JAKARTA - At a press conference held in the company's head office on October 30, paint manufacturer PT Mowilex Indonesia (Mowilex) announced major sustainability initiatives that it is undertaking with the help of its Singapore-based parent company, Asia Coatings Enterprises Pte. Ltd. (ACE). The company’s sustainability initiative focuses on carbon emission reduction, reduction in plastics and marine conservation.

A week earlier, Mowilex announced that it had become Indonesia’s first manufacturing company, and the only paint manufacturer in the country to be certified carbon neutral. SCS Global Services, an internationally recognized certification body, conducted the third-party evaluation of Mowilex’s emissions calculations, covering all the company’s locations and operations.

Mowilex offset its carbon footprint following The CarbonNeutral Protocol developed by Natural Capital Partners, a global leader that pioneered the certification process and began developing the protocol in 2002.

The company has also pledged to reduce its new plastic packaging materials by 80% within eight years. To achieve this, the company will look to bring back recyclable tin cans, source plastics with recycled content, and work with suppliers and waste-management companies to explore packaging alternatives and collections.

“There are many limitations placed on Indonesian entities who want to support international NGOs, so we helped them achieve their marine conservation goals,” said Imelda Sasmito, Managing Director of ACE. On behalf of Mowilex, ACE has pre-funded a Conservation International program that will continue to protect Saleh Bay, a 1,500-square-kilometer area in Sumbawa, Indonesia for the next five years. The program will maintain and protect a globally important habitat for the endangered whale shark and supports local communities to develop sustainable eco-tourism.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, DKI Jakarta Provincial Government's Bina Marga Office, SCS Global Service, Conservation International and the Indonesian Forestry Climate Change Expert Network (APIKI) attended the press conference.

"Mowilex has passed an important milestone in a country where customers are looking for leadership and corporate responsibility," said Nicole Munoz Managing Director, Environmental Certification Services at SCS Global Services.

"Being an industry leader means more than just bringing high-quality paints and coatings to our customers, but also being responsible for the carbon emissions generated from our operations," said Niko Safavi, CEO of Mowilex. "We are making sustainability a core value and hope to inspire other firms that have not yet committed significant resources to address climate change goals set by the Indonesian government,” he added. "To become carbon neutral is an expensive process and this will force us to become more energy efficient."

"These initiatives are quite well-connected in our view,” said Tania Ariningtyas, Mowilex's Environmental Affairs Manager. “Indonesia is one of the top plastic polluters, affecting marine life. It is also a top 15 emitter of CO₂. Our initiatives tackle all three, but our efforts alone are not enough,” she continued. Arningtyas added, “We also stopped buying bottled water and instead invested in filtration systems, eliminating over 12,000 five-gallon sized bottles so far.”

“What we would like to see is other companies, both domestic and international, commit more resources to protecting Indonesia's environment and combat global climate change. The long-term impact for us is loss of markets – a real business risk – not to mention it is a matter of great concern for many of our customers, especially the younger ones,” said Safavi. “Because Indonesia offers the world massive carbon capture with its forests and peatlands, any climate change effort globally needs to address Indonesia’s challenges.”

For more information visit http://sustainability.mowilex.com/.