Members of SK Innovation, local authorities, and others take a commemorative photo after participating in the SV Alliance ceremony on September 6 (local time).

Mangroves play a key role in mitigating global warming through their carbon absorption capacity five times that of tropical rainforests, and in preserving biodiversity by providing natural habitats for land and marine animals. However, due to indiscriminate development of tourist attractions and the proliferation of shrimp farms, more than half of the mangroves are disappearing.

SK Innovation has been proactively responding to the climate crisis and biodiversity loss by promoting the Mangrove Restoration Project in Vietnam, making this year their sixth year. In addition, SK Innovation established the Vietnam SV Alliance to expand the Mangrove Reforestation Project, strengthening their solidarity which led to an expansion of the alliance this year.

 
| The re-launching and expansion of Vietnam SV Alliance

The alliance was formed in February 2019 with key members including the government, academia, businesses, and NGOs to create social values such as local economic development and job creation centered on the Mangrove Reforestation Project. The Vietnam SV Alliance brought together its respective capabilities, including mangrove tree planting activities, policy, and environmental research, and expanding awareness. However, activities slowly came to a halt during the breakout of COVID-19 and actively resumed after the end of the pandemic.

The number of participating institutions in the Vietnam SV Alliance has significantly increased this year. Along with the participation of NGOs and NPOs with a large global influence, such as MSD (Management and Sustainable Development Institute), United Way Vietnam, and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), various companies, including global shipping and logistics companies, which directly engaged in the reforestation project by themselves, also joined the alliance. This imbued the initiative with great significance.

On September 5 (local time), the Vietnam SV Alliance hosted an environmental seminar under the theme of “2023 Rooting for Resilience.” The seminar commenced with a presentation on Vietnam’s climate crisis and environmental policies, followed by sharing the direction for restoring the mangrove forests in Tra Vinh Province and the restoration practices of various companies in order to discuss solutions for overcoming the climate crisis.

The seminar began with an opening speech by Nguyen Trung Hoang, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee.

Kim Kyoung-jun, Head of SK Earthon Southeast Asia Business Office, attended the seminar and delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of SK Innovation.

In addition, Trinh Thi Cuc Tien, Comm. Officer of IUCN Vietnam, a new member of the SV Alliance, expressed expectations for the influence that future cooperation activities will have on the restoration and protection of mangrove forests, and on the local community.

IUCN is an international organization that was established with the support of the United Nations to protect the world’s resources and nature. It is expected that their excellent research results and experiences on mangroves will become the academic foundation of the SV alliance.

Dan Ha, CEO of MarinaChain, who participated in this SV Alliance, conveyed the importance of carbon neutrality, and emphasized the importance of social enterprises that take the lead in raising awareness of environmental protection.

Various lectures were given about mangroves and nature during the full-scale lecture. Tran T. Ngoc Bich, Vice Director at Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, gave a presentation on the rising sea level and increased salinity in the Mekong-Delta region, which have emerged as future challenges in Southeast Asia. She also emphasized the seriousness of the climate crisis and called for strengthened solidarity among local residents, the government, and the international communities.

In addition, Chu Duc Trung, Head of Development & Innovation at Gemalink Port, presented a case study regarding the mangrove reforestation efforts by the marine industry. Since fishing, shipping, and tourism affect the ecosystem of mangrove forests, he proposed a cooperation model between the marine industry and environmental protection, emphasizing cooperation between companies, the government, and local communities.

Members of SK Innovation, local authorities, and others attend a seminar and listen to a lecture on September 5 (local time).

On September 5 (local time), Tran T. Ngoc Bich, Vice Director of Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, delivers a lecture on the topic of “Risk of Salinity & Mekong delta’s sea rise level.” (Photo on the left) and Chu Duc Trung, Head of Development & Innovation at Gemalink Port, delivers a lecture on the topic of “Collaborative Mangrove Restoration by Maritime Industries.” (Photo on the right)

Participants take a commemorative photo after finishing the “2023 Rooting for Resilience” seminar on September 5 (local time).

The following day, on September 6 (local time), members of the Vietnam SV Alliance moved to the mangrove tree planting area to declare a full-fledged launch of the SV Alliance and had a plaque-unveiling ceremony to commemorate. Various institutions participated in the event, including members of SK Innovation, and they reaffirmed their commitment to restoring Vietnam’s green forests.

The Vietnam SV Alliance declares a full-fledged launch and takes a commemorative photo after finishing a plaque-unveiling ceremony on September 6 (local time).

Participants take a commemorative photo after the SV Alliance ceremony on September 6 (local time).

SK Innovation plans to deliver 2,000 “Intsia Bijuga” seedlings, known as an endangered mangrove species to the Soc Trang Province Forestry Office. This particular tree species is an endangered species that is no longer existent in other surrounding areas. An official from Soc Trang Province said, “Through the reforestation of Intsia Bijuga, we will preserve the beautiful nature of Soc Trang Province and protect the precious endangered species.”

Head of SK Innovation Value Creation Center Lim Su-kil (left) and the official of Soc Trang Province (right) take a commemorative photo on
September 6 (local time).

Despite the scorching hot, members of SK Innovation headed towards the volunteer site together for food and water services. Also, they planted around 1,000 mangrove seedlings, pooling their efforts.

SK Innovation affiliated volunteers engage in the Mangrove Reforestation Project at shrimp farms in Long Khanh commune, Duyen Hai Town, Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam on August 29 (local time).

The planting of mangrove saplings around shrimp farms in the Long Khanh area of Tra Vinh Province holds significance as it is to experiment for finding out the possibility of the coexistence of shrimp farms and mangroves in terms of the perspective of sustainable resource use. The government of Tra Vinh Province also holds high expectations for this endeavor.

SK Innovation affiliated volunteers take a commemorative photo after finishing planting mangrove saplings around shrimp farms in Long Khanh
commune, Duyen Hai Town, Tra Vinh Province on August 29 (local time).

Meanwhile, members of SK Innovation’s Ulsan Complex visited Vietnam on August 28 to engage in tree-planting volunteer activities.

SK Innovation affiliated volunteers engage in the Mangrove Reforestation Project at shrimp farms in Duyen Hai Town, Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam on
August 29 (local time).

After the completion of the mangrove forest planting volunteer work, volunteers visited Chu Van An Middle School that was located near the planting site. On this day, volunteers explained to the children why SK Innovation began restoring mangrove forests and provided environmental protection awareness education.

SK Innovation affiliated volunteers, along with the students of Chu Van An Middle School work together on various activities on August 29 (local
time).

Since 2018, SK Innovation has restored 188 hectares of forests. Upon the completion of this year’s project, the total restored area is expected to reach 226 hectares, which is equivalent to the size of 318 soccer pitches.

From now on, SK Innovation plans to actively engage in addressing issues related to biodiversity as part of its commitment to a sustainable environment (Green Innovation). With the participating institutions, the SV Alliance will continue to focus on generating environmental and social values globally.