State companies vow to protect environment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 117 state-owned companies yesterday
\npledged to carry out environmentally sound practices and to live
\nup to international trade standards.<\/p>\n
\"In international trade ... we are already feeling the
\nconstraints in marketing our products, as a large part of
\nIndonesia's export destinations of finished products are
\ncountries which have applied strict environmental criteria,\" said
\nSuardin, the production director of PT Pupuk Sriwijaya Palembang,
\na state-owned fertilizer company.<\/p>\n
Accompanied yesterday by Supardi, the president of PT Asuransi
\nExpor Indonesia, Suardin read the commitment and a list of action
\nplans at the end of a one-day seminar on environmental management
\nwhich was attended by 117 of the 186 state-owned companies.<\/p>\n
The seminar was organized by PT Surveyor Indonesia, which
\nrecently began cooperation with two United Kingdom-based
\naccreditation agencies for quality and environment management
\nsystems. Surveyor Indonesia now provides consultation services
\nfor the management systems and has the right to issue
\ncertifications to companies.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said he
\nhoped more companies would issue these services in the future
\nunder the government's coordination.<\/p>\n
Sarwono said the commitment of the state-owned companies was
\n\"a new landmark\" and \"very encouraging,\" particularly with the
\npresence of the Director General of the Promotion of State-owned
\nCompanies under the Ministry of Finance, Martiono Hadianto.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that this is the beginning of a new phase (of
\nenvironmental awareness) among business entities which have a
\nlarge influence,\" said Sarwono.<\/p>\n
Martiono told reporters earlier that the Ministry of Finance
\nsupports the effort of voluntary compliance with environmental
\nstandards, \"although the implementation will depend on the
\nresources of each company.\"<\/p>\n
Sarwono stressed that the international standards,
\nparticularly the ISO 14000 certification, which states that a
\ncompany has met the requirements of an environmental management
\nsystem, are not mandatory.<\/p>\n
\"With these standards there are no rules or sanctions...but
\nnobody will buy your goods if you fail to follow,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The action plans include steps to maintain profit through
\nenvironmentally sound practices by seeking clean production
\nstrategies, aiming towards \"zero emission\" of pollutants and
\nefforts to produce environmentally-friendly goods.<\/p>\n
The Director of Finance of Surveyor Indonesia, Toga Sitompul,
\nsaid many businesses used to regard environmental campaigns as
\n\"meaningless hysterical shouting.\"<\/p>\n
\"Others understood but did not know what to do, and still
\nothers thought that complying with the demands would involve huge
\ncosts in changing their production processes.\"<\/p>\n
\"But (complying with environmental standards) is the only way
\nto survive,\" Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
An executive of another state-owned fertilizer, PT Pupuk
\nKaltim, said the company's three factories in Bontang, East
\nKalimantan, may be ready to qualify for the ISO 14000
\ncertification.<\/p>\n
\"Since 1984 we have applied new technologies to reduce the
\nlevel of our pollutant, ammonia, from the middle of the
\nproduction process,\" said Sutarman H., the company's technical
\nchief.<\/p>\n
Sutarman said the level can be reduced from 0.75 kilograms of
\nammonia per ton of fertilizer production, which is the maximum
\nlevel permitted by the government, to 0.4 kilograms. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/state-companies-vow-to-protect-environment-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}