Lucio Tan, Jr. On Why Sustainability is Important in Business
As it celebrates the success of its 165 years,
Tanduay Distillers, Inc. (TDI) looks to the future by doing its share in
protecting the earth's resources. TDI President and Chief Operating Officer
Lucio "Bong" Tan, Jr. sees the company continuing the green
initiatives it started years back and looking for ways to make its operations
even more environmentally friendly.
"We always strive to find a healthy balance
between environmental development and operational efficiency. We have realized
this long ago in Tanduay, we never stopped in looking for better ways to ensure
we do our part for the sake of the environment to ensure the future of our
business," he said.
According to Tan Jr., stakeholders do not only
demand strong business performance, but for business organizations to champion
socially and environmentally sustainable as well as responsible business practices.
Sustainability should be part of the company’s
corporate DNA, he said, emphasizing how the transformation to a zero-waste
facility of TDI’s distillery in Batangas has provided greater value for
business over the years.
“Businesses need to level up our game in making
environmentally sound decisions in our operations. As a result of transferring
into sustainable business practices, we were able to derive, direct and
indirect values, that improved our processes and our relationships to our
stakeholders,” he added.
Under Tan, Jr., TDI has taken on various green
initiatives through its award-winning distillery, Absolut Distillers, Inc.
(ADI), in Lian, Batangas. These include the following: the establishment of a
bioethanol facility with an expected production volume of 3 million liters per
month; the operation of a 2.04-megawatt solar power plant; initiating an
orga-ponics operation where it makes use of its distillery effluent (slop) as
the main fertilizer of its plants; registering in the Anaerobic Digester
Project of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project of the 1997 Kyoto
Protocol (a UN-sponsored program that aims to reduce harmful gas emissions into
the environment).
These initiatives were recognized by various
environmental organizations. In 2011, it received the International Green Apple
Environment Award from the Green Organisation at the British House of Commons
in London, England. ADI was cited for "viewing their waste products as
commodities." The distillery operation of TDI has, likewise, been lauded
and has received multiple awards from the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR). I
"As a company that operates a manufacturing
plant, we are very much aware of the role we play in making sure that the
products we make should not be to the detriment of the resources we use. We
want our operations to be environmentally sustainable not just for our own
benefit, but for the good of the community and people we serve," Tan Jr.
concluded.
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