CSR briefs
SABIC wins safety awards again Manufacturing firm SABIC has won the Singapore Ministry of Manpower's silver medal for Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) as well as the Thai Labour Ministry's National Best Safety Management Award.
These annual awards recognise organisations and individuals for contributing to excellent workplace safety and health standards as well as achieving no “lost time” incidents at work. SABIC had previously won the Singapore award in 2007, 2010, and 2012; while in Thailand it has been given the award eight times in a row.
SABIC is committed to delivering the best environment, health, safety and security (EHSS) standards throughout the organisation and this is reflected in its global overarching framework called Safety, Security, Health and Environmental Management Standard (SHEMS).
SABIC sites across the world have received several safety and environment awards from well-recognised organisations. Its corporate headquarters and sites in Saudi Arabia and the United States have achieved third party Responsible Care certification, which is a global initiative that aims to improve EHSS performance and communicate with stakeholders on products and processes.
Siam Kubota, Marine Corps build fish habitat from disused tractors
Siam Kubota has partnered with the Royal Thai Marine Corps to build a fish habitat from disused tractors in the “Thai Marine Environmental Development Project”.
Siam Kubota sponsored Bt100,000 for the marine-environment project operated by the Royal Thai Marine Corps in Sattahip, in Chon Buri province.
The parties collaborated in building a fish habitat from disused tractors, in a project aimed at raising awareness among the company’s employees and their family members about conserving the environment.
They together grew 400 coral branches and released 800 clownfish to return richness to marine life in the Thai seas.
Hiroshi Kawakami, president of Siam Kubota, said the group’s society mission is “For Earth, For Life”. The company’s determination is to produce quality products, provide best services and use technology to help humans produce foods and water for the world’s population.
To protect and conserve the environment is also the company’s concern, he said, adding that the project to build fish habitat and grow coral had been is organised to conserve and develop the marine environment of the country.
The Royal Thai Marine Corps is a state agency that operates marine-conservation projects seriously and progressively with its own expertise and human resources.
The Royal Thai Marine Corps and Siam Kubota realised that the Royal Thai Navy had been using old ships to build fish habitat. The disused ships can be not only a home for fish, but also marine sculpture, which attracts tourists and divers.
Realising the benefit of such a project, Siam Kubota provides funding of Bt100,000 to the military agency to support marine environment development projects, said
Kawakami.
Moreover, the company arranged additional activities by having more than 1,500 Siam Kubota employees and their family members grow 400 coral branches and
release 800 clownfish at Teay Ngam Beach in Sattahip.
Siam Kubota runs CSR (corporate social responsibility) and employee social responsibility activities annually.
In 2011 and 2012, the company ran progressive projects to release 1 million fish, grow mangrove trees,make salt lick, and return crabs to mangrove forests, as it continued to play an active role in protecting the environment of Thailand.
Rice-planting activity from Krungthai-AXA ‘Hearts in Action’
Krungthai-AXA’s management, led by CEO David Korunic, along with the management team and “Hearts in Action” volunteers, recently took part in rice-planting in Baan Nana, in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district.
The activity formed part of the Krungthai-AXA Hearts in Action project, which aims to build self-reliance and selfawareness about the conservation of natural resources. The overall project was established in 2009, and the insurer has continuously implemented projects aimed at building a Thai society that grows sustainably.
Nexant again co-sponsors ‘Asia Clean Energy Forum’ For the second year in a row,US-based Nexant is co-sponsoring the “Asia Clean Energy Forum” (ACEF), the region’s foremost summit on clean-energy developments and opportunities. The 2013 forum, organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with support from Nexant, was held in Manila from June 25-28.
More than 600 industry experts, professionals and government representatives from 52 countries gathered to discuss issues ranging from developing clean-energy policies and accelerating energy-efficiency implementation to financing clean-energy initiatives and promoting renewable-energy technologies.
“The theme of this year’s event – ‘Unlocking Asia’s Clean Energy Future’ – highlights the growing significance of clean energy in the region’s economy,” said Nexant vice president Peter du Pont, the ACEF co-chair. “The forum plays a key role in bringing together practitioners – the professionals who design, finance and implement clean-energy initiatives – for frank discussions about what works, and to learn from each other about how clean-energy efforts can be improved. The high profile of the event underscores the ADB’s commitment to maximising access to clean, affordable, modern energy for all, especially for the rural poor.”
The ADB has steadily increased its investment in clean energy, which now exceeds an annual level of US$2 billion (Bt62 billion), accounting for nearly 80 per cent of its
energy-sector lending. The bank provides investments to the public and private sectors, via technical assistance grants, loans and direct investments to support development of efficient and renewable forms of energy and facilitate the adoption of low-carbon technologies throughout Asia.
The ADB is particularly focused on the challenges of helping to reduce Asia’s rapidly growing output of carbon emissions, which poses a major environmental and economic threat to the entire region.
USAID is supporting major clean-energy initiatives throughout Asia, including the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment in India,managed by Nexant, the
Low Emissions Asian Development Programme, and the Vietnam Clean Energy Programme.
LEED offers new credit for green furniture
Architects, designers, facility managers and business leaders pursuing LEED certification may be able to earn credit by using furniture that has been given the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) “Pilot Credit 80” – a credit that specifically recognises products that have been certified to the ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard.
Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED/USGBC, made the announcement at BIFMA’s 2013 annual meeting.
“BIFMA and the office furniture industry have been at the forefront of sustainability and transparency in product manufacturing and its willingness to engage with USGBC has created a uniquely collaborative process that is helping to encourage increasingly sustainable buildings,” Horst said.
Chuck Saylor, CEO & founder of izzy+ and president of BIFMA (Business + Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association) board of directors, said: “The full inclusion of level products in this LEED pilot credit is a huge win for an industry that has worked tirelessly to meet market demand for increasingly sustainable furniture products.”
The purpose of LEED Pilot Credit 80 is to increase the use of interior finishes and furnishings with validated multi-attribute environmental and social profiles. While the furniture sustainability standard is presently the only product-standard named, the USGBC is seeking input on other third-party certified products to include.
According to Horst, “The LEED Pilot Credit Library allows us to expand the range of issues LEED addresses while staying true to our mission.”
The LEED Pilot is a rating system development tool designed to test new and revised LEED credit language, alternative compliance paths and new or innovative green building technologies and concepts.
The Pilot Credit offers a feedback loop for both testing and comments. USGBC collects, organises and integrates feedback to evolve and refine pilot credits during their testing period, with a goal of adding successful credits to the USGBC member balloted LEED rating system.
