Eco Spindles (Pvt) Ltd., is leading the way in sustainable manufacturing by recycling plastic waste into an array of products and mastering the art of taking discarded plastic waste and converting it into quality products that can be used across multiple industries.
The company’s work has helped to encourage a circular economy at a national level, boost economic growth, encourage the use of eco-friendly materials and support the livelihoods of countless Sri Lankans.
The company operates a monofilament industry to manufacture brushes and other janitorial products. Eco-Spindles also spearheads the group’s latest state-of-the-art polyester yarn plant, in which yarn is produced exclusively from recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (commonly known as PET flakes).
This is one of the only two plants globally, which creates yarn directly from flakes, circumventing the polymerisation process where flakes are first converted to chips and then to yarn, a spokesman for the company said.
Eco Spindles also uses the recycled plastic and creates textile polyester yarn for fabric to be sold within Sri Lanka to textile giants such as MAS, Hirdaramani and Hela Clothing.
Clearing up plastic waste
Eco-Spindles’ recycling operation has a massive beneficial impact on the environment, as the company collects approximately 250 metric tons of plastic bottles a month, equal to six million bottles or 20% of the plastic bottles in Sri Lanka. Plastic from all over Sri Lanka is collected and sorted according to clear, blue and mixed colours.
These plastics are then processed and end up as flakes. Most of the flakes are used by Eco Spindles and some are sold to other textile companies.
Collections on the rise: Eco Spindles has a well-established network of over 125 collection points set up across the country, which ensure that nearly 250 tons of PET waste is collected every month.
Eco Spindle’s quality compliance, including Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Restricted Substances Lists (RSL) and Oekotex Standard 100, ensure that all yarn, which is produced by the company, meets stringent international standards. The plants are managed by an experienced workforce of over 160 including consultants and operators with over 15 years of experience.
The recycling plant and the yarn plant are at the BOI’s Horana Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and its extrusion plant in Matugama. They sell their waste to Insee Cement, which has an integrated waste management system, and the waste water generated is sustainably managed by the Water Supply and Drainage Board, Ratmalana, ensuring there is no negative impact on the environment as a result of the company’s operations.
Eco Spindles has several measures in place to reduce energy use, carbon footprint and waste volumes.
CEO of Eco Spindles, Dr. Anush Amarasinghe said, “Eco Spindles strives to operate in a way that sustains the delicate ecological balance of our planet. Our work is giving rise to a new passion for recycling at a grassroots level in Sri Lanka and our efforts are helping to drastically reduce solid plastic waste.
“We are also proud to give Sri Lankans from all walks of life, the chance to earn a living through our business and be a part of this recycling movement. By developing products out of plastic waste that can be used by multiple industries, we give organisations the chance to be more energy efficient and environment-friendly.
“Our operation helps to ensure that plastics are disposed of and reused in an appropriate manner and our green production practices will help us to minimise our carbon footprint at large and that of other organisations as well.
“The BOI’s leadership in promoting environment-friendly practices is driving greater awareness about sustainable manufacturing. We are grateful to the BOI for their continued support and for the critical role that the BOI zones play as hubs which offer ease of doing business in Sri Lanka,” he said.
Clean production: Eco Spindles is recognised as a pioneering manufacturer, known for creating eco-friendly products and running a clean and green operation.
The company is part of the BPPL Group, one of Asia’s largest producers of cleaning tools, and has been operating in Sri Lanka since 1986. Eco-Spindles is empowering people, organisations and industries to actively become a part of the solution.