KT&G
is expanding its efforts to fight desertification in Mongolia by creating
SangSang Forest in Argalant, following earlier efforts in Ulaanbaatar.
In
Argalant, the KT&G Welfare Foundation’s Agriculture & Forestry Center
will plant 10,000 Siberian elms, known for their resilience in harsh
environments such as Mongolia, and install an irrigation system to establish
sustainable environmental infrastructure.
The
foundation will also partner with the nonprofit organization Green Asia Network
to educate locals and hire them as on-site employees. With these measures, the
local residents will be tasked with tree planting and irrigation to ensure
continued maintenance and growth of the SangSang Forest.
The Argalant SangSang Forest is funded through the SangSang
Fund, a donation program created by voluntary contributions from KT&G
employees. Established in 2011, the SangSang Fund is KT&G’s social
contribution initiative, where employees voluntarily donate a portion of their
monthly salary, and the company matches their contributions through a matching
grant program. Since
2022, KT&G has established SangSang Forests in Ulaanbaatar on three
separate occasions to prevent desertification across Mongolia.
A spokesperson of the KT&G Welfare Foundation stated, “We expanded the
SangSang Forest project to tackle climate change and support the preservation
of Mongolian ecosystem. We will continue fulfilling our social responsibility
as global corporate citizens through various initiatives, including our focus
on improving global environmental issues and carrying out social contribution
activities tailored to each country.”
KT&G also signed an MOU with the Asian Forest Cooperation
Organization (AFoCO) to facilitate forest management and mitigate the impact of
climate change in Asia. These efforts include recovery and prevention
activities in the Abai Province in eastern Kazakhstan, where a large-scale
wildfire broke out in 2023, as well as mangrove forestation initiatives in
Indonesia.
KT&G Welfare Foundation staff and initiative members who participated in the SangSang Forest’s tree planting activity on May 10 have gathered to take a commemorative photograph.
(Photo 2) KT&G is creating SangSang
Forest in Argalant to tackle deforestation in Mongolia.
The photograph shows
KT&G Welfare Foundation staff and initiative members planting trees for the
SangSang Forest project on May 10.
