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.