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  Business Times 6 Apr 07
Origin-ator of eco-friendly pest control business
by Pamela Chew

A PEST control business winning even one award for being environment-friendly might sound a bit of a contradiction, but not so for the family-owned company Origin Exterminators which has taken two awards for being eco-friendly.

In an industry that relies heavily on toxic chemicals for pest control, Origin has stood out against using traditional pesticides but still manages to act effectively against infestations.

Origin is a trailblazer in the industry, and says it is the first in the world to achieve the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification.

And its efforts to sustain the environment were further validated last month when Origin won an award for best environmental reporting at the Singapore Green Summit. The award acknowledged the firm's success in transparent accounting and promoting environmental awareness in its business.

Origin develops eco-friendly pest management methods ranging from general services such as termite baiting to mosquito and rodent management for the residential sector, to more tailored and specific solutions for businesses.

One of the green alternatives Origin uses in its war against pests is a water-based misting method of pesticide dispersal. Unlike the traditional fogging method, misting reduces air pollution significantly.

And Origin believes that other businesses can be profitable by going 'green' too.

As a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), Origin takes in about $8 million in annual turnover. While the company did not want to divulge its profits in detail, it said that profit takings are healthy enough for the bulk of it to be reinvested in research and development (R&D).

Director and head of R&D Carl Baptista said that businesses have to look at being eco- friendly from a different angle.

'Companies think that by going green, it may eat at their profits, but look at it this way - by going green, they would be targeting customers who appreciate the importance of sustaining the environment, and increasingly there are more of these people around,' he said.

There are some notable names in Origin's clientele. Hotels Ritz Carlton Millenia and Conrad Centennial, pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, the Singapore Zoological Gardens, the National Parks Board and various town councils.

The company emphasises that it does more than just render a service. Origin business development manager Deanne Ong said the pest control business is more than just spraying pesticides and killing pests.

'Anyone can just spray pesticides, but to control the pests well, you need to know when, where, why, and how to use it, so as to not harm the environment and affect the biodiversity,' Mrs Ong said.

Mr Baptista added: 'If you have a mosquito problem, we'll deal with them specifically and customise our methods so as to preserve other species of insects within the affected area. 'For instance, the Istana had a mosquito problem but they wanted to keep the cicadas chirping. . . . so we came in and developed a treatment that delivers the desired results.'

Origin's ability to kill pests while preserving biodiversity has seen luxury resorts knocking on its door for consultancy services.

'In the last four years, I've been a consultant for eco-friendly pest control methods for resorts under the Como and One&Only brands in the Maldives and Bali. . . . and in Mauritius, the national environment agency sought advice on methods to contain a vector- borne disease similar to dengue which was threatening tourism,' Mr Baptista said.

Origin has employed green practices for over a decade and it is no longer a conscious effort for the company. 'We started using green methods not only because ethically we felt it was right, but also because we thought it'd be a great marketing tool to differentiate ourselves from the competition. . . We did have sceptics, even within the company, but now being green is part of our idealogy,' Mr Baptista said.
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