A newly upgraded curing barn will allow British American Tobacco (BAT) Fiji to move away from diesel to a more sustainable fuel source.

It is set to have an impact on reducing carbon emissions by 428 tonnes annually at BAT Fiji’s leaf division in Votualevu, Nadi.

This was part of the company’s Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) programme to advance their environment and social initiatives.

The ESG initiatives, also include Project GreenEN, Alliance for Water Stewardship, and Grow+.

BAT Cluster General Manager South Pacific Vadim Maksimenko said it marked some major achievements for the business.

“The successful implementation of Project GreenEN came at a total investment of $1 million and was completed in the third quarter of this year,” Mr Maksimenko said.

“Project GreenEN will provide up to $200,000 in cost savings annually and will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Mr Maksimenko toured the leaf facility to see the work that the leaf team had done to enable their seed-to-consumer operation.

“Fiji is one of the very few countries where BAT undertakes leaf farming. It supports the growth of local agriculture, providing employment to approximately 1100 seasonal workers and hundreds of local farmers.”

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