By Gela Megeneishvili
With CSR being embedded deep within corporate culture, RMG has been successfully pursuing environmental projects for quite some time. Restoring biodiversity, protecting the environment and fighting against pollution are but some of the few deeds that the company has accomplished. To find out more, The FINANCIAL reached out to Sandro Devidze – the Deputy Environmental Director of RMG.
Q. What does Environmental Sustainability mean to RMG’s business?
A. Environmental sustainability for RMG means conducting business responsibly, with minimal impact on the environment, and planning activities with a long-term vision that considers the interests of both present and future generations.
Our goal is to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our 3,300 employees, contractors and locals, and we firmly believe an appropriate way to carry out work with minimal impact on the environment can always be found.
The company highly promotes local entrepreneurship in the region, especially the financing and development of winemaking in Bolnisi; we care about the education of the youth, their career advancements, and preservation of cultural heritage in the region. Recently, the company has started to develop industrial tourism, which enables those interested to witness the company’s activities, technologies and find career opportunities.
This is our vision for sustainable development; while from an environmental standpoint, the company is carrying out works on an unprecedented scale.
Q. How would you evaluate the environmental situation in the region where you operate?
A. RMG has been operating in Georgia since 2012, in Kvemo Kartli – Bolnisi and Dmanisi Municipalities. The company inherited the 40 years of history from an old enterprise, a rather heavy legacy to carry. The equipment was outdated, there was a lack of infrastructure to reduce or eliminate environmental impact and the lack of occupational safety standards and equipment was just a small list of problems that could harm the environment before RMG started operations.
That was the reason why the management decided to modernize the enterprise and elaborate an environmental policy document and action plan with the involvement of international experts. In 2017, we received the company’s Environmental, Occupational Safety and Health Policy document, which was signed by the RMG Group Directory, recognizing it as an inviolable commitment.
The policy document clearly defines the company’s environmental and sustainable goals, and to achieve them the company has adopted a separate environmental action plan, which included up to 100 environmental measures.
These measures were coordinated with the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee, the civil sector and other regulatory bodies. In 2018, the company launched an action plan for the three most important components of the environment – water, air and soil. Since then our environmental surveys have confirmed a significant improvement in the state of the environment.
In particular, the statistics show significant reduction (while, in some cases, complete elimination) of river pollution, minimization of emissions into the air with modern dust control systems, and soil reclamation works, in which the scale of soil restoration and improvement is increasing every year.
These results of hard work bring pride, hope and motivation to our team, as we believe that with a great deal of effort, the environmental problems accumulated over past decades can be eliminated for good.
Q. Could you specify what the objectives and targets of your sustainability efforts are, and what progress has been made in meeting your goals?
A. RMG’s management aims to minimize environmental impact in the region and to introduce international environmental standards to our enterprise, towards which we have made significant progress over the last 3 years with 95 out of 97 environmental measures being implemented.
An audit report in compliance with international standards confirms that GEL 24,099,841 was spent by RMG on environmental measures implemented in 2018-2020, and the number has increased significantly since then.
All of these environmental measures were carried out by international environmental companies in compliance with the international standards which were exactly aligned with the company’s goal.
Among the works performed, it is necessary to mention the measures taken to prevent the pollution of the Kazretula and the Mashavera Rivers. Later this year the installation of modern wastewater treatment facilities will be completed, a project which is being carried out by a Portuguese-German joint venture.
After the treatment plant is put into operation, the contaminated water will be purified, following European standards, and it will then be safe to discharge into surface water bodies. This will be the first-ever modern chemical treatment plant in our country used for mining activities.
Another project worth mentioning is the reclamation work done by the company for the restoration of damaged soil. In addition to restoration work on quarries and dumps, the company has implemented several forest maintenance projects. 30,000 units of black pine and elder pine seedlings have been planted over 11 hectares, and at this stage, an additional 13 ha of forest restoration activities are underway in Tetritskaro and Bolnisi.
As for the ambient air, the depreciated air-sealing system has been completely replaced with a new, modern, filter-type air-sealing system that protects the environment from pollutant emissions. Water purification systems were installed at the ore transfer and loading points, which minimized the spread of dust particles.
To reduce the spread of dust on the roads and inland quarries, RMG purchased 10 units of special vehicles. At the expense of the company, the road infrastructure of state and local importance was improved, which also reduced emissions.
We are striving to gain knowledge and experience from our foreign colleagues and are constantly measuring our results so as to make plans accordingly.
Q. Does RMG have other green plans it intends to carry out over the next few years?
A. The implementation of environmental projects has taken on an irreversible character; it is an ongoing process aimed at annually improving the local environment, air, water, soil and biodiversity.
In addition, the company has initiated a significant investment and the enterprise is being completely re-equipped following modern standards, which increases efficiency, and causes minimal impact on the environment. This process will be completed within the next 2-3 years and will have a positive impact on the economic and ecological situation of the country and the region.
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