27091 - Antara HCMC

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Environmental & Social Review Summary

Project Number

27091

Company Name

PREFERRED FREEZER SERVICES VIETNAM LIMITED

Date ESRS Disclosed

May 19, 2008

Country

Viet Nam

Region

East Asia and the Pacific

Last Updated Date

Jun 3, 2021

Environmental Category

B - Limited

Status

Completed

Previous Events

Approved : Jan 29, 2009
Signed : Mar 5, 2009
Invested : Mar 26, 2009

Sector

Storage (Including Agricultural Products)

Industry

Infrastructure

Department

Gbl Infrastructure & Natural Resources

Project Description

The Antara HCMC project is a greenfield project which includes construction and operation of a cold storage facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The project site is located fifteen minutes from the center of Ho Chi Minh City, next to both the Phu My Bridge (under construction) and existing and planned port facilities. The planned facility will use a cascading ammonia refrigeration system, and aims to be environmentally friendly with a zero-carbon footprint. Antara relies on Preferred Freezer Services, Inc, a leading US operator of full service refrigerated warehouses for development and implementation of its management systems including environmental and social, operational policies and procedures and certification programs.

Overview of IFC's Scope of Review

The scope of review of Antara’s compliance with IFC’s Performance Standards and local environmental, social and occupational health and safety standards, included assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s environmental and social management system for its proposed construction and operation of a cold storage facility and its ability to ensure and monitor compliance with regulatory requirements and IFC’s Performance Standards in its operations. The review relied on documents and reports made available by Antara and interviews conducted by IFC staff during their site visit. The IFC team also visited the proposed construction site, facilities operated by competitors in Ho Chi Minh City and facilities owned and operated by Preferred Freezer Services in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA.

E & S Project Categorization and Applicable Standard

While all Performance Standards are applicable to this investment, IFC’s environmental and social due diligence indicates that the investment will have impacts which must be managed in a manner consistent with the following Performance Standards:

- PS 1: Social and Environmental Assessment and Management System
- PS 2: Labor and Working Conditions
- PS 3: Pollution Prevention and Abatement

Issues relating to PS4: Community Health Safety and Security - Impacts or risks to neighbors in the industrial zone are marginal. Adequate engineering and operational controls will be provided to mitigate any risks from a cascading ammonia-carbon dioxide refrigeration system; PS5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement - Warehouse facility is located in a long established government industrial zone leased from the Ho Chi Minh City People''s Committee; PS6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management; PS7: Indigenous Peoples and PS8: Cultural Heritage are not applicable to this project.

This is a Category B project according to IFC’s Procedure for Environmental and Social Review of Projects because it may create a limited number of specific environmental and social impacts that can be avoided or mitigated by adhering to generally recognized performance standards, guidelines, or design criteria. Operation of Antara’s cold storage facilities will generate small quantities of solid waste in the form of packaging materials, wooden pallets, etc. and sanitary effluents, all of which will be adequately managed in compliance with Vietnamese regulatory requirements. The project will create jobs and other opportunities for local communities, and has no adverse environmental or social impacts.

Environmental and Social Mitigation Measures

Antara has presented plans to address these impacts to ensure that the proposed project will upon implementation of the specific agreed measures, comply with the environmental and social requirements - host country laws and regulations and IFC Performance Standards. The information about how these potential impacts will be addressed by Antara is summarized in the paragraphs that follow.

- Social and Environmental Assessment and Management Systems:

Antara is working on identifying and developing a management team for its operations in Vietnam. When Antara begins operations in 2009, the company will have in place a certifiable and integrated management system which will include Environmental, Social, Health and Safety (EH&S) functions. Development and implementation of the management system will be with assistance from Preferred Freezer Services (PFSA). As part of its integrated management system, Antara will establish and maintain a Social and Environmental Management System that will incorporate the following elements:

- Social and Environmental Assessment;
- management program;
- organizational capacity;
- training;
- community engagement;
- monitoring; and
- reporting.

The management system will be consistent with requirements of ISO 14001/OHSAS 18001 and HACCP certification systems. It is expected that the facility will achieve ISO and HACCP certification during the first year of its operations. As a first step, Antara will appoint a qualified individual at the corporate level to coordinate and provide oversight of regulatory compliance and implementation of ESH&S activities.

