Saturday May 10, 2008

BP targets to make right impact

By EUGENE MAHALINGAM

AS one of the world's largest energy companies, BP's reach goes far and wide.

BP Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Peter Wentworth said the important thing, however, is having the right impact.

“We try to manage our business to have a positive social impact on the communities and countries where we operate,” Wentworth told StarBiz.

»Creativity and perseverance are necessary to keep people engaged... DATUK PETER WENTWORTH ON CHALLENGES IN CR IMPLEMENTATION

According to him, having a social impact means respecting the quality of life as well as the economic and social boundaries wherever the company conducts its business.

“Ensuring that we have the right impact is more than just a value that governs the way the company works. It is part of our corporate responsibility (CR),” he said.

BP Malaysia's involvement in CR goes back a long way, he added.

“In the 1980s, we were monitoring turtle landings in Terengganu because we were going to build a big petrochemical plant along the coastline there.

“We were worried because the footprint that we were putting down would potentially be left on the beach and endanger the turtles. So we spent years conducting studies on the matter and eventually started a sanctuary,” he said.

Managed collectively by the Fisheries Department, WWF Malaysia and BP Malaysia, the Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre in Terengganu was officially opened in 1999.

“The turtle sanctuary provides an undisturbed area for nesting turtles to lay their eggs.

“Since 2003, the focus has been to educate and to conserve. We wanted to help increase the turtle population.

“With help from our partners, Persatuan Khazanah Rakyat Ma’Daerah (Mekar) was established,” he said.

According to Wentworth, Mekar comprises fishermen, teachers and villagers.

“Workshops, talks and even volunteer programmes are among the initiatives undertaken to help protect and nurture these endangered creatures.

“The group has also encouraged its staff to participate in the turtle awareness camps at the Ma’Daerah sanctuary, with the number of volunteers increasing every year,” he said.

BP Malaysia’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2007, it won the inaugural Prime Minister’s CSR Award under the Environment category for its involvement in the turtle sanctuary.

Another environment-related initiative was in 2004 when BP Malaysia formed a partnership with the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (Cetdem) to address the issue of climate change.

“Being an oil and gas company, having an environmental impact is inevitable,” Wentworth noted.

The initiative saw BP Malaysia reducing up to 10% of its greenhouse gas emissions at its petrochemical plants at Kertih, Terengganu, and Gebeng, Pahang.

Together with Cetdem, BP Malaysia also held workshops on climate change for neighbouring plants. “Our objective was to create awareness that it was possible to improve productivity and protect the environment at the same time,” Wentworth said.

BP Malaysia is also making an impact in education. In 2002, BP Malaysia – in a partnership with Petronas – co-sponsored a programme for Sekolah Kebangsaan Meraga Beris, where many of the students are physically challenged.

“At the school, employees of BP Malaysia conduct regular activities such as educational workshops and environmental campaigns.

“We have also built facilities in the school such as bathrooms, contributed books and a library to meet the needs of the special children there,” Wentworth said, adding that the programme is still carrying on.

On the challenges faced in implementing CR, Wentworth said: “Achieving alignment between our business objectives and the (CR) initiatives we strive to offer is often difficult.”

Managing people from diverse organisations with different views and expectations was another challenge, he added.

“Good networking skills are necessary not just to establish relationships with external stakeholders but also to ensure they remain committed to the partnership and long-term sustainability of the projects.”

Maintaining stakeholder momentum for initiatives such as climate change awareness and related workshops can also be difficult, he added. “Creativity and perseverance are necessary to keep people engaged.”

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