M&S Make Bras Which are Comfortable on the Conscience

Official Images of the newly opened building may follow soon.

In partnership with supplier, MAS, Marks & Spencer is opened its first ‘eco- factory’ in May 2008. Based at Thulhiriya in central Sri Lanka, the bra manufacturing site is designed to be carbon neutral.

The primary power source for the factory will be green energy from the national grid, supplemented by on-site solar panels. These will supply 10% of the energy.

Every aspect of the building has been designed to minimise its environmental impact. Even the building materials – mainly ‘eco-bricks’ - have low embodied energy. Overall, it will use around 40% less electricity than a standard, similar scale factory.

Planting greenery on and around the site (including the factory’s roof) will create a cooler micro-climate. In addition, the bio-diversity will enhance and revitalise local flora and fauna.

Rainwater harvesting and low-flow fixtures will reduce water usage in the factory by around 50%. Nearly all waste will be separated and sorted for recycling, with anaerobic digestion being processed to produce bio-gas for the kitchens.

For the workers, the natural lighting, views and fresh airflows will provide a comfortable, positive environment. There’s a holistic medical centre on site, too, with provisions to care for the 1300 personnel expected to be working there by 2010.

This groundbreaking development is a logical move on from the success of M&S first eco-stores in Bournemouth and Pollok. Many of the best practices implemented there translated on a larger scale for the factory. Even during the construction stages, Plan A was in consideration – the work was carried out in an environmentally-friendly way, with waste being recycled wherever possible.

The factory is aiming to achieve the highest status in ‘green building’ certification by LEED, a widely accepted international scheme run by the US Green Building Council.

MAS in Sri Lanka will be manufacturing bras exclusively for M&S in a factory that’s aiming to be as green as the surrounding countryside.