Consistent with Vietnamese regulatory requirements for obtaining construction permits and operational licenses, Antara has completed an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the facility. Pending finalization of the ESIA, the ESIA has received conditional approval from the local regulatory authorities and indicates that no mitigation measures are required prior to commencement of the project.

Training of key staff and operators will be conducted by PFS staff at their facilities in the United States, and subsequently in Vietnam on compliance and other local regulatory requirements. As required by local regulations, Antara will provide external status reports such as those for environmental and health and safety performance to the relevant government authorities, who, in turn, may disseminate information to the public, as necessary.

-Labor and Working Conditions:

Antara will employ 90 full time employees including 30 to 40 employees in warehousing operations. Labor practices and working conditions, including occupational health and safety, at Antara’s operations will comply with Vietnam regulatory requirements. Antara will adopt a human resources policy that sets out its approach to managing employees consistent with the requirements of local regulatory requirements and IFC''s Performance Standard 2. Under the policy, Antara will provide employees with information regarding their rights under national labor and employment law, including their rights related to wages and benefits. This policy will be clear and understandable to employees and will be explained and made accessible to each employee upon taking employment. All employees in the company will have to undergo a full training program at induction and subsequently on worker health and safety relevant to their job activity. Subcontractors will be expected to comply with all Antara labor requirements specified in contractual arrangements.

-Pollution Prevention and Abatement:

Effluent generated at Antara’s cold storage facility will include sanitary wastewater, limited quantities of process related wastewater and storm water. Commingled sanitary and process wastewater will be treated in an onsite wastewater treatment system. The wastewater system has been designed to comply with local regulatory requirements, and will meet IFC guidelines for the direct discharge of treated wastewater to surface water. To the extent possible treated effluent will be recycled / reused within the facility for irrigation and other non-potable use. Excess treated effluent that cannot be reused will be disposed under contract with a licensed waste disposal vendor. Design of the cold storage facility will include a storm water collection and controlled discharge system. The storm water collection system will include necessary design considerations and engineering controls to capture contaminants typically associated with run off from parking lots and logistics support areas.

Solid waste from Antara facilities will primarily comprise of discarded packaging materials including cardboard, pallets, etc. Minor maintenance and associated activity from routine operations is expected to produce limited quantities of hazardous waste which include used batteries, motor oils etc. These wastes will be disposed by licensed waste disposal companies in a manner consistent with local regulatory requirements. Solid wastes generated from construction activities will be disposed by licensed waste disposal companies as well. Necessary management and engineering controls will be provided to manage construction related issues such as traffic management, dust control, erosion, etc.

Emissions to the atmosphere from the Antara cold storage facilities will primarily include emissions from diesel fueled generators that provide back up power during power outages. Emission from the generator will be monitored for compliance with local regulatory requirements as well as consistency with applicable IFC guidelines.

Electricity is bought from the local electricity distribution grid. The consumption of electricity for the facility is estimated to be about 6,570,000 kWh/ year, resulting in indirect emission of about 6,500 tons of CO2 equivalents annually. All water used at the facility will be obtained from the HCMC water supply system and is mainly used in evaporators, housekeeping and sanitary usage. Annual water usage is expected to be 1,400 m3 for sanitary use, and about 13,900 m3 for cooling towers. Potable water will be treated and monitored to ensure compliance with local regulatory requirements for potable water and use in food storage and handling facilities.

The refrigeration system for the facility consists of cascading ammonia – carbon dioxide system which provides for CFC free operation, energy efficiency and enhanced safety from early leak detection. The primary refrigerant will be ammonia, and the secondary refrigerant will be carbon dioxide. Plans for emergency preparedness and response will be included in the health and safety plans for the facility. All facilities will be equipped with fire fighting and suppression systems. Facilities will be audited annually by Vietnam regulatory authorities for compliance with life and fire safety.

