OREANDA-NEWS. November 9, 2011. In February 2009, ASTARTA concluded an agreement with Carbon Fund of the European bank of reconstruction and development (EBRD) and European Investment bank to sell Emission Reduction Units under Kyoto protocol. The agreement is the result of implementation of an integrated energy saving program, financed by EBRD and retained earnings of the Group. Significant decrease of energy consumption at ASTARTA's sugar plants allowed to increase their efficiency as well as significantly reduce emissions.

Currently, project of the Joint implementation has been successfully put into effect at two sugar plants, that allowed to attract additional financial recourses to be used for further modernization of the production. Next phase would be related to implementation of the project "Energy saving program" at plants of the Group.

It is important to note, that ASTARTA was the first sugar-producing company in Ukraine, that participates in the realization of the joint implementation program under Kyoto protocol.

Since 1997, Ukraine is a party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. On March 15, 1999 Ukraine signed the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention, and on February 4, 2004 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted it. These international agreements became the components of the national legislation of Ukraine.