Cleantech breaks barriers in waste management: Honoured at first DEI Championship Awards

CLEANTECH Ltd., Sri Lanka's leading municipal waste management service provider and sustainability arm of the Abans Group, was recognised at the first-ever Diversity, Empowerment and Inclusivity (DEI) Championship Awards organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce under the SCOPE Programme, co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ Sri Lanka in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and National Integration.

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The company was honoured for its pioneering efforts in women's empowerment and disability inclusion—an achievement that redefines the sector and sets a benchmark for corporate Sri Lanka.

In an industry traditionally dominated by men, Cleantech has placed women at the centre of its operations. Of its 1,700 employees, 423 are women, many of them single mothers or primary breadwinners from lesser privileged. For these women, employment is not just a job but a path to stability and independence. Cleantech has also embedded empowerment into its operations by introducing financial literacy workshops, Female hygiene and personal grooming programmes, female supervisory staff for the first time, and career pathways that extend to senior management. Women who once worked in janitorial roles have advanced into executive positions, while former informal waste collectors now manage entire Material Recovery Facilities, transforming livelihoods and communities.