Jakarta (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar handed over the 2021 Company Performance Rating Program Award for Environmental Management (Proper) at the Vice Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

Amin lauded the Environment and Forestry Ministry as well as the companies that received the Proper Award for their efforts and abilities pertaining to sustainable environmental management.

"For 24 years, Proper has developed into a platform for businesses to conduct sustainable business practices by implementing the principles of the green economy," he stated.

Proper has undergone transformation. At first, it was only limited to the assessment of water pollution control, but it has gradually developed into assessment of continuous improvement and disaster response.

The vice president expects all companies to not only prioritize profits but also follow the principles of environmental management in sustainable development.

These various criteria, which were taken into account for the award, were expected to be indicators for companies to participate in sustainable environmental development, so their focus was not limited to profit, he emphasized.

The minister stated that the company's rate of compliance with regulations also demonstrated that the company's performance was commendable despite the current situation amid the pandemic.

"The company's level of compliance with environmental regulations is capped at 75 percent. Evaluations are conducted on 2,538 companies. None of them are listed in the Black category," she elaborated.

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Some 645 companies were placed in the Red category, 1,670 companies were listed under the Blue category, 186 companies categorized as Green, and 47 companies ranked in the Gold category.

The Proper award aims to gauge or encourage industry compliance with environmental protection and management laws and regulations. Their rating is divided into two categories, with one being based on adherence (Blue, Red, Black) and beyond compliance (Gold and Green).

The award takes into account several criteria for environmental management and community empowerment that comprise environmental management systems, energy efficiency, emission and greenhouse gas reduction, water efficiency, B3 waste reduction and utilization, 3R waste management, biodiversity protection, community development, implementation of life cycle assessment, and social return on investment.

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Translator: Fransiska N, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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