As part of our efforts to monitor the environmental impact from indirect sources such as third party
transport of sugar cane and finished product, we have begun to monitor their contribution to GHG
emissions (Scope 3). It is estimated that 60 314 tCO
2
e of GHG emissions were generated.
There were no significant environmental incidents reported from third party transportation of our products
and other goods and materials. We are currently piloting a one plant fleet management utilisation
software and functional real time electronic delivery and dispatch system to reduce idle time and improve
fleet utilization thereby reducing GHG emissions from our own and third party fleet used in our
Agriculture for land preparation and cane transport activities. A number of haulage vehicles have been
removed from the fleet to-date at Nchalo factory in Malawi as a result of this initiative
Although we have not started to quantify the impact of emissions from business travel, we have invested
in video-conferencing facilities across all our operations. As an intended result, this has reduced
business air travel and similarly reduced resultant GHG emissions from such travel.
Illovo is also implementing a new project with the Climate Resilience Infrastructure Development Facility
(CRIDF+), a UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded programme to investigate and
adapt to the impacts of climate change with our outgrower communities.
Air Quality
Air quality is monitored for both point source emissions (stack emissions) and ambient air quality (fugitive
emission) in line with respective country legislation. The key challenges and initiatives in relation to point
source emission are:
high particulate matter (PM
10
) in measured stack emissions which, although in certain cases are
above legal limits, are managed within permit conditions at all our operations. SO
x
, NOx, volatile
organic compounds and other gases are not material because of the types of fuels consumed
within our operations (ie, bagasse, biomass, wood/woodchips and coal);
improvement in the boiler technology in order to increase the efficiency of the boilers and to
reduce carbon monoxide at our operations in Malawi and Tanzania;
improvement in the current incineration technology at the on-site clinics in order to reduce the risk
of exposure to dioxins at our Malawi operations;
improvement plans based on the adoption of preventive and mitigation measures, including
appropriate maintenance procedures, to reduce fugitive bagasse and stack emission, ie, sulphur
dioxide in South Africa and particulate matter throughout our operations.
OUTPUTS
Effluent
Illovo’s management of effluent and water quality is a critical part of our water management strategy.
The effluent discharged by the sugar mills in Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Swaziland is treated to
acceptable levels in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total
suspended solids, total dissolved solids and pH. The effluent discharged after treatment is used for
irrigation and where overflow occurs into natural streams, these are managed under local effluent
discharge permit conditions.
After various treatment processes at our different sites, the effluent is discharged under permit into
rivers. At our Sezela operation, 580 kl of treated effluent was discharged into the sea while 490 kl from
our Merebank factory was treated by the municipal wastewater facility, also under permit and strict
authority oversight. No event occurred where Illovo’s operations affected any water receiving body either
through discharge of wastewater or runoffs.
