Big int'l firms get poor marks for environment management

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

A number of multinational firms including domestic subsidiaries of oil and gas firms and pharmaceutical firms got red labels for poor performance in environmental management, the government announced on Monday.

A 2004-2005 environmental audit conducted on 466 selected firms showed that 150 of them were given the red mark and 72 got black for not doing enough in terms of environmental management.

As of late Monday The Jakarta Post was unable to contact the firms listed below.

State Minister of the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said there were 14 firms that got black twice and the government would give them one month to improve.

"If they failed to improve or show goodwill to, my office will take them to court in civil or criminal suits based on damages they have inflicted on the environment," he told The Jakarta Post.

The Company Environmental Management Assessment Program (PROPER) was first started in 1995 before the government suspended it in 1997, citing economic and political constraints. The program was resumed in 2002.

PROPER has a color-coded system in declining order for companies -- gold, green, blue, red and black -- with gold indicating exemplary environmental performance and black substandard performance.

However, none of the companies audited this year received a gold mark for satisfactory performance.

The assessment is based on at least 50 criteria, including control of liquid waste, air pollution and hazardous waste, implementation of environmental impact analysis, management of resources and environment and public involvement.

The more criteria a company fulfills, the higher its rating.

The audit, conducted between January 2004 and May 2005, revealed that 23 firms were given the green label and 221 the blue label.

Rachmat said the "red firms" were deemed not to have brought harm to the environment yet, but were poor in environmental management.

"There are no sanctions against firms. But if any investors or potential shareholders asked, I will have to mention that," he said, adding that announcing the names of the firms should encourage them to work harder on promoting good environmental management policies.

According to the minister, his office had maintained close contact with the companies and therefore, most of them would not be surprised by these latest results.

I-box PROPER rating 2004-2005 (selected*) Gold label None Green label PT. Chandra Asri Chemical Banten PT. Tripolyta Chemical Banten PT. Astra Daihatsu Motor Automotive Jakarta PT. Toyota Motor Manufacture Automotive Jakarta PT. Pertamina (Persero) A.Gt. Kamojang Oil&gas West Java Chevron Texaco Energy Indonesia Oil&gas West Java Unocal Geothermal Indonesia Oil&gas West Java PT. Unilever Indonesia Cons.Goods West/East Java PT. Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Cement West Java PT. Matsushita Gobel Battery Indonesia Dry Battery West Java PT. Jawa Power Energy East Java PT. Medco Methanol Bunyu Chemical East Kalimantan PT. Newmont Nusa Tenggara Mining West Nusa Tenggara Blue label Exxon Mobil Oil Oil&gas Aceh PT. London Sumatra Indonesia Sawit North Sumatra PT. Semen Padang Cement West Sumatra PT. Caltex Pacific Indonesia - Bekasap Oil&gas Riau PT. Medco E&P Ind.- Lirik Op (Kampar) Oil&gas Riau PT. Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Riau Pulp & paper Riau Premier Oil Natuna Sea Oil&gas Riau Islands PT. LG Elektronik Electronics Banten PT. Krakatau Steel Stell mill Banten PT. DOW Chemical Chemical Banten Red label PT. Pertamina (P.) UP I Oil&gas North Sumatra PT. Goodyear Sumatera Plant Rubber North Sumatra PT. Caltex Pacific Indonesia - Duri Oil&gas Riau Conocophillips (Grissik) oil ops Oil&gas South Sumatra PT. Semen Baturaja Cement South Sumatra PT. Bayer Indonesia Pharmaceutical Jakarta PT. Pfizer Indonesia Pharmaceutical Jakarta PT. Adaro Indonesia Mining South Kalimantan Total E&P Indonesie - BSP Oil&gas East Kalimantan Unocal Indonesia - Santan Oil&gas East Kalimantan PT. International Nickel Indonesia Mining South Sulawesi Black label PT. Bakrie SP (Sei Baleh) Rubber North Sumatra PT. Dover Chemical Chemical Banten PT. Dan Motor Vespa Automotive Jakarta PT. RNI (PG. Tersana Baru) Sugar West Java PT. Hyundai International Development Industrial Zone West Java PT. Indonesia Ashahi Kasei (Indaci) Textile West Java PT. Kertas Basuki Rachmat Pulp & paper East Java PT. BHSTEX Textile East Java *Note: Complete list can be seen in the Office of State Minister of the Environment

Source: www.menlh.go.id