Environmental and Social Engagement Best Practice to Face Pandemic Circumstance: A Sharing From Vale Indonesia, Sorowako Site

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has broken the normal bonds of human interaction, whether in the personal sphere or in the industrial sphere, regardless of where a person happens to live. Several industries which play important roles in fulfilling global demands, including the nickel mining and smelting industry, still need to resume operations in full regardless of the global disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. They also have to maintain an environmentally-friendly practice while stepping up social engagement to support community who has been adversely impacted by the pandemic. This paper focuses on how Vale Indonesia is still conducting its business operations to maintain its daily business while adhering to the precautionary measures on its surrounding communities. Vale has actually coined several innovative programs to improve environmental concern, consisting utilization of waste materials to reduce demands for single-use ones. On the other hand, the company has also focused on conducting social engagement and community support activities, especially by providing life support assistances and programs which can boost the communities to be more productive and improve their capacities to be resilient amid the devastating impact of the pandemic. Vale has calculated that Sorowako sites will be able to maintain their environmental management by contributing to energy efficiency 12,626.00 GJ, emission reduction 17 tons of PM, waste utilization (hazardous 1,994,402 tons and non-hazardous -20,000 tons), waste efficiency 586,087,488 m3, wastewater effectiveness 19.94 tons of TSS, reclamation activity of 149 plants species and empowered more than 5,000 communities over the course of a year.