Environmental Impact Mitigation

Environmental Protection Measures

To reduce the potential environmental impact at various stages of construction, Kedge Construction strictly adheres to relevant environmental regulations set by central and local authorities. Additionally, the company’s headquarters and project sites fully implemented the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System in July, 2023, passing the system verification in January 2024. The implementation of the Environmental Management System is illustrated in the image below:

In response to the implementation of the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, our company has included an environmental policy in the system manual. This policy has been communicated through informational meetings, practical drills, and by posting posters and enhancing publicity at engineering project sites. A total of 3 new procedural documents were added, and 22 existing ISO system documents were revised. The new procedural documents include:

  1. K02-2-EM01 Environmental Risk Assessment Procedure: This document regulates the identification, significance analysis, and handling measures of environmental risks and opportunities for the company, aiming to reduce risks to an acceptable level.
  2. K02-2-EM02 Environmental Regulation Procedure: This document outlines the control and management of the environmental aspects of the company’s operations and project activities. It ensures that all aspects of operational activities incorporate environmental protection considerations and are effectively monitored, measured, reviewed, and improved to achieve environmental goals and enhance environmental performance.
  3. K02-2-EM03 Environmental Incident Investigation Management Procedure: This document specifies the reporting, investigation, and subsequent improvement measures for environmental incidents that occur within the company and its projects. It aims to reduce environmental impacts and losses, and prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

Kedge Construction has established the “Project Environmental Management and Maintenance Standards” to control potential short-term pollution during construction. The main environmental improvement measures and preventive actions are as follows:

Noise Control

  • Continuously promote noise reduction at construction sites based on the Environmental Protection Administration’s “Construction Site Noise Control Technical Guidelines.” Manage and control construction personnel, construction hours, construction methods, construction machinery, and facilities.
  • Develop noise prevention measures for different construction stages such as using electric engines instead of diesel generators, converting engines to electric, using oil-pressure or cut-off piling methods, and minimizing simultaneous operation of high-noise machinery.
  • Noise reduction and regular maintenance of equipment: Install soundproof covers on noise-generating parts (such as engines) with internal sound-absorbing materials meeting fire resistance standards. Install vibration-absorbing pads or springs (such as rubber cushions) under the machine seats to reduce vibration noise.
  • Coordinate construction within legally specified noise control zones, avoid nighttime construction, and shorten operating hours.

Water Pollution Prevention

Comply with legal requirements by installing washing bays, sedimentation tanks, spill containment berms, rain shelters, and intercepting drains:

  • Process wastewater (such as wash water and mold release agents) through filtration before discharge, and regularly monitor the water quality in sedimentation tanks.
  • Cover drainage ditches near waste disposal areas to prevent blockages and waste flow.
  • Ensure that vehicle washing facilities are set up at designated locations within the construction sites.
  • Supervise contractors to properly handle silt clay solutions from earthworks operations according to regulations.
  • Cover or install filter nets on and around drainage ditches at the construction sites, and regularly clean and dredge them.
  • Discharge concrete wash water and slurry stabilization fluids from foundation excavation operations only after sedimentation and filtration.
  • Equip construction access roads with appropriate covering and drainage facilities to prevent erosion.
  • Adhere to water and soil conservation regulations when working near rivers, and employ low-pollution construction methods with adequate water pollution control equipment to minimize river water pollution.
  • Regularly maintain construction vehicles and equipment to prevent oil leaks. Prohibit changing liquid oils such as engine oil and lubricants within the construction area, and perform maintenance exclusively at off-site vehicle service stations.
  • Prohibit cleaning paint tools in sedimentation barrels or tanks.

