FORGING AHEAD - Tradewinds Plantation Berhad

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
All business activities will have impact
on the environment. But as a responsible
corporate citizen, the onus is on us to
ensure that the benefits of development
are not negated by its adverse effects
on the environment. We have, therefore,
put in place an Environmental
Management System that complies with
the stringent requirements of the MS
ISO 14001 Standards and the
Environmental Quality Act 1974 that
provides a framework for environmental
requirements in Malaysia.
In ensuring environmental sustainability,
we have also adopted good agriculture
practices and agronomic management
covering the following areas: soil and
water conservation; integrated pest
TRADEWINDS PLANTATION BERHAD
Annual Report 2010
management; nutrient balancing; fresh
fruit bunches evacuation; waste
recycling; pollution control and fragile
soils management, among others. These
practices are in line with the RSPO
Principles and Criteria, a prerequisite
for certification.
Intensive research conducted in-house
has given the Company a leadership
position in peat soil development.
Through efficient nutrient management,
sound water management and effective
pest and disease control, the Group has
successfully transformed peat soil into
an efficient and productive planting
medium. This was achieved with due
regard to environmental aspects such as
the conservation of the unique flora and
fauna on peat land. The Group’s
experience has been documented in a
paper entitled ‘Development of Oil Palm
on Peat: A Socio-economic Perspective’,
which was presented to the international
audience in Krabi, Thailand.
The Group continues to invest in new
installations and technology to alleviate
the problems of green-house gas
emissions and water pollution at its
mills. Recent initiatives include the
installation of a Continuous Emission
Monitoring system and the construction
of a tertiary treatment plant to reduce
the Biochemical Oxygen Demand and
Total Suspended Solids levels in Palm
Oil Mill Effluents (“POME”) before it is
discharged. The Group is also studying
various proposals to utilise methane
gas, a by-product in the anaerobic
treatment of POME, for energy
generation.