Govt to announce color-coded rankings in pollution program

Govt to announce color-coded rankings in pollution program

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government expects to complete the evaluation and ranking
program of companies (PROPER) next month, and is aimed at
monitoring whether or not their activities endanger the
environment.

Hermien Roosita, deputy assistant for manufacturing,
infrastructure and service at the State Ministry of the
Environment, said her office would publicly announce the PROPER
results by the end of next month.

"We want the public to know whether or not companies which
participated in the PROPER program are committed to not
endangering their environment," she told a press briefing
recently.

She expressed her optimism that PROPER's results could be
released next month as over 75 percent of the work, which began
in June, had been completed.

The PROPER program is an evaluation carried out by the
Ministry to know whether or not companies pollute the
environment.

This year, some 69 firms participated in the PROPER program,
which can be categorized in various sectors such as pulp and
paper, textiles, fertilizer, cement, power plants and mining
activities.

Among the participants are publicly listed pulp and paper
company PT Indah Kiat, cement company PT Semen Cibinong, textile
company PT Indorama Synthetic and PT Texmaco, coal-fired power
plant Paiton Energy and state oil and gas company Pertamina.

Under the PROPER program, the Minister for the Environment
examines companies' efforts in controlling pollution of water,
air and solids, as well as toxic waste using their environment
assessment document, which goes by ISO14001 certificate
standards.

It will issue five ranking categories for companies by color
which will be gold for the highest, then green, blue, red and
black for those who are the worst polluters.

Hermien said that firms which took part in the PROPER program
and then are ranked high, would obtain several benefits such as
becoming more competitive in the global market and an increased
share price, not to mention keeping pollution at a minimum in
their community.

Companies with good rankings will also receive incentives from
the government in the form of loans with low interest rates, she
said.

But those which had poor ranks in the PROPER program would be
suggested to carry out pollution management, otherwise their
licenses could be revoked, she added.