Henkel plants mangrove trees on four hectares of coastal land in East Java

Indonesia is home to some of the world’s largest expanses of mangrove forest, accounting for 27 percent of the earth’s mangroves, and 75 percent of those found in Southeast Asia. However, they have rapidly disappeared or become degraded in recent years.

The mangrove tree planting took place at the Mangrove Conservation Centre in Nguling, located in the Pasuruan district of East Java. The initiative is aimed at reducing flooding and protecting shoreline erosion. In addition, mangrove forests play an important role in preserving coastal ecosystems, including providing a habitat for a wide varieties of animal and plant species.

“Social Progress is a focal area of Henkel’s sustainability strategy,” said Allan Yong, President of Henkel Indonesia. “We believe our efforts to plant a mangrove forest along the coastal lines of Pasuruan can contribute toward protecting the environment and benefiting the local communities.”

Since August 4, employees from Henkel’s adhesives manufacturing plant in Pasuruan have been visiting the mangrove conservation site every day to plant the trees. In five days, 9,850 trees have been planted on 4 hectares of land. To mark the final planting phase, Henkel Indonesia’s management team, along with 50 employees, planted an additional 150 trees at the conservation site on August 9. In total, Henkel employees planted 10,000 mangrove trees. To monitor and ensure the healthy growth of the mangrove forest, employees will continue to visit the site regularly over the next three months.

“Henkel has been present in Indonesia for 40 years and is committed to being a good corporate citizen,” Allan said. “Around 30 percent of Henkel employees in Pasuruan have volunteered in the mangrove conservation program. This is a good sign of our employees’ personal commitment toward creating a sustainable future for Indonesia.”

Social engagement

Henkel Indonesia employees have always been strong advocates of giving back to the community, and have been involved in several social projects over the past years. With this year being Henkel’s 40th anniversary in Indonesia, the company has stepped up its efforts.

In January 2014, when Jakarta was hit with its worst flooding in years, Henkel Indonesia aided the victims in a remote village of Tangerang. Within five days, employees gathered 500 packages—consisting of food, clothes, shampoos, shoes and stationery—for the victims in the isolated village of Desa Cirumpak.

On 18 June, employees from the adhesives plant in Tangerang participated in a blood donation drive, in support of World Blood Donor Day.

On 5 July, employees in Jakarta visited the Mizan Amanah orphanage and took part in a unique holiday: the end of fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The team surprised the children with a magic show and a special care package for each child. Each care package consisted of a book, a school bag, and a stationery kit.

On 19 July, Henkel Sustainability Ambassadors gave lessons on sustainability to a total of 238 students at the SDN. Pekoren 1 primary school in Pasuruan. The objective of the Ambassadors program is to raise awareness among young people and show them that they can contribute to environmental protection and sustainability through simple actions in their daily lives.