, Invasive Removal, Afforestation, Analog Forests, and Forest Gardens.

This framework later underpinned the biodiversity target set under Plan for Change 2025, which scaled up the 2017 pledge to restore 100 times MAS’ operational footprint at the time, a total of 25,000 acres.

Applying the Six-Model Approach

Over the last five years, the six-model framework has been put into practice, with projects demonstrating how different contexts required different interventions.

Conservation was at the heart of the Panama In-Situ Turtle Conservation Project, launched in partnership with two corporates and the Wildlife and Ocean Resources Conservation Society. Protecting a three to ten-kilometre stretch of coastline, the project has safeguarded 272 nests and released over 17,000 hatchlings since October 2023, directly supporting the survival of endangered sea turtle species.

Reforestation included the restoration of 10 acres of mangroves in Trincomalee, where MAS achieved an 81% sapling survival rate. Meanwhile, the Ittapana Mangrove Forest Reforestation Project, undertaken with the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and local communities, planted 500 saplings with a 94% survival rate. Beyond ecological restoration, it enhanced local fisheries, improved water quality, and engaged students and residents, ensuring long-term community impact.

To restore large, inaccessible degraded terrains, MAS partnered with the Sri Lanka Air Force to disperse seed bombs. This aerial reforestation method restored 275 acres and achieved a 45% survival rate, demonstrating an efficient solution for landscapes that could not be rehabilitated through conventional means.

Invasive Alien Species (IAS) removal was another critical strand, with programmes carried out in national parks in partnership with the Department of Wildlife Conservation. At Horton Plains, MAS removed Ulex europaeus from 82% of the affected areas and restored 244 acres of sensitive ecosystem. At Udawalawe and Lunugamwehera, the manual removal of Lantana camara supported the regeneration of grasslands vital for elephants, leopards, and sloth bears.

“We tested different approaches in Sri Lanka, from coastal conservation to seed bombing and invasive species removal, and they proved effective in their own contexts. With the scale of our biodiversity goals and our global operational footprint, the next step was to take these learnings beyond Sri Lanka and apply them internationally,” said Uvini Athukorala, Manager – Environmental Sustainability.

Expanding Globally

As part of its Plan for Change 2025 biodiversity conservation efforts, MAS extended projects beyond Sri Lanka to countries where it also has manufacturing operations. This ensured that the company’s restoration work addressed the landscapes and communities directly connected to its business footprint.

In Central Java, Indonesia, the Blora Ngawi Biodiversity Restoration Project has restored over 12,601 acres since 2023. The initiative planted more than half a million trees and established a multi-stakeholder forest management model that combines forest protection, land rehabilitation, and habitat enrichment.

In Kenya, MAS launched its largest conservation project to date, protecting 8,275 acres within the Nairobi National Park, in partnership with The Wildlife Foundation. The project secured wildlife corridors critical for elephants, lions, and cheetahs, reduced human-wildlife conflict, and created conservation-linked livelihoods for more than 600 people, with women and youth playing a central role.

These global projects demonstrated that the lessons learned in Sri Lanka, experimenting with diverse approaches and working hand in hand with local partners, could be successfully scaled in other contexts, while directly benefiting the communities where MAS operates.

Lessons for the Future

As the Plan for Change 2025 concludes, MAS has restored 25,058 acres toward its biodiversity conservation goal. The experience highlights two key lessons. First, that restoration must be context-specific. From mangrove reforestation in Trincomalee to invasive species removal in Horton Plains, or aerial reforestation of degraded terrain, each ecosystem required a different model to deliver meaningful results. Second, that collaboration is essential. Partnerships with government agencies, non-profits, universities, and local communities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Kenya ensured both technical expertise and local ownership, making projects sustainable beyond their initial interventions.

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Business

World Bank puts USD 110m into climate-resilient road rebuilding

Published

22 hours ago

2026/10/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

A Cyclone Ditwah-damaged area in Sri Lanka.

By Ifham Nizam

The World Bank has approved USD 110 million in additional financing to rebuild around 600 kilometres of roads damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, with the investment aimed not merely at restoring connectivity but at making critical transport infrastructure more resilient to future climate shocks.

The financing comes against a much larger recovery requirement for the transport sector, estimated at USD 1.31 billion, highlighting the scale of the infrastructure challenge following one of the most destructive weather disasters to hit the country in recent years.

The World Bank said the additional financing, provided through the International Development Association (IDA) Crisis Response Window, would support road reconstruction incorporating improved drainage, landslide protection and upgraded engineering standards.

‘Cyclone Ditwah has had a devastating impact on connectivity across Sri Lanka, but rebuilding also gives us an opportunity to build back stronger, said Gevorg Sargsyan, World Bank Group Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives.

The World Bank said the programme would go beyond repairing damaged roads, helping reconnect farmers with markets, communities with essential services and households with economic opportunities.

The additional financing will extend the Inclusive Connectivity and Development Project (ICDP) by three years, taking total World Bank transport investment under the operation to USD 610 million.