Stakeholder Engagement

No local communities will be significantly affected by environmental risks or impacts from Antara''s operations of a cold storage facility in an industrial zone adjacent to port facilities in Ho Chi Minh City. Antara’s operations create jobs and other opportunities for local communities, and have no adverse social impacts. As a result, no formal information dissemination activities have so far been undertaken. Notwithstanding, as part of its ESMS program, Antara will establish methods for communicating environmental and social aspects to external interested parties and maintain procedures for receiving, documenting and responding to concerns from any external interested parties relating to the project.

For more information contact:
Winston Barrie, Managing Director
Antara (Vietnam) Co., Ltd.
P.O.Box 079 Saigon Central Post Office
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 8 910-2032; Fax: +84 8 910-2033
E-mail: antara@sbcglobal.net

Client Documentation

File Name	Actions
ESAP.pdf

**Information on IFC's Policy and Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability can be found at www.ifc.org/sustainability

IFC supports its clients in addressing environmental and social issues arising from their business activities by requiring its real sector clients to set up and administer appropriate grievance mechanisms and/or procedures to address complaints from Affected Communities in relation to environmental and social issues arising from IFC's clients' business activities. Since 2012, IFC's Financial Intermediary clients applying the Performance Standards are required to develop External Communications Mechanisms to receive and review inquiries or complaints from any interested party regarding the E&S risks and impacts of their operations.

For IFC projects that are active or under consideration, individual(s), or their authorized representative(s), who allege they have been or will be adversely affected by E&S risks or impacts arising from IFC's clients' business activities, may submit a complaint to IFC directly for consideration. When receiving an E&S complaint, IFC engages with complainants and works with its clients to find solutions to E&S concerns as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Complaints can be submitted to IFC online at www.ifc.org/escomplaints or by email to EScomplaints@ifc.org.

IFC complaint response is separate from and complementary to IFC’s clients’ project level grievance mechanisms and IFC’s Independent Accountability Mechanism (CAO). Lodging a complaint directly with IFC does not, at any time, restrict access to CAO.

Affected communities have unrestricted access to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent accountability mechanism for IFC and MIGA. CAO facilitates the resolution of complaints related to IFC and MIGA projects and sub-projects, undertakes reviews of IFC’s and MIGA’s environmental and social compliance, fosters public accountability for their commitments, and enhances the environmental and social performance of IFC and MIGA.

Independent of IFC and MIGA management and reporting directly to the IFC and MIGA Boards of Executive Directors, CAO helps resolve issues raised about the environmental and social impacts of projects through a neutral, collaborative, problem-solving approach via its Dispute Resolution function. It also reviews IFC’s and MIGA’s compliance with environmental and social policies, assesses related harm, and recommends remedial actions through its Compliance function. Additionally, CAO provides advice to IFC, MIGA, and their Boards to enhance environmental and social sustainability performance and minimize the risk of harm.

Complaints may relate to environmental and social harm regarding any aspect of the planning, implementation, or impact of a project or sub-project, and can be made by any individual, group, community, entity, or other party affected or likely to be affected by the environmental or social impacts of an IFC- or MIGA-financed business activity.

Complaints can be submitted by any of the following methods:

Online form: available at https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/
Mail/Hand Delivery to: 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA
Voice mail: +1 202 458 1973
Email: cao@worldbankgroup.org
SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal: +1 202 650 2627

CAO receives and addresses complaints in accordance with the CAO Policy, which can be accessed at: https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/policies-guidelines.

This Environmental and Social Review Summary (ESRS) is prepared by IFC to disclose its findings and recommendations related to environmental and social considerations regarding potential investments. Its purpose is to enhance the transparency of IFC's activities. For any project documentation or data included or attached herein, whether prepared by the project sponsor or otherwise, authorization has been given for public release by the project sponsor. IFC considers that this ESRS is of adequate quality for release to the public, but has not necessarily independently verified all of the project information therein.
It is distributed in advance of IFC Board of Directors' consideration and may be periodically updated thereafter. Board dates are estimates only and this document should not be construed as presuming the outcome of the Board Directors’ decision. The following ESRS is disclosed in accordance with IFC's Access to Information Policy (AIP).

The map is for illustrative purposes and does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the World Bank, concerning the legal status of any country or territory or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries. Country borders or names do not necessarily reflect the World Bank Group's official position. In some cases, available project location information is limited to the country of the project's activities. Locations are approximate.

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