The environment is a fundamental aspect of Our Mission, Company Policy, Core Values, Code of Conduct, and CSR commitments. UPG P&C operates under an Integrated Management System (IMS) that includes the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System (EMS). Since adopting ISO 14001 EMS in 2008, the company has been consistently enhancing its environmental performance by analyzing, setting, implementing, and evaluating annual environmental objectives and targets. In 2018, UPG P&C received the ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award 2018, for its two environmentally friendly and energy saving products.
In November 2023, we launched a renewal energy project called ‘Solar System Project’ at our factory, aiming to integrate renewable energy into our operations. The primary objectives of this project are to reduce our carbon footprint by decreasing both direct and indirect CO2 emissions, reduce the use of biofuels in our own power generation, promote the use of sustainable energy sources, minimize the environmental impact of our activities, and enhance environmental awareness among our stakeholders. The project involves the installation of solar panels with a generation capacity of 359.1 kW DC/ 300 kW AC.
In 2025, our Yangon factory, the main source of our energy consumption, consumed a total of 996,619 kWh of electricity. This comprised 473,820 kWh of government-supplied electricity, 229,299 kWh of electricity generated on-site using diesel during power outages, and 293,500 kWh of solar-generated electricity. Renewable electricity represented approximately 29.45% of total electricity consumption, while non-renewable sources represented approximately 70.55%.
| No. | Electricity | Classification | 2024 (kWh) | 2025 (kWh) | Change (kWh) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Government-supplied electricity | Non-renewable | 367,630 | 473,820 | +106,190 | +28.89% |
2 | On-site diesel-generated electricity | Non-renewable | 411,594 | 229,299 | −182,295 | −44.29% |
Non-renewable subtotal | 779,224 | 703,119 | −76,105 | −9.77% | ||
3 | Solar-generated electricity | Renewable | 265,440 | 293,500 | +28,060 | +10.57% |
Total electricity consumption | 1,044,664 | 996,619 | −48,045 | −4.60% | ||
Total electricity consumption decreased by 48,045 kWh, or approximately 4.60%, compared with 2024. Although government-supplied and solar-generated electricity increased, the overall reduction resulted primarily from lower diesel-generated electricity consumption. Non-renewable energy consumption decreased by 76,105 kWh, or approximately 9.77%, while solar-generated electricity increased by 28,060 kWh, or approximately 10.57%.
Our solar energy systems comprise a 359.1 kW DC/300 kW AC installation commissioned in 2023 and an additional 100 kW AC installation commissioned in 2024. All solar-generated electricity was consumed in factory operations. We did not consume energy from any other fuel sources in 2025.
In 2025, our waste reduction targets were intensity based. These targets were verified by our internal Objectives and Target Initiative Team, which comprises a diverse group of internal experts led by the General Manager. The targets were: (1) To maintain effluent discharge quality with BOD ≤ 50 mg/l and COD ≤ 250 mg/l. We successfully achieved this target. (2) To reduce the volume of effluent discharged from our water-based paint plant to ≤ 11 m³ per 100 MT of production. This target was also achieved. (3) To reduce the volume of hazardous waste generated from our solvent-based paint plant to ≤ 20 kg per 100 MT of production. We met this target as well.
These progress reports are also submitted annually to the UNGC through UNGC CoP reports.
UPG Paint Factory generate both non-hazardous wastes and hazardous wastes.
These wastes include sediment from effluent tank, sludge from effluent treatment plant, scrap timber and saw dust, paper products and packaging materials, scrap metals (excluding lead), wooden pallets, kitchen and garden wastes, human excretion, and other inert wastes.
The wastes will include paint chemicals, laboratory chemicals, hydrocarbon wastes, paint solvents, spent batteries, asbestos and fiber glass, photocopier and printer ink, plastics, tiers, and other inert wastes.
UPG employs the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) strategy for waste management. The following wastes are reduced or reused. – Paper products and packaging materials, scrap metals, batteries, plastics, and tires. The plastic and paper wastes are recycling materials in Myanmar and are sold out to our contracted recyclers.
