The newly appointed government has introduced a remarkable initiative called “CLEAN SRI LANKA.”
This program encompasses various measures to address and mitigate environmental and social challenges, such as environmental pollution, misuse of public property, waste generation, corruption, fraudulent activities, and, notably, violations of established laws and regulations.
Currently, a significant portion of the population does not prioritise environmental cleanliness or consider the needs and well-being of others. As a result, our society often lacks mutual respect.
This lack of consideration extends to everyday activities, making even something as basic as driving with confidence a perilous endeavour. Hence, hopefully, Clean Sri Lanka will take a significant turn in creating a positive change in the human mind and turning society toward the country’s sustainable development.
The speech delivered by the president when launching the Clean Sri Lanka project indicates that the government aims to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). UN emphasises its member countries to accomplish these 17 SDGs i.e., No poverty, Zero hunger, Good health and well-being, Quality education, Gender equality, Clean water and sanitation, Affordable and clean energy, Decent work and economic growth, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Climate Action, Life bellow water, Life on land, Peace, justice and strong institutions, and Partnership for the goals to achieve decent lives for all on a healthy planet by 2030.
Sustainable development is the unavoidable choice for the development of human society.
Popular researchers Carter and Easton emphasise that sustainability is instead a license to do business in the twenty-first century. Therefore, Sustainability thinking is “driving innovation, innovation in technology, production, marketing and innovation in business models”. As early as 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defined Sustainable Development as ‘‘Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) 2002, it has been said that “Sustainable Development is not only balancing the economic benefits with environmental protection but also depends on another pillar named social development”.
Hence, true sustainability encompasses three dimensions: economic, environmental, and social, and these three pillars are commonly termed the Triple Bottom Line (TBL).
The concept of TBL was introduced by Elkington (1994) through the book “Cannibals with Fork”. Therefore, Undoubtedly, the Clean Sri Lanka project should focus on optimising economic sustainability, environmental cleanliness, and the nation’s social well-being.
Supply chain practices start from raw material extraction and end with the disposal through manufacturing, transporting and distribution, warehousing, whole-selling, retailing, and final consumption. However, many environmental and social problems such as Deforestation, Soil Degradation, Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Ground Contamination, Energy Consumption, Health Hazards, Land Use, Carbon Emissions, Traffic Congestion, Road Accidents, Food Waste, Overuse of Resources, Waste Generation, Improper Waste Disposal, Energy Demand, Displacement of Communities, Exploitation of Labour, Unfair Trade Practices, Consumerism Culture, Health Risks, and inequality are being created due to unorganised and unregulated supply chain practices.
Private sector organisations primarily focus on profit maximisation, often leading to the neglect of sustainable practices to some extent. Although numerous research studies highlight the importance of addressing environmental and social issues caused by unorganised and unregulated supply chain practices, no national-level projects or policies have targeted these challenges. Therefore, it is crucial to emphasise the need for close and continuous monitoring of supply chain activities, particularly in areas such as raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, consumption, and disposal, to ensure the sustainable development of our country. Hence, traditional and outdated supply chain management practices must be transformed into sustainable and forward-thinking approaches. Sustainable supply chain management involves integrating environmentally and financially viable practices such as recycling, refurbishing, waste management, etc., into the complete supply chain lifecycle, from product design and development to material selection (including raw material extraction or agricultural production), manufacturing, packaging, transportation, warehousing, distribution, consumption, and return and disposal”. The Clean Sri Lanka project should be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals while incorporating sustainable supply chain management practices.
Today’s Sustainable business models should focus more than simply creating vision statements and setting goals. The actionable, sustainable business model must clearly set out new actions and behaviours that will change how the firm interacts with the world. While these new initiatives may include reducing the company’s carbon footprint or enhancing the positive effects of water use or education and community participation, companies need to focus on changing their activities to find new ways to add value to the organisation and the communities in which they operate. The concern about business activities’ environmental and social impacts has led to the development of a new paradigm called ‘‘sustainable development’’.
Finally, it must be emphasised that sustainability cannot be achieved solely by enacting laws and regulations. Therefore, relevant authorities need to raise public awareness across the country. Notably, fostering awareness about sustainable practices should begin at the kindergarten level and continue through school education up to university. This can be achieved by incorporating sustainable practices and related subjects into the curriculum to build and enhance sustainability knowledge early on.
Dr. K.R.H. Lal Gunasekara
Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Management Studies
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