The World Bank’s December 2025 GRADE assessment estimated Cyclone Ditwah had caused USD 4.1 billion in direct physical damage, equivalent to around four percent of GDP. Infrastructure accounted for approximately USD 1.735 billion, or 42% of the total, with roads, bridges, railways and water systems among the heavily affected assets.

The Bank has stressed that the USD 4.1 billion estimate measures direct physical damage and does not include income or production losses or the full cost of recovery and reconstruction.

The transport sector alone suffered extensive disruption, making the rebuilding of road networks a critical component of the broader economic recovery.

The latest USD 110 million package is expected to directly benefit more than 830,000 people, while nearly two million people across eight districts are expected to benefit from improved connectivity.

The programme is also expected to support employment during reconstruction and improve market access for approximately 22,000 tea, vegetable and paddy farmers.

The World Bank’s intervention therefore combines immediate disaster recovery with a longer-term infrastructure objective: ensuring that money spent on reconstruction does not simply restore roads to their pre-disaster condition but reduces their vulnerability to the next extreme-weather event.

That approach is becoming increasingly important as climate-related disasters place additional pressure on already constrained public finances.

Rebuilding the same infrastructure repeatedly after floods, landslides and other disasters carries a significant economic cost, making resilience an increasingly important part of infrastructure investment decisions.

Business

SLIC Life offers Rs.1million free life cover to parents of children born on World Children’s Day 2026

Published

22 hours ago

2026/10/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

Senior Management of SLIC Life and officials of Castle Street Hospital for Women symbolically handing over a Free Life Cover of Rs. 1 million to a parent whose child was born on 1st of October 2026

In celebration of World Children’s Day 2026, Sri Lanka Insurance Life (SLIC Life) has once again extended a Rs. 1 million free life insurance cover to the parents of every child born on 1 October 2026, across Sri Lanka. Now in its fifth consecutive year, the initiative was implemented island-wide, covering hospitals across the country and enabling parents of newborns to benefit from this special offering.

Beyond providing financial protection, the initiative seeks to highlight the importance of planning for a family’s financial security from the very beginning of a child’s life.

“The birth of a child marks the beginning of a new journey filled with hopes, dreams and aspirations. At SLIC Life, we believe that protection should begin from the very start of that journey. Through this initiative, we aim to create greater awareness of the importance of planning ahead and the role life insurance can play in safeguarding families against life’s uncertainties. As we continue this initiative for the fifth consecutive year, we remain committed to extending meaningful protection to Sri Lankan families and contributing towards a more secure future for the next generation,” said Dr. Sameera Dharmasena, Chief Executive Officer of SLIC Life.

Launched in 2022 as part of SLIC Life’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, the World Children’s Day initiative was introduced with the aim of supporting parents and strengthening financial security for families at an important stage in their lives. Over the years, the initiative has become a significant part of SLIC Life’s annual CSR calendar, reflecting the company’s broader commitment to children, families and communities.

SLIC Life’s commitment to children and education extends across several long standing CSR initiatives. The ‘Pasal Piriyatha Surakimu’ programme, launched in 2007, has benefited over 3,365 underprivileged schools through initiatives including classroom refurbishments, water facilities, libraries and learning resources. The 2026 edition of the programme is scheduled to be carried out in November, continuing SLIC Life’s efforts to enhance learning environments for children across the country. Complementing this, the ‘Suba Pathum Scholarship Programme’, which has been conducted since 2014, has now awarded 2,425 scholarships valued at Rs. 265 million to children of policyholders who demonstrate excellence in national examinations. The programme reflects SLIC Life’s continued focus on supporting educational aspirations and creating opportunities for the next generation.

Children remain at the heart of SLIC Life’s commitment to building a more secure future. Through the annual World Children’s Day initiative and its wider CSR programmes, SLIC Life continues to demonstrate that the value of insurance extends beyond financial protection, contributing to stronger and more resilient families and communities.

Business

HelpAge thanks donors for helping in carrying out free cataract surgery program

Published

22 hours ago

2026/10/6

Sahan Weerasooriya

A surgery in progress under the aegis Helpage.

At a recent seminar HelpAge Sri Lanka (HASL) thanked local and foreign donors for strengthening the on-going free cataract surgeries program conducted by HelpAge Eye Hospital, Wellawatta for less- privileged elders over 55 years.

According to HelpAge Eye Hospital statistics the free cataract surgery programme was commenced in 2002 and over 55,000 surgeries have so far been performed for elderly citizens.

Head of HelpAge Eye Hospital Mahanama Wijesinghe said needy persons over 55 years of age could contact the hospital on telephone numbers 0112555759 and 0112589450 for free cataract surgeries.

‘Steps have been taken to conduct surgeries within a short duration of 30 days after attending the Eye Hospital clinic, he said.

Wijesinghe thanked all donors for their donations towards helping underprivileged citizens of the country.

HelpAge, Executive Director Dr. Harsha Bandara said HelpAge also conducts free medical and eye camps for needy elders and thanked donors for their donations towards this meritorious cause.

He requested philanthropists and donors to make their contributions for the sake of the needy.