"You can't solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level" - Albert Einstein

The ethos behind any venture into innovation stems from the desire to birth change and advance society. Stamicarbon is constantly breaking new ground and leading the quest for unique and dynamic approaches to sustainable development. The Ideas to Reality project is a case in point. This project stemmed from a desire to discover tenable ideas that could help the world feed itself and improve quality of life. A call was made in 2017 for Stamicarbon employees to submit ideas that embodied Stamicarbon's vision & mission: to help feed people and improve their quality of life. The idea must complement at least two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to which our Group has expressed its commitment (see Maire Tecnimont 2020 Sustainability Report).

The winner of the latest round of the competition is team Pro Soil. Naveen Kumar and Sumit Sachdeva, presented the idea to plant 8600 mangrove saplings in Sundarban, India. The project will help protect agricultural lands from damage by cyclones and high tides, prevent soil erosion, control pollution, reduce CO₂ and improve the livelihood of approximately 1,460 villagers. The Sundarban, a UNESCO world heritage site, is an area susceptible to cyclones. Cyclone Amphan which hit the region in 2020 was particularly devastating, sweeping away houses, livestock and leaving a lot of destruction in its wake. Hence the need for proactive action to mitigate the effects of these cyclones in the future.

There are many species of mangrove, and the most famous are characterized by their tall, skinny, stilt-like roots, called prop roots. These roots grow in a “tangle” that actually helps the trees withstand the daily rise and fall of tides. These structures also “cause sediments to settle out of the water,” falling at or near the roots, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration state that The roots “build up the muddy bottom” near the base of the trees, which actually stabilizes the coastline by reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves and tides, the government body noted. The Sundarban has witnessed four cyclones between 2019 and 2021. Research has shown that the solution to stemming this tide lies in long-term planning and adopting methods that will be well suited to the region and that will mitigate the effect of these storms.

This initiative would also seek to balance gender inequality and promote employment in the aquaculture and agricultural sector. The perennial problem of human-wildlife conflict would also be addressed by this noble initiative. With more and more of their habitat getting taken away from them by natural disasters, the wild animals have no choice left, but to enter 'human settlements in search of food and for migration. This project will adopt a four-pronged approach. Collect, Raise, Plant, and Monitor. In the first phase, 978 women would collect the seeds, those seeds would then be raised in
special nurseries. Then 1120 men and women will be engaged in the actual planting and eventual monitoring of the planted seedlings.

TIMING

• 2 Months ( Seed Implantation and bed preparation )
• 1 Month ( Plantation )
• 1 Month ( Fencing with Net to protect from household animals and for other monitoring purposes.

Stamicarbon is committed to supporting initiatives that are geared towards sustainable development, and ecological consciousness. Our support for this project is geared towards playing a role in ensuring a proper balance between human nature and our habitat. We pioneer with a higher purpose.
If you wish to donate to this cause, you can use the GoFundMe link attached below.

Donate here