To achieve zero pollution—and making it one of the first such industrial parks globally to do so—the park has adopted state-of-the-art "zero liquid discharge" technology, reflecting its similar reliance on 100 per cent renewable energy. Even before formal opening in early 2016, Hawassa has registered 100 per cent occupancy and by 2017 will have 60,000 workers (75 per cent of them expected to be female), and with gross export earnings of $1 billion anticipated. Of the 10 leading international firms investing in Hawassa, two manufacturers each come from India and Hong Kong, one each from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan and China, and a couple are local firms.