Chief Delegate of AHK Sri Lanka, Andreas Hergenroether stated: “The major reason to partner for the initiative was to support Sri Lankan exporters to obtain broader market access. Sustainability standards are a reality. They are partially politically driven, but they are also more and more customer and industry-driven. Besides the existing official legally binding standards, European importers require more and more consumer-driven standards like Fairtrade, Compliance +, and Good Manufacturing Practices”.

In the keynote-speech, Shirendra Lawrence, COO of MAS Holdings, pointed out, how important the transparent compliance with sustainability standards was, to become the largest apparel company in South Asia and a global leader.

During the panel discussion with company representatives of the targeted sectors of apparel, rubber, and food, the Head of the EU-Mission to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Denis Chaibi emphasized that the GSP+, under which Sri Lankan exporters can export a wide range of products custom duty-free to the EU, is among other related to the compliance to international labor standards.