Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration Initiatives in Asia

Kao Taiwan’s plant is situated in Hsinchu County, where it has a tree planting area on a government-owned clearing.
In 2018, Kao Taiwan hosted a tree-planting event in collaboration with external experts. 51 employees participated in planting 100 saplings of native trees. On the same day, a local NGO organized a program to distribute 1,000 native tree saplings to tourists at the nearby Hsinchu Station, and Kao’s employees also took part in this initiative.

In 2019, 103 employees and their families planted 700 saplings. The initiative also involved protecting the previously planted trees, administering pest control, and maintaining the soil and water. The employees who participated were able to significantly expand their understanding of biodiversity by receiving guidance from NGO experts on the planted trees.

In this tree planting area, various activities that promote biodiversity were introduced, including composting local waste and building an insect hotel. The three-year tree-planting initiative was completed as planned in 2020.

The Amata Industrial Park in Biên Hòa, where Kao Vietnam’s plant is situated, commemorates Environment Day every June and organizes a tree-planting program to enhance the green spaces within the industrial park. Kao Vietnam has been participating in the program since 2022.
In 2023, approximately 200 individuals from 20 companies on-site participated in the program, including eight from Kao Vietnam.
Trees are planted in various locations every year. In 2023, 1,250 gurjun balsam trees, native to mainland southeast asia, were planted on a vacant 15,160-square-meter plot. Employees who participated expressed their desire to participate annually, because planting trees helps reduce CO2 emissions, protect the land, improve the landscape, and save the planet.

Since its establishment in 1979, Pilipinas Kao (PKI) has been producing high-quality chemical products, including premium alcohol, refined glycerin, and tertiary amine, in Mindanao, the Philippines.

Until 1990, Kao’s main ingredient was coconut palm, and the company owned a local coconut palm plantation. Research was conducted in cooperation with the Philippine Government to improve coconut palm varieties and create higher-yielding hybrids. The hybrid species was shorter in height than the typical coconut palm. This was expected to reduce the risk of accidents for workers collecting the fruits.

Unfortunately, the hybrid species could only be grown for one generation. As a result, the research was discontinued without yielding any results for the next generation.
With the intention of resuming research in the future, PKI planted elite coconut palm trees that were gathered at the time in a protected area at the site. These trees are still carefully cultivated to this day.

In 2010, PKI initiated the Mangrove Rehabilitation Project to restore the mangrove forests in the coastal areas surrounding the plant. Mangroves were planted in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local NGOs during the World Wetlands Day event in the Philippines.

In the following years, tree planting efforts have continued annually. The mangroves have faced difficulties in taking root, resulting in a low survival rate. This is mainly due to algae, seaweed, and drifting plastics in the sea, which become entangled with the young trees, leading to the destruction of their leaves and shoots and hindering their growth.

Measures have been taken to address this issue, including regular coastal clean-up activities, revising the method of growing young trees in separate nurseries and transplanting them after sufficient root growth, and changing the planting season to avoid the summer and rainy seasons, when waves are strong and algae growth is prominent.

Since 2009, KPG has been conducting its unique Foster Garden tree-planting program, except for 2020 and 2021, when it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The program aims to educate students and the public about the importance of responsible environmental practices, thereby creating a more ecologically friendly environment and fulfilling its social responsibility. Initially, the program focused on the area around KPG’ premises and schools in the same district. A hand hygiene program was also conducted for the students, explaining cleanliness before the tree-planting activities began.

All of the planted trees are indigenous to Malaysia. About 15 employees participate in the program annually, and trees have been planted in 11 schools so far. The program has received the Responsible Care award from the Chemical Industries Council (CICM/FMM).

After 2022, the focus of the Foster Garden program shifted from schools to the community of Kampong Java, adjacent to KPG. In September 2022, an event was organized in collaboration with the village officials to set up a Foster Garden at the village’s threshold. In February 2023, the Community Dialogue and ESG Information Sharing Program was organized for the villagers. The program aimed to explain KPG’s overview, environmental and safety actions, and strategies against waste, hazardous substances, and pollution. A lively Q&A session followed the program, and the event was well received.

In March 2023, 200 employees and their families participated in Jungle Trekking, an environmental diversity program held at Penang National Park. The Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries, the Malaysian Navy, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (BOMBA), and government NGO officials also took part in the event. During the trek, the nature tour guides provided commentary about the protected trees and flora and the beneficial ecosystem services they provide.

After trekking for over 90 minutes, some of the participants and their families engaged in a tree-planting activity at the Penang Turtle Sanctuary on Kerachut Beach. They planted melambon saplings, which provide suitable nesting sites for sea turtles to lay their eggs. In Malaysia, 29% of the country’s turtles are believed to be threatened with extinction. KPG donated four units of solar panels to support the center.

Since 2012, KPG has been experimenting with storing rainwater that falls on the site and using it in lavatories and for watering plants in a effort to conserve water resources. Despite low rainfall in the summer, we currently recycles more than 30 kiloliters of rainwater per year.

In 2021, Kao’s Karawang Plant in Indonesia started local biodiversity projects in the green areas on the factory grounds. The area is home to wild birds and insects that forage for flowers and fruits, and serves as a relaxing place for employees.
In the same year, a map was created to display the monitoring results for flora and fauna. Notice boards detailing the area’s animal life were installed along with the map.
Educational initiatives to promote understanding of biodiversity among employees are also being conducted.