Story & photos by Bernard L. Supetran
LEADING Thai cement firm Siam Cement Group Public Co. Ltd. (SCG) pushed anew for the adoption of earth-friendly systems and technologies into the mainstream at the recent SD Symposium in Bangkok to help drive Thailand and Southeast Asian region in attaining sustainable development and curbing the environmental crisis.
Themed, “Circular Economy—Collaboration for Action,” the one-day forum gathered over 1,500 participants and 45 stakeholder groups from the government, private sector, community undertakings, experts and producers of earth-friendly products.
Circular economy is the use of resources in the value chain and increased efficiency of waste management, raw materials, expired products and energy to return to the resources circulated in the system using appropriate processes.
“SCG is committed to the Circular economy and started last year with ourselves. Now we are collaborating full force and we have generated more than 40 partnerships. Most important, we started to have a lot of communities that have declared themselves as a zero-waste community. We want to make this kind of change to ensure that we have a sustainable future, not only for Thailand but also for the Asean economy,” said SCG President and CEO Roongrote Rangsiyopash.
He said that since its founding in 1913, SCG has been driving sustainable development in Thailand and the Asean region by promoting balance between society, environment and business.
“More public awareness and behavioral transition in manufacturing and consumption to regenerative practices must occur along every value chain. Only with cooperation can the circular economy become a reality,” he added.
Rangsiyopash pointed out that the key areas for collaboration are on sustainable business particularly with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the United Nations (UN), and the Thai Chamber of Commerce, as well as cooperative efforts on ocean waste, better living quality of people in communities and industrial waste management.
Initiated in 2010, the Thailand SD Symposium has created an extensive collaborative network in the country, the Asean region, and international organizations which foster the operations in various sectors for the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The annual forum featured talks from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging (Ceflex), and Swedish furniture retail giant Ikea on accelerating the circular economy.
The event also included breakout sessions on Thailand Waste Management Way Forward, Transformation to the Circular Built Environment, and Partnerships for Circular Economy, with industry experts which tackled sector-specific measures.
The symposium concluded with the presentation of the four-point Strategic Proposal Presentation for Thailand Waste Management by SCG Vice Chairman Sumet Tantivejkul to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha for appropriate action.
The action plan includes infrastructure overhaul to support waste management, promoting the business sector to manufacture products conducive to recycling, raising of public awareness to reduce waste generation and increase recycling, and strict law enforcement.
“I am very pleased to see the efforts of all sectors brainstorming to seek a solution. The government will work on improving infrastructure and make it more conducive to businesses’ transition, coupled with encouraging consumer’s behavioral changes. Therefore, the business sector must focus on improving the manufacturing process as well as developing the business models that integrate innovations,” Chan-ocha said.
The said action plan will complement the Thai government’s National Solid Waste Management Master Plan (2016-2021), and Roadmap for Plastic Waste Management (2018-2037).
“The country development based on the circular economy under the integrated network of all sectors will boost the country’s competitiveness and economy expansion with less dependence on resources. This is to improve lives and society without passing a burden to our children. I, as the government leader, will bring what you share and brainstorm today to the relevant government agencies for further implementation, as well as raising awareness among the public together to put it into action,” he added.
SCG has adopted the circular economy principles and put it into “SCG Circular way” practices by committing to the optimum usage of resources ranging from production to consumption and recovery processes.
In 2018, it has converted about 313,000 tons of industrial wastes into renewable raw materials and 131,000 tons into fuel substitutes. It also aims to reduce the production of single-use plastics from 46 percent to 20 percent, and increase the proportion of recyclable plastic packaging to 100 percent by 2025.
As part of its environmental commitment, greenhouse-gas emissions during SCG’s seven events of SD Symposium totalling to 296 tons of carbon dioxide had been offset by carbon offset projects comprising the bioenergy project and the waste heat reuse for cement production.
The company’s road to sustainable development formally started in 1991 with the adoption of its Environmental Conservation and Sustainability Policy, and subsequent programs have made it a corporate social responsibility and sustainable business direction, culminating in 2010 with the SD Symposium which highlighted multisectoral collaboration.
Established in 1913 by a royal decree of King Rama VI to produce cement, SCG has since grown continually and diversified into cement-building materials, chemicals and packaging in Southeast Asia. It is the largest and oldest cement and building material firm in Thailand and the region, and was ranked in 2016 by Forbes as the country’s second-largest and the world’s 604th-largest public company.
In 2011, it was named by FinanceAsia as among Asia’s Best Companies, which included Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award and Best Corporate Governance Award.