What Colour Is Your Bra?

I guess the better question is: no matter what colour it is to the eye, is your bra green? If you're buying bras from Marks & Spencer, they're likely a beautiful shade of green, since the building of the "eco-factory" in Sri Lanka. MAS Holdings, which produces bras for Marks & Spencer has created a green lingerie manufacturing facility that will reduce carbon emissions now and aim to become carbon neutral in the future.The facility boasts Sri Lanka's biggest installation of solar panels to provide about 10 per cent of the plant's needed electricity. It also includes the use of extensive daylight to help light the premises; energy efficient lighting and LED based task lights; low energy cooling systems to replace air conditioning; cooling measures such as green roofs, roofs with high solar reflectivity; strategically positioned courtyards with greenbelts to cool the microclimate; and the use of eco bricks in construction to help maintain a cool interior. All the above features will save about 49% on electricity use compared to other similarly sized factories. It will also be able to reduce its water usage by about 50% by using rainwater in toilet facilities, waste water management systems and low-flow fixtures.
While all of this is, of course, great for environmental concerns, no matter how green a plant may be, it still needs workers to run it, and a concern that should be just as important is their welfare. If you visit MAS' website, you will see their claim that "MAS was doing the Right Thing before CSR became a Corporate buzz word" and that doing the right thing is "a part of (their) DNA". Keep reading and you'll find some very convincing material supporting their claims. For instance, their facilities provide a safe working environment for the staff and include healthcare facilities. Among other concerns, this self-proclaimed responsible global entity focuses on empowering their employees and championing the cause of women's empowerment in society so that the sweatshop modus operandi "flies out the nearest window". In 2005 they began their "WOMEN GO BEYOND" initiative aimed at empowering women in the workplace and beyond. It's the beyond part that really gives a little halo effect to MAS, for me. In connection with GAP Inc. they have started the GAP-Go Beyond programme which is "an initiative to champion empowerment of women and youth in the community, focusing on sustainable development education and practice in schools' supporting education and sporting talent; and promoting entrepreneurship among women in the community.
Geez, those green bras are sounding better and better all the time, don't you think?