FILIPINO-OWNED epoxy and adhesive manufacturing company Republic Chemicals Industries (RCI) is looking to invest up to P100 million to “green” its operations.
RCI, maker of Pioneer Epoxy and Mighty Bond, bared its “green strategy” to further reduce its carbon footprint in the next two years.
At its 3-hectare facility in Canlubang, Laguna, RCI has already spent P20 million to augment its power supply with solar energy; today, it is using solar lighting via solatubes, and solar-roofing system with panels generating 100 kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar energy.
Together, these two systems contribute 5-percent and 10-percent reduction to the company’s overall consumption, respectively.
Moving forward, it aims to buttress its use of alternative energy and purchase solar batteries worth between P75 million and P100 million by 2018.
“We’re thinking of procuring another 400 kWh of solar panels, depending on what we’ll agree on with a supplier on the cost. We prefer solar batteries, of course, so we can store the power and use them at night, but they’re expensive,” said Marfel Ancheta, RCI Engineering Operations head.
“We have an advocacy for environmental sustainability,” said Ritchie G. Pascual, group product manager for RCI.
Aside from energy conservation, other green initiatives of RCI include a rainwater-collection system, use of inverter-type air-conditioning units, waste management and segregation, and basic waste-water treatment. Taken together, these projects have enabled the firm to attain a 25-percent reduction in overall energy consumption.
Among RCI’s product lines includes do-it-yourself household adhesives and sealants, automotive lubricant sprays, and marine and construction products. Under its Pioneer brand of adhesives and sealants are the Pioneer Epoxy, ElastoSeal and Mighty Bond.
The company’s sole-manufacturing facility exports to Vietnam and Indonesia, Pascual said.
RCI is currently expanding its production facility in CarmelRay Industrial Park.