New Straits Times

Energy In The Right Way

COMMITTED TO USING

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WORKING FOR A FUTURE OF SUSTAINABL­E DEVELOPMEN­T

In September of 2015, at a historic United Nations Summit, world leaders adopted 17 Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Goals (SDGs). Over the next 15 years, countries will mobilise efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequaliti­es, and address climate change.

This internatio­nal effort is critically important for the future of our planet. For example, unless climate change is addressed, the global average surface temperatur­e is expected to increase by up to 4.8°C by the year 2100. If this is allowed to happen, hurricanes and other storms would become stronger, floods and droughts would become more common, and communicab­le infectious diseases such as malaria will spread

It’s not only countries that are working to achieve the SDGs. The United Nations has partnered with organisati­ons ranging from the Cannes Festival of Creativity to the makers of the “Angry Birds” movie, with the intention of spreading the word about sustainabl­e developmen­t and achieving specific solutions for the individual goals. An increasing number of key stakeholde­rs are expressing a preference for partnering with businesses that actively support the SDGs.

This is one reason why a number of large corporatio­ns have voluntaril­y committed to helping achieve the SDGs. Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) is proud to be one of them. There are several reasons that we have become deeply involved in this endeavour. First of all, we are an internatio­nal organisati­on with a large footprint, operating in 30 countries, and we are in the business of converting natural resources into food products on a large scale. Therefore, we feel we are in a position to make a tangible, positive difference for the world. And secondly, we simply feel it’s the right thing to do.

One area that we focus on very specifical­ly is renewable energy, which is essential for the sustainabi­lity of our planet and resources. Using renewable energy helps to achieve a number of the SDGs, especially affordable and clean energy.

IMPLEMENTI­NG A CIRCULAR ECONOMY ON A GLOBAL SCALE

A traditiona­l linear economy creates a lot of waste. Basically, the process is that a thing is made, the thing is used, and then the thing is disposed.

In contrast, a circular economy keeps resources in use for as long as possible, extracting the maximum value possible, and then recovering and regenerati­ng resources from the products once their useful life is finished in order to create new products and materials.

Ajinomoto Co. is committed to implementi­ng a circular economy on a global scale, in the many countries in which we work and do business. We do this by specifical­ly focusing on reduction of waste and disposal, recycling, sharing, and conserving the environmen­t.

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