GRI also innovates through its processes and systems. Employees are encouraged to think out of the box and develop new ways of working to increase efficiency, find new ways of servicing their diverse clientele and always adding value at every stage.

Innovation in sustainability is another driver at GRI. Sustainable business is at the heart of its operations. GRI is a global stakeholder actively adapting and aligning its practices and policies in accordance the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals and incorporating eco-friendly innovations across the board. Environmental sustainability and innovations in this regard are key thrusts throughout GRI organization.

When GRI initiates a development, it looks at whether it would reduce its carbon footprint and if it leads to a reduction in wastage and better recyclability. The company focuses on ensuring that there is a reduction in the customer’s carbon footprint as well – energy consumption also decreases thanks to the use of GRI Tires. Even within GRI’s own manufacturing systems, it looks at energy efficiency. GRI’s innovation has a firm sustainability foundation.

The use of biomass boilers instead of traditional furnace oil boilers ensures there is no hazardous environment around its manufacturing plants. An environmentally friendly ‘dry’ production process ensures low material wastage and no emission of gases or liquid disposal. Green policies on water management have resulted in innovative ways to harvest rainwater and an efficient wastewater management system.
 
While natural rubber is a renewable commodity, in an industry where demand is disproportionately large, sustainability in sourcing is of foremost importance. GRI sources pure natural rubber from Sri Lankan farmers and plantations around the island nation. This natural rubber, which is sourced from smallholder rubber farmers in Sri Lanka to build GRI’s high-grade Agriculture Tires that are eventually fitted on the machinery of farmers across the world, creates a unique value chain which begins and ends from one farmer to another.
 
GRI’s GREEN X circle highlights this unique linkage creating an end-to-end farmer eco-system between Sri Lankan rubber farmers who harvest natural rubber and the agricultural farmers worldwide who use tires made from this natural rubber. This is an example where GRI use’s creative thinking innovation, and sustainability in an end-to-end manner. GRI uses innovation to push different boundaries beyond the product.

“Our focus is to develop products that function above anticipated performance and are always made at the upper limits of performance and quality tolerance. This guarantees the utility value to the end-user beyond what they expect. It leads to our virtuous cycle of continuously increasing the customer’s value creation boundaries,” says Dr Mahesha Ranasoma.

“The volatility the world faced last year was a pressure test for many companies, putting their innovation strategies and lessons to test. Innovation is dynamic and reflexive, adapting to the market, customer and changing conditions. We saw this especially last year due to disruptions because of the coronavirus. Innovation is an everyday process of continuous improvement. We at GRI are proud to say that innovation is truly in our DNA,” he noted.