Businesses get the green edge over their rivals [News]

June 24, 2011 by Eugene Tay
Filed under News

A new UN survey indicates climate adaptation offers competitive advantages to businesses worldwide. In response to a survey of global businesses, 86 per cent described dealing with climate risks or investing in adaptation as a business opportunity.

To reduce the amount of waste water pumped into the surrounding environment, a Fraser & Neave dairy plant has a waste water treatment facility capable of handling around 100 cubic meters of water every day, and some of it is pumped into water features.

Singapore-listed Fraser & Neave said that players in the fast-moving consumer goods sector are becoming increasingly aware that consumers evaluate whether the products they consume are friendly to the environment.

Ng Jui Sia, CEO of Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd, said: “The level of awareness is growing year after year. So with that in mind, when we design our plan, we look at few things. One is (ensuring) the supply chains are green friendly. All our suppliers have to achieve the standards that we have set.

“Secondly, within our own manufacturing processes, we make sure that they are also friendly. And when we mark it, the product itself, our packaging. The ingredients we use in our raw materials, we also make sure that it is consumer friendly, it is also green friendly. So we see green as being the way we do business whereby our philosophy is to use less to make more.”

It is not just the food and beverage industry, players from across the board understand the changing environment.

Tom Albanese, CEO of Rio Tinto, said: “We will need to innovate, we will need to come up with solutions and we will need to work together to find this green economy. Because we do need to increase the carrying capacity of the planet, while we aspire to increase the lifestyles, alleviate poverty, throughout the world.”

Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, agreed. He said: “The consumer understands that we are already using more resources currently than we have available. That we have two billion more people coming, and many need to improve their standards of living, and that we cannot continue the way we are going.”

F&N said that while it endeavours to be environmentally conscious when it comes to packaging, it has yet to tag its products as green. Mr Ng said: “I think we’ve not reached the stage. I don’t think any manufacturer in Asia or within ASEAN, have reached the stage.”

Location is also key, one particular F&N plant receives 3.5 million cans per day and by locating close to producers, it is able to reduce the number of truck deliveries by 65 trips per day.

Source: Channel NewsAsia