Since its inception over 35 years ago, MAS Holdings has operated on the foundation of doing things differently by focusing on social sustainability and employee well-being. The company acknowledges that the industry it operates in has a significant footprint, and therefore is committed to doing its part to reduce its own impact as a business, through its unified group-wide sustainability strategy, the Plan for Change, launched externally in 2021.
The Plan for Change outlines three focus areas to improve its operations: Product, Lives, and Planet, with twelve goals to be achieved by 2025. As part of this proactive strategy, MAS Holdings intends to ensure safer chemical inputs in all products and processes and mitigate negative impact to the environment. Electing Bluesign® as its sustainability solutions provider, MAS Fabrics – Intimo is committed to meeting the highest sustainability criteria, in particular with regard to resource efficiency, environmental impact, health and safety at work, and consumer protection.
Commenting on this partnership, Director – Group Sustainable Business, Nemanthie Kooragamage stated, “We are excited to have MAS Fabrics – Intimo become a Bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNER, as it is an important step forward in our journey of achieving our Plan for Change targets. Staying true to the company’s core values and moving towards our purpose, MAS believes our commitment to ethical manufacturing will lead us to achieve sustainable and profitable growth as a team. Our long-term ambition is to onboard all our dyeing facilities as Bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNERS in time to come”.
Adding to this, Chelan Goonetilleke, Chief Executive Officer of MAS Active commented, “Environmentally sustainable manufacturing is at the heart of what we do at MAS and this feat is a true testament to the efforts by our teams at MAS Active to reduce harmful chemicals in our manufacturing process. I am extremely proud of all our teams who have made this investment to secure a more sustainable future for our communities, country, and environment. This being a first for MAS, we will sustain our commitment towards safer chemical management practices in our manufacturing.”
A dyeing facility of MAS Active based at MAS Fabric Park in Sri Lanka, MAS Fabrics (Private) Limited – Intimo Division was established in 2020 to expand the pioneering seamless garment manufacturing of MAS Active Division. The 147,000 sq ft fabric mill with in-house knitting and dyeing facilities can produce 7.4 million pieces per year for brands including lululemon and Nike. The ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14064 accredited facility currently uses Bluesign® APPROVED chemical substances and aims to increase its utilization of Bluesign® APPROVED textiles to 100% by 2025.
With its holistic approach, the Bluesign® SYSTEM is the most rigorous standard for the textile industry, and adopting it means meeting these criteria without compromising the functionality, quality, or design of the products.
“Our team was impressed by the high standards MAS Fabrics – Intimo has already established and applaud the company’s perseverance to continually improve its operations,” commented Daniel Rufenacht, Chief Executive Officer of Bluesign. “We welcome MAS to the Bluesign ecosystem as a true partner in helping them achieve their ambitious goals.”
Under the Bluesign® SYSTEM and the application of Input Stream Management, MAS Fabrics – Intimo’s SYSTEM PARTNERSHIP brings the company closer to its 2025 chemical management ambition and progresses towards the company’s vision to onboard all its dyeing facilities to the Bluesign® SYSTEM.
