▲ Members of SK Innovation and representatives from PVEP and Tra Vinh Province take a group photo after participating in the mangrove reforestation activity in Long Toan Commune, Duyen Hai Town, Tra Vinh Province on May 10 (local time).

So called “lungs of Asia,” mangrove forests are known for having a carbon absorption capacity 5 times higher than tropical rainforests, making them effective in responding to the climate crisis. They serve as habitats for various fish and crustaceans and also function as natural filters, preventing the direct inflow of seawater to agricultural lands.

However, over the past few decades, significant amount of mangrove forests have disappeared. Many Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, rely on tourism as their main source of national income, and in the process of turning many coastal areas into resorts to attract more tourists, numerous plants and animals have lost their habitats. Also, the expansion of shrimp farming for the livelihood of local residents is causing the destruction of these forests. In shrimp farms in Vietnam, water pollution from shrimp excrement, feed residues, and bacteria turns the land unusable, leading to the deforestation of nearby forests to create new farms. As the local community’s livelihood depends on this, the Vietnamese government is finding it difficult to address the issue.

As part of its ESG management since 2018, SK Innovation has participated in the “Mangrove Reforestation Project.” The company has made efforts to address climate change and preserve biodiversity through reforestation project by sponsoring the establishment of the first social enterprise in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam, called “MangLub” and organizing internal volunteer programs.

2023 marks the 6^th year of SK Innovation’s Mangrove Reforestation Project in Vietnam. The first activity for this year took place on May 10 and 11. For this program, members of SK Earthon Ho Chi Minh Branch and local partner company, Petro Vietnam Exploration & Production (PVEP), planted over 1,000 saplings together. What sets this year’s activities apart is that the activity took place at shrimp farms in Long Toan Commune, Duyen Hai Town, Tra Vinh Province.

Many existing shrimp farms have indiscriminately deforested mangrove forests in pursuit of short-term economic gains. However, this particular shrimp farm allows coexistence of both mangrove forests and shrimp farming, since cultivating mangroves and shrimp together reduces the need for pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals, creating a more eco-friendly farming environment. This is the reason why SK Innovation and the social enterprise MangLub paid attention to shrimp farms.

▲ Members of SK Innovation and PVEP are carrying out volunteer work of planting mangrove trees at the shrimp farm in Long Toan Commune in the Duyen Hai Town on May 10 (local time).

Lim Su-kil, Head of SK Innovation Value Creation Center, which is in charge of reforestation project, said, “This year marks the sixth year since SK Innovation has built the cooperation with Vietnam and begun the mangrove reforestation project.” He added, “Through a new attempt to plant mangrove trees in shrimp farms, SK Innovation will strive to achieve the coexistence of local economic revitalization and environmental preservation.” The Vietnamese government and enterprises also actively support SK Innovation’s efforts to create sustainable and eco-friendly shrimp farms through mangrove forest reforestation.

“While participating in the mangrove reforestation volunteer work in Vietnam, I felt proud that I could be a great help to environmental protection. Although planting trees was a little more challenging than I had thought, it was a fun and rewarding time,” said SK Energy member Park Ji-hye, after participating in the volunteer activity.

After completing the tree planting volunteer activity, the participants visited Vo Thi Quy Primary School, located nearby, to spend time with the children. The member volunteers engaged in planting activities with the students while conveying the importance of mangrove forests and eco-friendly values.

“We appreciate SK Innovation’s visit and donation to our school. On behalf of the teachers here, I will encourage the children to be more diligent and make effort to be good people as they have received the love and support from many people of your company,” said the Rector of Vo Thi Quy Primary School Nguyen Thi Hue.

A student of Vo Thi Quy Primary School, Phi Thi Anh Tho expressed, “I was very happy to be able to participate in the activity at our school with SK Innovation today. I hope there will be another chance to have a day like this.”

▲ Members of SK Innovation and students of Vo Thi Quy Primary School are planting trees, experiencing the importance of environmental values on May 10 (local time).

SK Innovation is making continuous efforts to restore the mangrove forests, and is emphasizing the solidarity with numerous organizations and corporations. It also established social enterprises for the local communities to expand the consensus with local residents on environment issues. This tree planting volunteering activity can be seen as another step towards making the public realize problems caused by shrimp farms, and suggests another possibility for the sustainable environment and development.

This year, SK Innovation aims to plant approximately 130,000 mangrove saplings, covering an area of 38 hectares (ha). So far, SK Innovation has restored approximately 226 ha of Mangrove forests through its reforestation project and is planning to further expand the scale of the reforestation by utilizing the Mangrove fund it collected in CES 2023, held in Las Vegas last January. SK Innovation will continue to thrive for the future where humanity and nature coexists sustainably.