“Contours of Compliance: Mapping a Quiet Revolution”

Amidst a changing global order where silent metrics increasingly define market access, the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) has catalyzed a quietly profound transformation—launching the Initiative for Textile Sustainability Benchmarking (ITSB) to elevate ESG alignment across the nation’s apparel and textile industries.

Conceived through a strategic alliance between the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka (SDCSL), and the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF)—with support from the Government of Sweden—ITSB is less an initiative, more a framework of discipline and future-readiness. It positions Sri Lankan exporters in step with the evolving demands of transparency, investor confidence, and responsible production.

In a high-level meeting convened by the EDB, Dr. Aditi Haldar (GRI South Asia) emphasized how GRI Standards—widely adopted by global businesses—have become indispensable for nations aspiring to compete ethically and economically. Ms. Chamindry Saparamadu (SDCSL) presented ITSB as a national scaffold for ESG integration, while EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe endorsed the platform as central to achieving Sri Lanka’s USD 36 billion export target by 2030.

But the true weight of this move lies in execution. On July 16, 2025, a focused capacity-building programme will begin, guiding 100 apparel and textile companies—from multinationals to mid-sized enterprises—through the architecture of GRI-compliant sustainability reporting.

This marks more than a shift in documentation—it signals a recalibration of ethos. Through ITSB, Sri Lanka is not merely adapting to global standards, but proactively entering the dialogue of modern commerce, where IFRS S1 and S2, TNFD, and the CSRD shape the filters of trust.

In a landscape where policy, perception, and performance converge, Sri Lanka is drawing its own map—a quiet revolution traced in accountability, precision, and long-term purpose.