With safety being the top priority measure of many organizations at present, creating and maintaining a safe working environment is the responsibility of everyone. With that in mind, the Training, Recognition, Discipline and ERT committee hosted a three-day “EHS Awareness Week” from October 14th 2003, with the theme, “Towards an Environmentally Responsible Company – Protecting Human Health and Safety”.

Over 200 angsana trees were planted in conjunction with Silterra's Environmental Day 2004, which was held on October 19, 2004. The trees, sponsored by Silterra employees, were planted in and around the Company's plant and offices.

Silterra recently organized a Health Awareness Campaign, with the motto "Prevention Is Better Than Cure". Silterra's Health Services department joined hands with several organizations, including Kulim Hospital, Pantai Mutiara Hospital, Bagan Specialist Centre, USM Medical and Dental Institute, BP Lab and the Consumer Association of Penang, to bring its employees an interesting line-up of activities. This include health exhibitions, blood screening, health talks, online health quiz -- all designed to create and enhance health awareness amongst Silterrians. There was also a blood donation campaign, where Silterrians donated 148 bags of blood to the Mobile Blood Bank of Hospital Kulim.

Through the synergistic effort of Silterra and Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Hi-Tech, a Recycling Awareness Campaign was held on May 26, 2005 at the grounds of SK Taman Hi-Tech. The event was organized in the Company's effort to promote and inculcate the importance of recycling for a well-balanced environment -- hence the theme "Kitar Semula Tanggungjawab Bersama" or "Recycling is a Collective Responsibility". Several recycling bins were placed strategically in the school compound to encourage both students and staff to recycle. A special colouring contest was also held to mark the day and winning works of art were exhibited for guests to view.

 

Kulim, Malaysia (December 26, 2006) – Environmentally-friendly Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Silterra) and its employees have taken a step further to define what they meant in protecting the ecosystem. The company recently contributed 1,200 mangrove saplings to be replanted in the coastal areas near Merbok and Kerpan, in Kedah.

The project was organised by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) in the wake of the widespread destruction caused by the tsunami two years ago. According to SAM, Silterra was the first private sector company to step forward and support their efforts, which is in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi’s call to Malaysians to replant coastal areas as a defence against the ravages of the giant waves.

Bruce Gray, the President and CEO of Silterra, said that the cost of the project was partly funded by donations from the staff. The greening of the coastal areas was in line with the company’s commitment to positively impact the local eco-system. 

Gray added, “At Silterra, we have established an environmental policy for the company which clearly states our commitment to the environment conservation. We believe that everyone, including corporations and its employees should be encouraged to play a role in helping to conserve and replenish the existing environment,”

“Silterra fully supports its employees’ environmental conservation activities involving community related projects like recycling, car pooling, natural gas installation system and other initiatives for the benefit of the environment. The mangrove-replanting event is a prime example of our employees’ initiative and drive towards achieving a greener environment. We are extremely proud to have such environmentally conscious and responsible employees as part of the Silterra family.”

The company has received ‘Notable Achievement Award’ in the Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Awards during the last couple of competitions. 

 

Kulim, Malaysia (September 10, 2006) – Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Silterra), a leading semiconductor wafer foundry majority-owned by Khazanah Nasional Berhad, recently upgraded its facility to use a natural gas system as part of its strategy to implement cost efficient and environment friendly technologies in its operations. 

All systems within Silterra that previously used diesel or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are now being powered by natural gas as the primary source of fuel. 

“At Silterra, we have always given priority to using environment friendly technologies in our plant. Our decision to switch to natural gas is not only a testimony to that philosophy, but is also a very effective way to reduce operating cost,” said Bruce Gray, Chief Executive Officer of Silterra. 

“As a result of our move to 100% natural gas, we expect to save over RM1.4 million per annum on our fuel supply cost. This is certainly inline with our continuing efforts to maximise our resources,” he added.

Installation of the natural gas system, which was completed in five weeks, costs Silterra approximately RM1 million. 

Bruce added, “We are confident that we will recover the initial investment within a year due to lower maintenance and handling costs for the natural gas system compared to those of other fuels.” As natural gas burns cleaner than either diesel or LPG, there is marked reduction in the level of air pollutants like smog and other suspended particles. This results in better air-quality in the area.

As a responsible corporate citizen and environment-friendly company, Silterra had also previously participated in the state government’s Bumi Hijau campaign, initiated car pooling among its employees, organised blood donation camps and carried out tree planting event among other initiatives as part of its ongoing environmental-awareness and corporate social responsibility programmes.

 

Kulim, Malaysia (January 29 2007) - The collection bins are placed at the main employee entrance. These old newspapers are sold, and the proceeds will be channeled towards charitable activities. Also, this is partly to instill employees' habit of recycling and at the same time become a socially responsible and caring company.

The week after the collection, Silterra donated trees to Rumah Perajurit orphanage and this was funded entirely from the recycling efforts. It was a good event, with participation from the children of the home who helped to plant the trees. Silterra also donated used computers to Rumah Perajurit & Rumah Bedaya orphanages during the event.

 

5th Dec’09 - Silterra had successfully completed another Environmental Conservation Project for the general public. This time we headed to Sedim River, a famous family recreation park 40km from Kulim. The Silterra was leading all other factories under the umbrella of Kulim Industrial Tenants Association (KITA) to perform a cleaning activity at Sedim River area.
KITA members together in hand with Sedim villagers, had performed a cleaning activity at Sedim River. A total of about 17 Silterrians and 350 other participants took part in this activity. 

 

6th May 2006, Sungai Petani – In line with good Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, Silterra donated three hundred and twenty 60-liter plastic drums (originally used to transport non-toxic material) to the Department of Agriculture of Kuala Muda in conjunction with the “Program Bumi Hijau” campaign.  This exercise is a conscious decision by Silterra to help conserve the environment by recycling the plastic containers that would otherwise end up in landfills or rubbish dumps. According to officials from the department of agriculture, these drums can be used to store fertilizers, animal feed, water or other items related to agriculture.  The state-level campaign was officially launched by the Menteri Besar of Kedah, YAB Dato’ Seri Mahadzir Khalid on 6th May 2006 at Taman Delima, Sungai Petani. Among the many guests attending the event were Silterra representatives.  The Menteri Besar received the drums in a symbolic handover from Mr. Kalai of Facilities and Encik Tahir of CDEA. The Menteri Besar acknowledged this as a useful and socially responsible action by Silterra.  The agriculture department will distribute these drums among residents of the housing area in Taman Delima and other areas that require these containers.