Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara) highlighted its environmental protection and sustainability practices at the ongoing 8th Symposium and Exhibition on Environmental Progress in the Petroleum and Petrochemical Industry (PetroEnvironment) 2016, in Saudi Arabia.

The show currently being held in Dammam, kicked off on February 22 and will conclude on February 24.

The event is being held  under the patronage of Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, governor of the Eastern Province.

Ziad Al-Labban, CEO of Sadara, the world’s largest plastics and chemicals complex ever built in a single phase, gave the opening remarks to the upstream and downstream industry leaders at the event’s opening ceremony, and discussed how the company’s sustainability strategy is embedded in all facets of operation and business plans, said a statement from the company.

“When complete, we’ll be the fourth largest company in the Saudi Arabia in terms of assets. As a company of our size and scale, we are well aware that we have obligations and roles to play as a responsible corporate citizen. We also recognise that without an enabling sustainability culture, any gains that we have are going to be temporary,” he said.

“Our mantra of being a ‘game-changer’ is embedded in literally all facets of operations and business plans. Our sustainability strategy supports our aim to produce differentiated, value-added chemicals and plastics products in the region, and ultimately contribute to the kingdom’s move towards downstream manufacturing and further economic diversification,” he added.

Al-Labban went on to note that over 440 million man hours of work have been put into the $20 billion project to date, with a total recordable incident rate (TRIR) of 0.034, thereby setting a new world standard in safety.

An active participant and signatory in Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association’s (GPCA) Responsible Care Committee, Sadara went beyond the legal and regulatory requirements minimums in everything from design and engineering to construction of the six sq km 26-unit manufacturing complex and the adjacent PlastChem Park, said the statement.

Additionally, the company established a dedicated sustainability organisation to develop and implement a strategic sustainability plan for Sadara to optimise resource utilisation and minimise operational costs and impact on the environment.

This includes reusing by-products and waste streams and employing best-in-class technologies to reduce the company’s energy and waste footprints of the industrial complex, and raising awareness in the local community about environmental awareness and safety, it added. – TradeArabia News Service