News of chemical leaks and pollution caused by industrial plants has tarnished the reputation of the industrial sector. Factories are often demonised as the destroyers of the environment and livelihoods of local people.

However, some plants have managed to reverse the notoriety and proved they can operate side by side with local communities.

A company in Map Ta Phut has set out to show that factories do not have to be the enemy of communities and the environment.

In fact, Sak Chaisidhi Co, a manufacturer of a high-grade hydrocarbon solvent, is making sure that green space is the rule, not exception, for the company.

Based in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong's Muang district, the firm employs 53 staff members. It is small by the industry's standard but the nature of what it produces has led many to think it is unfriendly to the people and the natural surroundings.

A large space, spanning over a rai, inside the factory is kept cool even in the midday heat thanks to a canopy afforded by large trees and plants grown there. They are set against the backdrop of refinery facilities towering over the industrial estate.

The company has two adjacent land plots -- one a 27-rai plot of land, which is the location of the distillation plant and the other, a 29-rai of plot of land for office buildings. Solar panels are fitted on the buildings' rooftops which generate power for the office.

The one-rai green spot is also home to a variety of birds. Water from the factory is treated before it is released into a man-made stream which flows around the premises with many breeds of fish swimming in it.

There is an area where crops are grown and staff and guests can try their hands mixing organic fertiliser.

It doubles as a learning centre for making compost, which is opened to the employees' families as well as people from the nearby communities.

Ampon Singsakda, managing director of Sak Chaisidhi Co, leads the way in getting employees to embrace the green approach, believing no workplace should neglect its value.

He said the company should be the staff members' second home set in a relaxing and refreshing scenery, which would bode well for employees' productivity.

He noticed the employees are generally in a good mood and they stay focused better and longer, which improves their teamwork.

According to Mr Ampon, his employees rarely skip work or cause trouble inside or outside of the firm. The company "is one big family", he said.

"The environment in the communities must come before profits," Mr Ampon stressed.

A nursery in the company's premises is full of small plants that will be grown in public places. photos by Nauvarat Suksamran

The employees also regularly visit people in the neighbourhood and conduct environmental protection activities with them.

Back in the office buildings, the company believed there was a long-term benefit in investing in solar panels despite their steep price tag.

Komgrit Hitopakorn, the company's general manager in charge of CSR, said although solar cells are expensive, they do not put a strain on natural resources and the environment.

Conceding it will be a long while before the solar cell investment breaks even, he stressed the firm's priority lies with environmental conservation.

The company has also acquired a high-capacity water treatment system because the treated water will eventually be emptied into natural canals.

Industrial waste, meanwhile, is picked up by other firms to be disposed of.

"The employees' key idea, which mirrors the company's main policy, is to be responsible for society and the environment," Mr Komgrit said. "We are concerned about what would impact the community."

The company allocates time to employees to take care of trees and the environmental atmosphere in the factory's compound, such as trimming tree branches and cultivating crops.

The firm has a learning centre for organic fertiliser production where the families of employees as well as the locals can attend and take back home knowledge about what it takes to adopt an organic farming practice, Mr Komgrit said.

Plants and seedlings cultivated in a nursery are also moved to be grown in public places, such as the road islands and the open areas in the industrial estate.

"We let the employees present ideas for the community development projects," said Mr Komgrit, adding the company is keen to roll out a model of environmentally friendly factories which could be emulated throughout the country.

The company set out clear guidelines on how to work with communities, he added.

The efforts by Sak Chaisidhi Co to forge a bond between the firm and the locals and its contribution to the environment has earned it several accolades, including the prestigious Project of Good Governance (White Flag, Green Star) award.

Today, various awards and accreditation provide a guarantee that the recipient factories are committed to protection of the environment.

One of the on-going projects Sak Chaisidhi Co has undertaken with the local community is the mangrove restoration programme in Ban Prasae of Klaeng district of Rayong. The shoreline, once almost depleted of the mangrove trees due to encroachment, is being restored. It is one of the biggest mangrove forests in the eastern coast.

Prasae municipality mayor Chairat Chaiyo, who is a core coordinator of the mangrove reforestation scheme, said a good example has been set by the industrial business which has environmental concerns in mind.

In the past, the mangrove forest in Ban Prasae was encroached on by shrimp farms and a large swath of the area was destroyed and later abandoned. It would have been very difficult for the locals to proceed with the mangrove reforestation alone, Mr Chairat said.

Over the past decade, more factories in Rayong have shifted gear as they involved local residents and their employees in the reforestation projects.

The mangrove reforestation has added green space in Rayong, making this industrial province more liveable. Locals have also been instilled with a sense of protecting the environment.

"Sak Chaisidhi's employees and their family members as well as people in the communities regularly take part in mangrove reforestation," Mr Chairat said. "Now, the very first batch of mangrove seedlings they planted has now grown into mature trees."

More aquatic animals have spawned along the shoreline with the expanded mangrove forests providing them with food and natural shelter.

The mangrove trees also hold off sea waves from crashing into shore, he said, adding the plan was to grow more trees on other coastal plots every year.

"Ban Prasae residents, who live their lives in the mangrove forest land, and the company employees are like family, who take care of the babies together, which are the trees, from the beginning until they mature," Mr Chairat said.

Komgrit Hitopakorn, general manager of Sak Chaisidhi Co in charge of CSR, shows a stream where water from the factory flows after treatment. The water is safe for fish to live and spawn.

Company staff make their way to the coast to re-plant mangrove trees.