HALCYON Agri Corporation Limited has recently launched its 2012 Sustainability Report, its first to shareholders since it was listed in February this year, and the first by a midstream rubber processor.
The Report outlines the measures that the Catalist-listed company has taken in conserving the environment, engaging stakeholders from upstream suppliers to end customers ,and implementing
best practices that comply with certified standards.
Halcyon operates in the midstream of the natural rubber supply chain where it supplies rubber raw material for tyre companies through sourcing and processing rubber slabs, which it buys from local suppliers, mainly in South Sumatra.
It processes the natural rubber from its two facilities in Palembang in Sumatra, Indonesia, and exports to a global customer base that includes many of the world’s top 20 tyre manufacturers.
In the Report , Halcyon said it started its sustainability journey by first identifying its stakeholders and the material issues relevant to its business. To this end, it conducted a sustainability assessment in mid-2011 and has identified six strategic priorities that have an impact on its industry and business
, namely staff welfare, staff health and safety, adherence to customer requirements and quality standards, production efficiency, environmental compliance and good housekeeping.
Robert Meyer, Executive Chairman and CEO of Halcyon,said, its first sustainability report “demonstrates our commitment to change and progress, benchmarked against internationally accepted sustainability guidelines.
“For us, sustainability is a business imperative. With greater growth comes added responsibility …developing and implementing the best practices in corporate social responsibility make perfectly good business sense, ” he explained.
The report also indicated how Halcyon engaged and obtained feedback from stakeholders, ranging from local suppliers to regulators, staff, industry associations, competitors and customers.
The feedback helped Halcyon to implement changes including implementing new housekeeping benchmarks and
setting up housekeeping teams in its processing facilities, providing employees on the production floor with personal protective equipment, setting a goal of achieving the OHSAS18001 certification for health and safety by this year, and providing rest areas and refreshments for rubber suppliers.
Plans are also in place to raise operating standards at its processing facilities to achieve ISO14001
certification, the international benchmark for environmental management.
Halcyon said it will focus on water conservation efforts through water reuse and is also exploring a shift to cleaner energy sources.
In addition, the firm provides housing and facilities for approximately half of its workforce and their families in Indonesia , and provides housing allowances for the remaining number. It said that its Sustainability Report has been presented in close alignment with the principles and framework of Global Reporting Initiative’s 3.1 Reporting Guidelines as well as the SGX Guide on Sustainability Reporting for Listed Companies”