Coega Joins the World in Celebrating World Earth Hour 2023

Gqeberha, South Africa, 24 March 2023 - On Saturday, 25 March, Coega Development Corporation joins the world in celebrating Earth Hour 2023. Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative, driven by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), uniting people globally to protect the planet.

Earth Hour will be observed between 20h30 - 21h30 pm. During this time, the public is encouraged to show their care for the planet by simply turning off all non-essential lights or appliances for one hour to reflect on their environmental footprint and create awareness about climate change.

Coega’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Ms. Telly Chauke, shares that Coega is excited by days of environmental significance that are commemorated globally every year. “This year’s theme is quite exciting because it is relevant to Coega’s approach, it focuses on ‘investing in our planet’. Because Coega is an engine of investment in the region and works to catalyse investments throughout the country and the continent, investing in our planet becomes an important topic and rallying call not only for Coega specifically, but for our stakeholders and partners, as well.”

The theme resonates with Coega’s moto, right PLACE, right TIME, and right CHOICE. Ms. Chauke points out that it is important for Coega colleagues, investors, and stakeholders to continue making the right choices when it comes to preserving the planet and conducting business in a responsible manner that minimises harm to the natural environment. In fact, Ms Chauke explains that the preservation of the planet starts with small actions that we do at home as well as in the office in being mindful about how we consume resources like energy and water, and changing our product choices to those that generate less waste for disposal, such as those with recycled packaging and labels that have been sourced responsibly. In the workplace, the digital revolution helps us reduce the use of paper and consumption of fuel for business travel. Whilst these are a few of many ways to practise responsible consumption; there are other corporate decisions that must be taken to aid the effort of going green, including green procurement, green leasing, and building incentives for efforts made in the industrial processes of investors in the Coega Special Economic Zone, amongst others.

“We know we are living in an era where both the energy crisis and water crisis intersect, making doing business difficult. Therefore, we need to be mindful of what we do to protect planet earth, as the right place for our existence. The United Nations has marked this decade (2020 – 2030) as the Decade for Restoration, and by taking immediate and urgent actions, we make it the Right Time to invest in our planet. The Decade for Restoration identifies investment in the restoration of ecosystems and protection of the integrity and functioning of the natural environment as elemental in reversing the impacts of climate change.

Coega is positioning itself as a brand ambassador for responsible corporate citizenship and seeks to collaborate with its social and industrial partners under the auspices of Goal 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), i.e., Partnership for the SDGs, to leverage greater investments for both socio-economic and environmental sustainability.

Although Earth Hour lasts only one hour, the awareness that it creates for the importance of sustainable practices around the world is invaluable. Looking beyond Earth Hour, Coega is committed to reducing its carbon footprint through dedicated energy efficiency and natural resource management programmes.

Earth Hour can also be celebrated in other ways, apart from switching off non-essential lighting as indicated above, we can also switch off geysers and electrical appliances when not in use or by deciding to say ‘no’ to single use plastics. Every little bit counts. Our efforts of investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and supporting Earth Hour 2023 are aligned to the commitment the organisation has made to contribute meaningfully to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs),” concludes, Ms. Chauke.