A €7.56 million European Union-funded initiative to develop a Net-Zero Roadmap for Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel sector was launched at an inception workshop in Colombo on Friday, the EU Delegation in Sri Lanka said.
The Accelerating Industries’ Climate Response in Sri Lanka (AICRSL) project is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Ministries of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, Environment, and Energy. The roadmap will be developed through a multi-phase analytical process covering baseline assessments, decarbonisation pathways and stakeholder consultation.
Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel sector accounted for 40.7 percent of merchandise exports in 2025, generating over US$5 billion in earnings, of which 31.3 percent went to the European Union. Tightening EU supplier sustainability requirements have made decarbonisation a market-access issue for the country’s largest export sector.
“As climate and sustainability expectations tighten for companies and their suppliers, it is vital that this industry can measure and reduce its emissions,” the EU Delegation said in a statement. “By supporting a net-zero roadmap for Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel sector, we help build more resilient, climate-friendly supply chains for the EU market while supporting quality jobs and long-term competitiveness in Sri Lanka.”
The inception workshop drew government institutions, industry representatives, technical experts, utilities, technology providers, financial institutions and development partners. AICRSL Chief Technical Specialist Jagathdeva Vidanagama said the roadmap would help “translate policy objectives into concrete measures that reduce emissions, improve efficiency and strengthen the sector’s long-term competitiveness.”
The initiative comes alongside Sri Lanka’s broader policy push for grid decarbonisation, including a green hydrogen and ammonia request for information launched earlier this month and the WindForce-IFC battery storage financing deal for renewable integration.
Sources: EconomyNext · Ada Derana.
