Step by Step: Uncompromising Integrity & Sustainability remains at the core of management philosophy
The Hayleys Group, Sri Lanka’s largest and most diversified conglomerate, has launched the 2nd edition of the Hayleys Lifecode- its pioneering Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) roadmap, strengthening its commitment to strategically embedding ESG principles across its business. The refreshed framework reflects the Group’s evolving sustainability priorities and the significant progress made since the inaugural edition in 2022.
The updated edition introduces six new focus areas, revised targets and enhanced policies to address emerging ESG challenges.
The event, held at the Hayleys head office, brought together senior leadership and Lifecode Champions from across its 16 diverse sectors. Key sessions explored ESG milestones, sector-wide synergies and tangible sustainability advancements, reinforcing the Group’s unwavering focus on ethical governance, climate action and social impact.
Mohan Pandithage, Chairman and Chief Executive of Hayleys, reaffirmed the Group’s commitment, stating, “Sustainability is a fundamental driver of our long-term success and the Lifecode is a living framework that evolves with the needs of our business, requirements of our stakeholders and environmental changes. This refresh reinforces our responsibility to integrate sustainability deeper into our operations, fostering innovation, resilience and ethical governance.”
Milinda Hewagama, Group Chief Financial Officer (GCFO), commented,
“As businesses worldwide navigate an increasingly complex sustainability landscape, our commitment at Hayleys is to stay ahead of the curve. The revised Lifecode is a proactive strategy to anticipate emerging ESG challenges and drive sustainable product and process innovation. Our goal is to create a resilient business model that meets today’s expectations and drives transformative change for the future.”
Since its launch, the Hayleys Lifecode has served as a blueprint for embedding ESG principles across the Group’s businesses, with notable advancements in governance, risk management and sustainability. A key milestone includes the establishment of the Hayleys Group ESG Steering Committee, which oversees policy implementation and performance monitoring across all business sectors. Governance improvements also include enhanced accountability mechanisms and robust risk management frameworks to anticipate emerging ESG risks.
With the Group now sourcing around 70% of its energy needs from renewable sources, advancements in biodiversity conservation and water management Hayleys remains on track to meet its 2030 environmental targets.
Recognising that sustainability is a collective responsibility, Hayleys also launched two new employee-led initiatives to nurture a sustainability consciousness across the organisation. The Hayleys Nurture Network was launched as a platform enabling employees across diverse job roles and locations to participate in voluntary sustainability initiatives, strengthening engagement across the Group’s 36,000+ global workforce.
In addition, leaders at the event committed to a sustainability pledge, reinforcing their individual and collective responsibility to drive meaningful and responsible progress. This pledge will be cascaded through dedicated sessions, focusing on three key areas – Greener Choices, Better Together, and Lead with Honour – aligning with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles through achievable behavioural and process improvements in daily activities.
