Our core principle is to use resources wisely, and this commitment is evident in our daily activities. We strive to reduce emissions, prevent pollution and waste, and minimise energy usage. At ViTrox, we produce pesticide-free agricultural products, prepare food ingredients at V-Veggie Salon, provide earth-friendly meals to our people, sell locally grown vegetables, convert food waste into enzymes and harvest rainwater with eco ponds.
V-Farm Programme
We have a greenhouse, farm and herb garden at ViTrox to produce pesticide-free vegetables, fruits and herbs. The products are harvested and post-processed for the V-Meal programme, a free lunch meal benefit for all employees. Therefore, by producing our own locally grown vegetables and fruits, we reduce the carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels for transportation and logistics. No plastic packaging is required when we harvest vegetables and fruits straight from our facilities, which also reduces fossil fuel inputs.
In 2023, our V-Farm programme continued to yield a total of 3,884.2kg of pesticide-free and chemical-free vegetables, herbs and fruits. Out of 3,884.2kg, we utilised 2,804.9kg and the balance of 1,079.3kg of the agricultural products in our in-house V-Meal programme and V-Green Selling Corner, respectively.
V-Veggie Salon
V-Veggie Salon is a corner set up for food preparation. We clean, cut, peel and process food ingredients there and encourage our people to participate in this daily activity.
V-Meal Programme
As the global livestock industry is known as one of the main contributors to Greenhouse Gas (“GHG”) emissions, V-Meal effectively reduces our carbon footprints, reduces deforestation and protects the lives of livestock, poultry and fish. The livestock industry requires significant natural resources and is responsible for about 14.5% of total human-made GHG emissions. Therefore, avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint on the planet and contribute to a more sustainable future for the planet.
Recognising the benefits, we provide earth-friendly meals to our employees, and all on-campus visitors enjoy the same menu. We have also extended earth-friendly meal serving to all corporate events and activities. In doing so, we served 177,635 earth-friendly meals to our people in 2023, effectively avoiding 546,255kg of carbon emissions, which is equivalent to saving 168,078m2 of forests and more than 60,028 livestock, poultry and fish.
Under the advice of our professional nutritionists, our chef team plans meatless menus in various cuisines to ensure a well-balanced diet. We mindfully select premium ingredients for use, such as Himalayan salt, parboiled rice, olive oil and brown sugar. To complement the set lunch, we serve healthy beverages, including fruit juice, enzyme drinks and grain beverages. We encourage our people to practise a meatless diet because it is not just about observing diet restrictions but instead making healthier substitutions. Our people continue to remain mindful of leaving a positive impact on our environment and physical health.
| Unit | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employees’ participation in V-Meal | % | 74.9 | 70.2 |
| Average number of earth-friendly meals served per day | meal | 642 | 728 |
| Number of earth-friendly meals served | meal | 155,844 | 177,635 |
| Increase in number of earth-friendly meals served | % | 33.5 | 14.0 |
| CO2 emissions avoided | kg | 479,279 | 546,255 |
In 2023, employee participation in the V-Meal programme decreased to 70.2% from 74.9% in the previous year. While ViTrox offers an earth-friendly diet plan that aligns with our commitment to sustainability, we understand that this dietary option may not be ideal for all preferences due to a variety of dietary restrictions and preferences. We recognise that adapting to new habits is a gradual process, and we support this transition with patience and understanding. We are fully aware that it takes time for our employees to align with our Company’s direction.
One remarkable way our leaders lead by example is by actively participating in the V-Meal programme, demonstrating their strong commitment to sustainable dining. They prioritise sustainability and serve as role models for these values, inspiring others throughout the organisation to embrace and adopt sustainable practices. This nurturing environment encourages acceptance of these sustainable practices and ensures a supportive atmosphere. Our ongoing commitment to the V-Meal programme remains resolute – to achieve a participation rate of at least 80.0% by 2024 and aim for a minimum of 85.0% by 2030. This reflects our dedication to sustainability and our belief in the positive impact it can have on the environment.
In 2023, ViTrox expanded our V-Meal initiative to include not only employees but also external participants, such as visitors and customers, broadening the programme’s reach. This expansion aims to inspire a larger community to embrace the V-Meal programme, thereby promoting healthier and more sustainable food choices. Our targets for the upcoming years are ambitious, seeking a 5.0% increase in overall participants by 2024 and a 15.0% increase by 2030 compared to 2023 figures. These goals underscore our dedication to environmental stewardship and highlight our efforts to enhance the V-Meal programme’s reach, ultimately fostering a more sustainable and inclusive dining culture at ViTrox.
V-Green Selling Corner
Besides promoting a healthy plant-based diet, we also encourage the consumption of local agricultural products by setting up a V-Green Selling Corner. Here, we sell homegrown and locally sourced vegetables and fruits to our people for their convenience and to minimise their needs for grocery shopping. These green habits may contribute to environmental conservation and preservation.
Zero Waste Agriculture
Zero Waste Agriculture transforms most of our organic waste into organic fertilisers, avoiding chemical processes or substances. We collect the organic food waste, including fruit waste and veggie scrap, from the kitchen, V-Veggie Salon, V-Green Selling Corner and V-Cafe, and turn the food waste into enzymes through the composting method. We composted 1,524.5kg of organic waste in 2023 that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. Our V-Enzyme Corner which provides a working space for enzyme-making activities from fruit waste produced a total enzyme of 52.5 litres in 2023.
Rainwater Harvesting and Eco Ponds
We water the landscape plants through our sustainable irrigation system. Rainwater harvesting and self-sustainable eco ponds reduce our reliance on water consumption from the direct supply. Rainwater is a great water source for plants and our irrigation system because it has no chemicals such as fluoride and chloramines, which will increase the chance of major health issues like thyroid problems, high blood pressure, etc. Therefore, harvested rainwater in the self-sustainable eco ponds directly ensures the quality of vegetables and fruits in our V-Farm and the health of our employees.