The hazardous wastes generated from the production of solvent-based paints, as well as those from the QC and R&D laboratories are collected in drums and stored at the scheduled waste storage area. Subsequently, they are disposed of in the Yangon City Development Council – YCDC’s designated landfill, following the IMS procedure outlined in the UP-CM07 Waste Management Manual.
In 2025, we generated a total of 41.60 metric tonnes of waste from our operations. This comprised 2.75 metric tonnes of hazardous waste and 38.85 metric tonnes of non-hazardous waste.
All 38.85 metric tonnes of non-hazardous waste were diverted from disposal through reuse and the sale of recyclable materials to recyclers. No hazardous waste was diverted from disposal. The entire 2.75 metric tonnes of hazardous waste was directed to disposal, while no non-hazardous or other waste was directed to disposal.
| Year | Non-Hazardous Waste (MT) | Hazardous Waste (MT) | Total Waste (MT) | Hazardous Waste % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 122.94 | 13.66 | 136.6 | 10% |
2023 | 105.33 | 12.4 | 117.73 | 117.73 |
UPG installed its own wastewater treatment plant at the factory to pretreat effluents. The details of the UPG’s wastewater treatment plant are as follows.
UPG is committed to minimizing single-use plastic within its operations. While we do not intentionally use single-use plastic, any unintentional usage is kept to a minimum. UPG is actively investigating our practices to identify and further reduce the usage of single-use plastic.
In 2025, our total water withdrawal was 10 megalitres, equivalent to 10 million litres. All water withdrawn during the year was consumed.
Groundwater was our only water source and was used for production and other operational purposes. It was obtained from the Company’s own groundwater well and reservoir located on the outskirts of Yangon. We discontinued the use of third-party water, including municipal tap water, due to supply shortages. Total water withdrawal and consumption decreased in 2025 following the downsizing of our operations.
Our 2025 target was to limit hazardous waste generation to no more than 20 kg per 100 metric tonnes of solvent-based production. We achieved this target, generating 9 kg of hazardous waste per 100 metric tonnes of production during the year.
UPG Paint Factory has potential sources of air pollution primarily include certain particulate matters, chemicals, solvent, as well as emissions from electricity generators, and vehicles. The factory is implementing emission control measures as follows.
Our 2025 target was to maintain ambient air quality, workplace air quality, and boiler stack emissions within the limits prescribed by the National Environmental Quality (Emission) Guidelines of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation. We achieved this target by maintaining the measured air-quality and emission levels within the applicable limits.
We measured the direct CO2 emissions from our factory, which were generated by our own generators during the blackouts. In 2025, the direct CO2 emissions from internal electricity generation at UPG’s factory amounted to 62 metric tons. The indirect CO2 emissions, based on our factory’s electricity consumption from the government supply in 2025, indirect CO2 emissions from the government electricity supply at UPG’s factory in 2025 were 289 metric tons.
| Year | Description | Metric Ton |
|---|---|---|
2025 | 2025 Direct CO2 Emissions (From Own Generation) | 62 |
Indirect CO2 Emissions (From Government Supply) | 289 |
In 2023, we withdrew and consumed groundwater for our production and miscellaneous needs, sourced from our own well-reservoir on the outskirts of Yangon. In 2023, we fully consumed all the withdrawn water. We did not engage in withdrawing and consuming other types of water. We do not operate our production at water stress areas.
| Year | Ground Water (Megaliter) | Third-Party Water (Megaliter) | Total Water (Megaliter) |
|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 15.66 | 0.34 | 16.01 |
2023 | 13.89 | – | 13.89 |
UPG Paint Factory has potential sources of air pollution primarily include certain particulate matters, chemicals, solvent, as well as emissions from electricity generators, and vehicles. The factory is implementing emission control measures as follows.
We measured the direct CO2 emissions from our factory, which were generated by our own generators during the blackouts. In 2023, the direct CO2 emissions from internal electricity generation at UPG’s factory amounted to 212 metric tons. The indirect CO2 emissions, based on our factory’s electricity consumption from the government supply in 2023, indirect CO2 emissions from the government electricity supply at UPG’s factory in 2023 were 594 metric tons.
| Year | Description | Metric Ton |
|---|---|---|
2023 | Direct CO2 Emissions (From Own Generation) | 212 |
Indirect CO2 Emissions (From Government Supply) | 594 |