June 10 was a big day for Charlie Lee Wai-chung. That was the day the Lee Kum Kee chairman saw the solar photovoltaic power generation project at the company's Xinhui plant in Jiangmen come into operation, following six months of construction and installation. The project, which is part of Lee Kum Kee's environmental protection initiative, is expected to generate 3.98 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. That equals saving 1,312 tons of standard coal, cutting 3,448 tons of carbon emissions, 380 tons of sulfur dioxide, 92 tons of nitrogen oxide and 20 tons of particulates. When power consumption is low at the plant, the surplus from the photovoltaic project will be transmitted to the public power grid of Jiangmen to relieve shortages in the city. The photovoltaic power generation station has been installed on the rooftops of the plant's four warehouses covering 47,000 square meters. "We are the first major business in Xinhui to adopt photovoltaic power and the first condiment company in the country to invest in such a project," Lee said. However, Lee's environmental protection drive is not limited to solar photovoltaic power. The company strives to save energy and cut emissions also by using a geothermal heat pump system, water conservation and wastewater treatment, and biomass fuel steam generators. In its 2013 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, Lee Kum Kee said it was in talks with research and development organizations regarding ways to better protect the environment, including the introduction of artificial wetlands and UF+RO technology for wastewater treatment and recycling. While a clean environment is what Lee is dedicated to creating, clean product is what he is putting all efforts into to ensure. "With the improvement in living conditions of the Chinese people, their demand for clean food is increasing," Lee said, pointing out that quality is the key to sustainable business development. His sentiments are shared by Fan Xiaogang, executive vice-president in charge of plant operations, who said: "Product quality is the life of a food company. You can make a good company if you do well in ensuring quality. If you cannot, then your company is going to die." In 2009, the sauce group set up a Food Safety and Nutrition Expert Committee in an effort to ensure product quality. In 2013, Lee Kum Kee's Xinhui plant received 28 teams of professional inspectors from various organizations and departments worldwide, including 16 from customers and nine from government departments, according to the company's CSR report. sally@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 06/22/2015 page7)