Tbilisi: Wissol To Continue Green Initiatives

WISSOL TO CONTINUE GREEN INITIATIVES

The FINANCIAL
0/06/2008 17:14
Georgia

Throughout the whole hot summer season Wissol plans to continue its
Unleaded Future campaign with green initiatives by the coast of the
Black Sea. So wait for surprises and the ‘Green Inspector’ to find
you on the beach.

Pirveli Card holders will benefit the most so while packing your
suitcase don’t forget to grab the first cumulative discount card for
physical clients in Georgia that awards for loyalty. The FINANCIAL
talked to Nino Dgvepadze, the Marketing Director of Wissol Petroleum
Georgia, to know more about the surprises the company promises for
the summer season.

Q. On June 5 Wissol joined the World Environment Day celebration
and started its grand campaign Unleaded Future, what activities are
planned to continue the campaign?

A. Our green initiative will cover the whole Adjara seaside. In
addition we will surprise our card holders as well but I’ll keep the
details secret for a while longer. The card will be useful not only
during your travels but all over the Adjara region.

As for the World Environment Day celebration this year it was dedicated
to the problem of climate change. Wissol Group, one of the biggest
business groups in Georgia, is the leader in the energy sector. Thus
it acknowledges the importance of contributing to the development of
society at large and implements policies and projects that affect
and concern all of the stakeholders. The organizer of the Marathon
and bicycle race was Wissol Petroleum Georgia in cooperation with the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) representation in Georgia
and with the patronage of the Ministry of Environment Protection and
Natural Resources.

The project partners included: Renault, CENN, REC, World Vision and
the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (AmCham). Media partners:
Rustavi 2, Kviris Palitra, The FINANCIAL newspaper, The Georgian
Business Week, GBC, Georgia Today, Georgian Times, Autobuild, Focus
and Names ( Sakhelebi).

Levan Pkhakadze, one of the founders of Wissol and the Deputy
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, took part in the bicycle race
inspiring others to join. World Vision’s David Womble and students,
journalists, representatives from international organizations, the
Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources and others
took part in the race.

In compliance with Wissol philosophy environmental issues are one
of the top priorities for the company. We strongly believe that no
company can state to be socially responsible without accepting its
responsibility to the health and safety of its customers, employers
and the community in which it operates. This is the reason why Wissol
made the strategic decision to import the highest quality Italian fuel
to the Georgian market notwithstanding high transportation costs. We
work to supply stable environmentally less polluting products to the
market that means the fuel we import is unleaded and all the components
correspond to modern European standards. Our partner is SGS laboratory
which has equipment of the highest standards and professional staff
to make sophisticated quality tests of our fuel after it crosses the
border. In 2006 International certification body SGS granted the ISO
9001:2000 quality management certificate to Wissol for its outstanding
quality management processes. It is very important to state that only
importing quality products without applying sophisticated quality
control procedures does not mean that the end-customers are getting
the same quality that was started with. A Quality Control laboratory,
the right procedures and permanent control of oil terminals and the
reservoirs at stations are decisive to ensuring that the quality you
get from the source reaches the customers. These are the milestones
the company stands on.

Q. Wissol was general sponsor of the Caucasus Cup in bicycle racing,
how active is the company in sport development in the country?

A. Yes, Tbilisi hosted the Caucasus Cup in bicycle racing on 10-13
June, where two Georgian teams, Turkish, Azeri and Armenian teams
were racing for victory.

Wissol took the strategic decision to intensify its commitment to
sport development in Georgia and encourage healthy lifestyle in the
country. Thus the company started building two rugby stadiums and
one cycle track last month in the Dighomi district and acquired
the legendary rugby club Kochebi as well. Established in 1959 at
the Polytechnic Institute by the legendary Jak Aspetian, Rugby Club
Kochebi has been winner of the Georgian National Rugby Championship
three times since the independence of the country, is three times
winner of the sevens rugby National Championship and one time winner
of the Georgian Rugby Cup.

Q. What are the key social responsibility issues that the company is
focused on?

A. Wissol contributes to the development of the country through
paying taxes to the State Budget. In the meantime it acknowledges the
importance of contributing to the development of society at large,
thus implementing policies and projects that affect and concern all
stakeholders.

We value the trust our customers have placed in us and work to
safeguard this trust through permanent market research and customer
satisfaction surveys. We work to identify and respond to the needs
and demands of our customers by offering service products innovations
to the Georgian market.