Air Pollution Control

On November 1, 2022, the Ministry of Environment implemented stricter regulations for air pollution in construction projects. Construction sites of a certain scale must install air quality monitoring systems. By 2023, Kedge Construction had completed the installation of monitoring systems at all sites nationwide, enabling effective control measures in real time to both comply with regulations and enhance autonomous management. The main control measures adopted in engineering projects are as follows:

  • To reduce dust dispersion, appropriate height fences are installed around the construction site.
  • Exposed surfaces within the construction site are sprayed with water, covered with dust nets, or paved with concrete or gravel to reduce dust dispersion.
  • For vehicle pathways within the construction sites, steel plates or concrete are laid to suppress dust spread.
  • Vehicles, bodies, and wheels leaving the construction site are cleaned; vehicles transporting loose particulate pollutants must use enclosed cargo boxes or tightly covered cargo boxes. If the cover is a dust cloth or dust net, its edges must extend at least 15 centimeters below the top edge of the cargo box.
  • Construction machinery using fuel must select low-sulfur content oil and comply with environmental inspections and testing.

Waste Management

The waste generated by Kedge Construction activities includes employee household waste, construction waste, and excess soil and rocks. These are handled as follows according to different categories:

Household Waste

Garbage from the company headquarters and construction site employees is sorted and recycled according to legal regulations. Posters and other methods are used to promote waste reduction and sorting. All regional offices across the country have implemented sorting, food waste recycling, and resource recycling. Waste is cleared and processed by qualified public or private waste disposal agencies as mandated by law.

Construction Waste and Excess Soil and Rocks

Construction waste and demolition debris generated at the site are sorted to collect reusable resources such as metal, plastic, and wood as much as possible. The remaining construction mixtures are entrusted to qualified recycling agencies for removal and processing. These materials undergo manual preliminary sorting, electromagnetic sorting, and air separation processes at the processing plant to classify and extract reusable resources.  In managing excess soil and rocks, Kedge Construction prioritizes designs that balance soil within the construction area during the planning phase to minimize transportation. Soil exchange between construction sites is also practiced to reduce transportation needs. For soil that cannot be recycled or reused, the procurement department contracts approved contractors to handle excavation, sludge removal, and backfilling, ensuring compliance with regulations and transporting to legally established waste disposal or soil resource sites.

Compliance with Environmental Regulations

At the end of 2023, Kedge Construction established the Environmental Continuation Department, responsible for supervising environmental protection in construction projects. The department conducts bi-annual regulatory assessments and updates construction project regulations, coordinating the assignment of personnel responsible for environmental protection tasks. These personnel must attend regular and irregular environmental advocacy or training sessions organized by the local government environmental protection agencies where the construction projects are located. Key pollution control investments, their purposes, and potential benefits in pollution prevention for construction projects include:

  • Compliance with the regulations of the construction management and environmental protection units of each county and city.
  • Selecting low-pollution construction methods and low-noise machinery during the planning phase.
  • Allocating pollution control facilities during construction.

Since construction projects are subcontracted to professional contractors approved by the client, the pollution control equipment is also managed by the subcontractors themselves. Examples include site fences (2.4m high for primary sites, 1.8m high for secondary sites), anti-spill seats, dust nets, rented road cleaning water trucks, car wash platforms, high-pressure car washers, diversion ditches, water collection wells, sedimentation tanks, temporary toilets, high-rise garbage chutes, and waste storage sites. The company conducts regular or irregular inspections of each construction project and immediately requires the contractor to make improvements if any irregularities are found. Therefore, there is no need for additional special equipment for environmental pollution control.

Environmental Operations and Training

  • Coordinate the assignment of relevant personnel to each construction project to carry out various environmental protection tasks in accordance with legal requirements and company policies. These personnel must also attend regular or ad-hoc environmental protection training and education sessions organized by the environmental protection agencies of the local government overseeing the construction project.
  • All environmental handling processes, including various equipment and measures, are based on environmental regulations (such as the Waste Disposal Act, Water Pollution Control Act, Air Pollution Control Act, etc.) and specific terms stipulated by the client. Any deficiencies found are immediately corrected by the contractor.
  • Irregular environmental training and workshops are held at each construction project, and personnel are sent to participate in environmental training organized by government units to raise environmental awareness among employees and cooperating contractors, ensuring the implementation of environmental protection during construction.
  • Proactively invite nearby residents and government inspection units to participate in project briefings to foster good neighbor relations and communication.
  • Regular site cleaning and maintenance are conducted to ensure a clean environment.

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