VZCZCXRO8394
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHPL #0424 3391213
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041213Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4312
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 1026
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 0763
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PORT LOUIS 000424 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/E FOR MARIA BEYZEROV 
ADDIS FOR SHAWNA HIRSCH 
OES FOR STANLEY SPECHT 
JOHANNESBURG FOR FCS CRAIG ALLEN 
EEB FOR STEPHEN GALLOGLY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG ECON EIND SENV TRGY MP
SUBJECT: ONE COMPANY LEADS THE GREEN INITIATIVE IN MAURITIAN 
TEXTILES 
 
REF:  A. PORT LOUIS 97 
¶B.  PORT LOUIS 368 
 
¶1.  Summary.  Richfield Tang Knits Ltd (RT Knits), a textile 
manufacturing company in Mauritius, has taken initiative to move 
toward "sustainable textile production," incorporating "Green 
Productivity Techniques" into a new facility in La Tour Koenig, near 
Port Louis.  Using wind and solar energy, collecting rain water, and 
changing the company's perspective, Executive Director Jean Li Wan 
Po hopes that RT Knits can be a leader and example for the rest of 
the island's textile industry.  For their efforts, RT Knits is being 
recognized by the Mauritius Export Association (MEXA) as Company of 
the Year.  Both Li Wan Po and Executive Director of MEXA Danielle 
Wong expressed frustration about the carbon credit system, citing 
high prices from consultants offering to help Mauritius businesses 
join various carbon credit schemes.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  RT Knits, a company of 1600 employees with an annual production 
capacity of 16 million units of jersey wear, has two 
fully-operational production sites in Mauritius and is close to 
launching its third, with a green tint, at La Tour Koenig.  With a 
turnover of 37 million USD in 2007, RT Knits' main markets are in 
Europe and South Africa.  Orvis, a Vermont-based American company, 
is currently RT Knits' only American customer.  In building the La 
Tour Koenig facility (which includes an 800,000 sq. ft. factory 
built on 30 acres of land), RT Knits spent approximately 25 million 
USD on green features, including using solar and wind power in 
creative ways and collecting and reusing rain water.  La Tour 
Koenig, set partway up a hillside south of Port Louis, benefits from 
high exposure to the sun and an almost constant wind. 
 
¶3.  RT Knits installed solar panels on the main factory building in 
a zig-zag fashion to maximize exposure to the sun--the first such 
installation of its kind in Mauritius.  But instead of collecting 
and using solar power to generate energy, RT Knits will use it 
directly to heat water used in the dyeing process--reducing the use 
of fossil fuels for heating by 80 percent.  Wind power is also being 
used directly in the factory through special vents installed in the 
wall facing the wind that are manually opened and closed.  The wind 
can be used to remove excess cotton that is produced during fabric 
processing--something usually done by electric fans or vacuums. 
 
¶4.  In addition, RT Knits has dug rain water collection channels 
that run 15 meters deep, allowing water that would normally run 
downhill to instead be collected underground.  The storage warehouse 
on the La Tour Koenig property is completely unplugged, using only 
natural lighting during the day and stored solar power at night. 
The on-site cafeteria, dormitory, and offices have all been 
constructed with windows that provide natural lighting for as long 
as possible during daylight hours.  All of these innovations result 
in a 30 percent reduction in overall fuel consumption, with a goal 
of increasing that to 50 percent in the near future, according to 
project manager Patrick Koo. 
 
¶5.  Li Wan Po asserted that the decision to go green was a company 
one with the future in mind.  He stated that "we are taking a big 
risk," referring to the large investment of capital for something 
that is not required and for which the company will receive no 
direct recompense.  Mauritius provides no tax relief or other 
benefits to companies that implement environmental techniques.  What 
RT Knits does gain is lower production costs and, so far, positive 
press coverage of their initiatives, which fall in line with the 
Prime Minister's Office's project, Maurice Ile Durable (Sustainable 
Mauritius) (see Refs).  RT Knits was also a highlight at the Second 
General Session of the 2008 Annual Conference of the International 
Textile Manufacturers Federation held in Mauritius in October. 
 
¶6.  Li Wan Po mentioned carbon credits as something for Mauritius to 
think about in the future, but called it "unrealistic" at the moment 
due to the cost of getting started with a program.  MEXA head 
Danielle Wong echoed his sentiments, relaying that a consulting firm 
offered to evaluate and provide information to Mauritian companies 
on the possibility of joining a carbon credit scheme for a fee that 
was well more than any monetary gain a company could garner from the 
credits themselves, calling it "complete nonsense."  She lauded the 
efforts of RT Knits, stating that they were the basis for its 
selection as Company of the Year.  Also, a few of other textile 
companies have started to follow their lead on a small scale. 
 
CABRERA