Liem Khe Fung, Innovation Director.
BMJ’s innovation director Liem Khe Fung chats about his company’s sustainability initiatives.
Tobacco Asia (TA): Bukit Muria Jaya - or BMJ – recently moved into a brand new headquarters that you have dubbed “Green Oasis”. Sounds intriguing. Can you describe the building, please?
Liem Khe Fung (LKF): From the outside, it resembles a huge tree, or rather a tree clump. It’s square-shaped but enveloped in vines. Its particular architectural design allows for natural air circulation throughout the building. Water ponds and greenery surround the building. The rooms enjoy plenty of natural ambient light during the day. We also have installed a smart air-conditioning system that minimizes energy consumption. The over-arching concept is “back to nature”.
TA: I have a hunch that building symbolizes something. What was the inspiration behind it and what message is the building supposed to convey?
LKF: Our “Green Oasis” symbolizes BMJ’s commitment to sustainability; and we really practice sustainability by building an office that consumes energy effectively and efficiently. We also focused on using natural, low-cost materials wherever possible. For example, instead of granite or marble slabs the floors are made of polished gravel. And as I already mentioned, the building design itself ensures free air circulation, which helps conserve a lot of energy for air conditioning.
TA: Talking about BMJ’s sustainability commitment – papermaking uses enormous amounts of fresh water. And there also is the wastewater problem, of course. How does BMJ manage these two aspects?
LKF: We draw our water from the nearby Citarum River, but we are only drawing sustainable volumes from it, being cautious not to overstrain this natural resource. BMJ processes the river water through our own raw water treatment facility to filter out impurities. And our wastewater treatment systems either recycle the used water back into the production process or release it back into the river. We rigorously control the treated wastewater to ensure that it always meets the standards for production as well as for sending it back to the river. A recent upgrade of our wastewater treatment facility considerably increased the volume of recycled water that can be reused for production process. That of course has also helped to further reduce our water intake from the river.
TA: The other main component in papermaking is “pulp” – fibrous plant material primarily obtained from trees. Critics occasionally claim that the paper industry contributes to deforestation and associated environmental issues...
LKF: That is not the case. Deforestation only happens when trees are felled in massive amounts without regenerating the forest by replanting. BMJ is a PEFC-certified company, which means that we are committed to sourcing our pulps only from legal resources based on chain of custody documentation. The wood comes from sustainable, renewable industrial wood plantations and our pulp suppliers hold Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) certification.
TA: Papermaking also utilizes precipitated calcium carbonate – or PCC - to increase the porosity and opacity of certain paper types. BMJ is in the process of constructing its own onsite PCC plant, which is now close to becoming operational. What is the reason for that investment?
LKF: The main purpose for having an integrated PCC plant is to eliminate the energy consumption for drying PCC sludge into a fine powder, a process that consumes a lot of energy and thus releases CO2. When we buy PCC from outside suppliers, it’s always delivered in powdered form instead of a watery solution due to technical reasons. But once we receive that powder, we have to dissolve it in water anyway. By operating our own PCC plant, we produce dissolved PCC [instead of powdered PCC]. That means a lowered carbon footprint as no energy is consumed to dry it into powdered form.
TA: Papermaking also uses binder agents. How is BMJ dealing with those?
LKF: Yes, we use binders, but as our wastewater treatment systems can treat such chemicals well and we do quality control consistently, these chemicals are reliably removed from the water. We have so far never encountered any environmental issues stemming from unwanted residues.
TA: Are there any other sustainability measures that BMJ intends to implement?
LKF: Yes, we are planning to process sludge, a sediment resulting from wastewater treatment, to produce building materials such as paving blocks and others.
TA: Some voices say that sustainability programs can affect a business’s financial viability. So what can companies do to support sustainability while simultaneously not eroding their bottom lines too much?
LKF: It is true that most efforts to protect the environment and achieve sustainability come at a cost; and these can be considerable. To ensure cost competitiveness, [environmental and sustainability] initiatives must be implemented incrementally and innovatively. Ideally, the customers also will appreciate and value what their supplier accomplishes in terms of sustainability and support these initiatives by sharing the additional costs reflected on the price they pay.
TA: How is BMJ communicating its efforts in production sustainability, resource handling, conservation, and environmental protection? It certainly must be an important task to get the word out, is it not?
LKF: It is indeed. We utilize a broad range of communication channels to inform the public about our initiatives, from our in-house e-newsletter and websites to social and printed media. The message generally is that we truly practice sustainability at our best.
TA: What advice would you share with other companies looking to become more involved in sustainability measures?
LKF: Let’s do it together hand in hand, share the burden, and synergize our skills, knowledge, and expertise to sustain our planet. It’s a team effort and everybody plays an important part.
TA: Let’s also briefly discuss BMJ’s corporate social responsibility - or CSR – efforts, which often are closely related to sustainability too. Regarding your main water source, the Citarum River, you are currently participating in an Indonesian military-supervised program called “Citarum Harum,” which aims at revitalizing the river, right?
LKF: Yes, that’s correct. We are quite actively participating by planting trees along the riverbanks. But more importantly, we have also committed to draw as little water from the river as possible and ensure that all wastewater is well treated and thus free from unwanted pollutants before we return it to the river.
TA: You are also building clean drinking water facilities in villages in your wider area. Does that primarily involve drilling wells?
LKF: Yes, that is correct. The main purpose of this CSR project is to provide those communities with access to clean and safe water. Unfiltered river water can be contaminated not only with all sorts of organic and inorganic substances but also dangerous microbes and parasites that could cause diseases.