Corporate care for the environment
By Lou Loon Yee
CORPORATE citizens who care about their public image will strive to find a good balance in their activities.
Succeeding in this precarious balancing act means meeting the country’s economic goals and their business requirements while ensuring they continue to protect and preserve the environment.
Esso Malaysia and Esso Production’s environment projects endeavour to fulfil objectives set out in its role as a corporate citizen.
The corporation launched its paper recycling scheme in March this year as part of its administrative green drive.
According to Esso public affairs manager Sharifah Rozita, it is a long-term plan providing for regular collection of waste paper from Esso offices at Kompleks Antarabangsa in Kuala Lumpur and, eventually, all its locations.
"Paper makes up 90 per cent of all office waste collected," Sharifah says. "We expect to recycle 100 tonnes of waste paper annually."
In addition to paper recycling, Esso has discontinued the use of ammonia for plan printing and phased out the use of solvents for coloured viewgraphs, replacing them with the use of computerized and colour-printed graphics.
It also has a tree-planting project and regular asbestos survey in its office building.
As part of its environment awareness campaign, it has, among other activities, organised Envirocamps for 60 children, in cooperation with Universiti Pertanian Malaysia and Malayan Nature Society. Yearly since 1988, four camps have been held in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Terengganu.
In its range of products marketed are the first biodegradeable engine oils and smokeless motor-cycle oil. Packaging includes using non-CFC aerosol cans.
According to Sharifah, studies conducted by the oil company include those on the impact of chemical dispersants on marine life, oil spill sensitive areas, effect of water discharge on marine life at the Terengganu Crude Oil terminal, and the coastal resources of West Sabab and east coast of the peninsula.
Esso also monitored the environment in its Jerneh and Seligi oil fields offshore Terengganu, assessing the impact of oil exploration and production activities on the marine environment.
Its monitoring of emissions at its Port Dickson Refinery last year enables its staff to find ways to reduce them and set performance goals for this year onwards.
"We expect emission reductions of up to 50 per cent with the completion of these projects," Sharifah says.
She also says the corporation has reduced its use of halon, an ozone-depleting substance similar to CFC, in its offices and operations by 55 per cent this year in support of the Montreal Protocol.
(The protocol stipulates a reduction of 50 per cent by 1995.) "We have, in fact, gone further than international standards," she adds.
At both its offshore and onshore operations, Esso conducts routine noise-level surveys to ensure that employees’ exposure to noise does not exceed the acceptable limits as stipulated by the Factories and Machinery (Noise Exposure) Act 1989. It also conducts the surveys each time there are facility modifications or when major equipment is installed.
According to Sharifah, it is one of Esso’s policies to emphasize every employee’s responsibility in environmental care and ensure appropriate operating practices and training.
Source : The Star, May 19, 1992
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