Innovation

Ravi Industries has taken up sustainability as a bridge to create value for both their business and society simultaneously. Through its ethical conduct, Ravi Industries has been portrayed as one of the leading brush manufacturers in Sri Lanka. Prasanna, the Managing Director of the company says that it is their ultimate mission to be the leading producer of Eco-Friendly brushes to the world. The brushes are made from natural fiber obtained from the Palmyra Palm trees which is one of the local cultivations of the northern area of Sri Lanka (Ravi Brush | Environmentally Yours, 2021). The project launched in 2014, together with the Swiss Labour Assistance Organization to educate the local palmyra developers and suppliers on the technical know-how and buyback agreements that serve to develop the Palmyra fiber industry in Northern Sri Lanka. While being a grace of manufacturing a sustainable product, Ravi also took up the privilege to create many employment opportunities for the rural/diverse workforce as a tribute to the country’s economy.

Inspiration

Following the three decades of civil war that Sri Lanka faced from 1983-2009, the local Palmyra industry of the Northern region of Sri Lanka was greatly affected (Ravi Brush | Environmentally Yours, 2021). Despite their numerous uses, the value of the Palmyra tree and its parts were neglected and never utilized to its true limits. The local Palmyra suppliers and developers were left stranded and unemployed. Prasanna, the managing director of the company says that “like every dark cloud has a silver lining, we saw an opportunity within the disastrous situation in the Northern region, why should we only benefit ourselves when an entire community awaits our support?”. This served as the main reason that inspired the launch of the Ravi industries. Understanding the level of unemployment that the civil war has led to, the company decided to uplift the local community by collaborating with the Swiss Labour Assistance to enhance the employment opportunities in the region and enhance their knowledge of the industry (Ravi Brush | Environmentally Yours, 2021). Prasanna said that since the start, it has always been their motive to equally commit to spreading environmental awareness and improvement while producing quality products.

Overall impact

“Big or small, the impact we make on the outside world matters greatly to us as a company”. The entire concept of Ravi industries was brought up not only to support the business but also the community and the environment as a whole. Prasanna said, “the success of the project was beyond what we expected”. The sustainable employment opportunities provided by the business helped to uplift over 100 families that were devasted from the civil war. Prasanna proudly mentioned that compared to such companies that manufacture brushes using synthetic fiber, the Ravi industry produces no harmful waste which leads to a cleaner and healthier environment. The sustainable means of the company and the quality products have helped the company attract customers from all over Asia marking both the environmental and financial success of the Ravi industry.

Business benefit

Through the blessings of nature and the local community, Ravi industries have continued to grow in size and profitability. The project launched in Kilinochchi now has expanded to several other locations including Ithalwi, Palei, Muhumalei Oddusudan all in the Northern region (Ravi Brush | Environmentally Yours, 2021). Ravi industry was successful in creating a secondary source of Palmyra fibers apart from India which meant that the supply was more consistent and sustainable, they met this milestone while enhancing the knowledge of the community. This diversified Palmyra supply also led to the reduction of the processing cycle of the raw materials and a wider range of products to expand the portfolio. This has helped the company to supply a range of Palmyra fiber products at a competitive price with shorter lead times. Prasanna says that it was one of their greatest achievements to be one of Asia’s first brush manufacture to receive the “ISO 14001 environmental management system certificate” marking the success of a sustainable project that supported both the company and the community (Ravi Brush | Environmentally Yours, 2021).

Social and environmental benefit

Prasanna says “seeing the community grow along with the business is our biggest happiness”. Since the start of the business, there has been rapid growth in the local community through the upliftment of the Palmyra suppliers and the Palmyra farmers. The knowledge passed down to the community through the Swiss Labour Assistance along with Ravi industries has helped the locals to come out of their shells, spreading their wings after many years of suffering due to the civil war. The employment opportunities have allowed the rural workforce to comfortably work in their own farms and fields creating a stable income for their families. “Why to use a million chemicals to process synthetic fibers when we got our natural fibers right here in Sri Lanka,” says Prasanna from his point of view. “It’s the small changes that matter the most,” he says. The reduction in the use of synthetic fiber means that there is less poisonous waste out there, creating a cleaner environment and helping to overcome major global challenges such as global warming and climate change. Ravi industry believes that eliminating harmful products during processing can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as create a better-quality product for its customers. Although on a small scale, Ravi industries have their rightful impacts on the environment and the society which will hopefully benefit our ecosystem.

References

Ravibrush.com. 2021. Ravi Brush | Environmentally Yours. [online] Available at: [Accessed 31 January 2021].

Interview

Rasika Prasanna, Managing Director