Page 37 - SAGT Sustainability Report 2022 2023
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SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2020/21  35

result of reefer points being increased from        NOx and SOx emissions from the RTGs               Management of Water & Effluents at SAGT
510 to 540 together with a 6% increase in the       and Diesel generators are monitored on a
average number of reefers stored during the         bi-annual basis as required by Environmental      Water covers 70% of the planet but only 3%
period in review.                                   Protection License (EPL) issued to SAGT by        of the world’s water is labelled as freshwater,
                                                    the Central Environmental Authority of Sri        of which almost two-thirds is tucked away in
As part of ongoing initiatives to reduce energy     Lanka. SAGT’s emission data indicates that        frozen glaciers or otherwise unavailable for
consumption, SAGT continues to invest in            NOx and Sox emissions were well within the        use.
LED lighting and inverter air conditioners in       stipulated quality levels.
all replacements. The Company also regularly                                                          However, in recent years, countless rivers,
conducts campaigns on energy conservation           SAGT is committed to reducing its overall         lakes and aquifers have been drying up or
topics to raise awareness among the staff.          carbon footprint; in this endeavour, the          becoming too polluted to be of any use.,
                                                    Company has aligned itself to three UN SDGs       while many of the water systems that keep
EMISSIONS MANAGEMENT                                and their associated targets. By increasing       ecosystems thriving and feed a growing
AT SAGT                                             its use of renewable energy and improving         human population have become stressed.
                                                    energy efficiency, SAGT contributes to SDG        Today more than half the world’s wetlands
GRI 305-1: Direct (Scope 1) GHG                     7: Affordable and Clean Energy and SDG 9:         have disappeared or are disappearing. The
Emissions                                           Industry Innovation and Infrastructure. The       situation is further exacerbated by climate
                                                    Company supports SDG 13: Take Urgent              change which is altering weather patterns
GRI 305-2: Energy indirect (Scope 2)                Action to Combat Climate Change and               and water resources around the world are
GHG Emissions                                       its Impacts through the establishment of          increasingly affected by erratic weather
                                                    science-based targets that align with the Paris   causing droughts in some areas and floods in
SAGT’s carbon footprint is made up of               Agreement’s ambitious goal of limiting global     others.
electricity from the national grid, followed by     warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
diesel, petrol, and natural gas consumption.                                                          To add to this, at the current consumption rate,
                                                    Reforestation is another area of interest         it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s
Sri Lanka’s national grid is largely dependent      for SAGT which has set a goal of 1:1 habitat      population may face water shortages as soon
on hydropower; therefore, it must be noted          restoration in the Yagiragala Forest Reserve by   as 2025, raising concerns that ecosystems
that the carbon footprint therein is significantly  end 2021. The project launched in 2019 under      around the world will suffer even more.
lower in comparison to countries producing          the theme ‘Beating Air Pollution’ was originally
power solely through fossil fuels.                  aimed at planting 700 trees in a 1-acre land      SAGT’s location Colombo is not classified as
                                                    area in Yagirala in order to restore degraded     an area with water scarcity. Sri Lanka however
SAGT’s total carbon footprint (CO2 footprint)       forest patches with native floral species. SAGT   has country-level water scarcity risk owing to
for the current financial year was 27,496           expanded its commitment by undertaking to         severe drought conditions that have arisen in
MT, with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions              reforest an area up to 5 acres (3500 trees).      other parts of the country following the failure
accounting for 13,962 MT and 13,534 MT                                                                of consecutive monsoons in the recent past.
respectively. The increase in the carbon            The health of the ocean and its ecosystems
footprint was associated with the increased         is vital for SAGT’s operations and business       GRI 303-1: Interactions with water as a
consumption of electricity during operational       continuity; the Company thus conducts annual      shared resource
activities during the year in review.               coastal clean-up programmes at selected           SAGT water requirements are met though
                                                    locations around the island. The programmes       municipal water supplied though the National
Carbon        2020/21 2019/2020                     involve SAGT employees, relevant government       Water Supply and Drainage Board of Sri
footprint by                                        organisations and the Sri Lanka Navy. The         Lanka. Withdrawn water is utilized in the
Energy type   (MT)      (MT)                        annual coastal cleanup for the year 2020/21       canteen, staff washrooms, and for washing
                                                    was not carried out due to the COVID-19           and general cleaning of equipment and the
Diesel        13,868    14,390                      pandemic.                                         terminal premises.
Petrol               1        2
LPG                                                                                                   While SAGT’s own water usage does not
Electricity        93       97                                                                        cause any direct water related impacts,
              13,534    12,371                                                                        the Company has undertaken measures
                                                                                                      to maximize water recycling to reduce its
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