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SCG TEAMS WITH 180 PARTNERS ADOPTING CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN TACKLING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCY OFFERING 4 SOLUTIONS TO SURVIVE DROUGHT, POVERTY, PM 2.5 DUST AND WASTE PROBLEM
9 November 2020 – Bangkok, Thailand and the World have hope again after facing global challenges including natural resource shortage, climate emergency, plastic waste from the Covid-19 lockdown, poverty and low quality of life and health problem caused by PM 2.5 dust. SCG and 180 partners adopt Circular Economy principles to solve problem sustainably. The four solutions need to work on urgently; 1. Solving drought with the circular water system, 2. Minimising PM 2.5 dust with 100% Zero-burning agriculture as well as allowing farmers to access to the agriculture machine to create a steady income, 3. Proposing plastic waste management to be a national agenda and 4. Seeking attention from the government to support the Green and Clean construction. The multi-sectoral collaboration prompts to expand networking and work with all sectors to bring about better living, riding out the global crisis and restoring the balance according to the Circular Economy principles.
Roongrote Rangsiyopash, SCG President and CEO and Tanawong Areeratchaku, Chairman of SCG Sustainable Development Committee together with 180 partners delight to announce the progress of driving the Circular Economy into the society at the SD Symposium 2020 “Circular Economy: Actions for Sustainable Future”. The symposium aims at brainstorming ideas in solving national and people on-going challenges such as how to relieve the impact of climate emergency, PM 2.5 dust, drought, flooding, natural resources shortage, the increasing of plastic waste from Covid-19 crisis. The multi-sectoral partnership has grown from 45 partners in the last year to 180 partners this year bringing various organisations to tackle pinpoints and include into the collaboration on four fundamental factors to make a better living with the Circular Economy principles.
1. Building the circular water system; in preparation for the severe drought in the next year, the collaboration aims to drive farmers to become self-resilient in learning to adopt land readjustment method along with using the technology . In addition, to educate farmers and new farmers who return home from the Covid-19 economic impact and to expand the ideas nationwide, the government is requested to take part the project. The purpose of the project is to reduce social inequality, revive the community economy and to increase the country’s agriculture crop for Thailand becomes the world’s kitchen.
2. Promote 100% Zero-burning agriculture within 2022 by adopting Circular Economy principle by circulating waste materials such as rice stubble, sugarcane leaves, hay by converting into alternative energy, biomass, animal feed and plant-based packaging will reduce PM 2.5 dust and generate revenue of 25,000 million Baht per year. In addition, introducing sharing economy idea in establish the community machine fund allowing famer to access to agricultural machines in improving planting and harvesting processes as well as increase their yield without to invest nor own any machine.
3. Urging to government to set the plastic waste management as national agenda; Thailand has to take law enforcement in waste management law seriously. The government is urged to facilitate and set the regulatory to be able to work together. The plastic waste management system roadmap needs concrete framework and clear work process. The regulatory body takes the ownership in tackling the problem in all the value chain from revising a tax structure and provides tax privileges to the waste management and recycling business.
4. Promote Circular Economy in the construction industry ; Shifting the industry to a Green and Clean Construction, the government needs to take the lead. The official should set up a new procurement guideline for mega infrastructure projects. Adopting technology to manage resources for maximum efficiency and minimise material waste also need to be included. Alternatively, to incentivise the contractor with a tax privilege to encourage them to shift to eco-friendly or recycle materials in the construction.SCG pledged to reduce the greenhouse gas emission and lead the organisation to Net Zero within 2050 joining the Paris Agreement to limit the temperature increase to less than to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Moreover, SCG aware of the severe impacts of climate change and waste problems, the company has adopted the Circular Economy into the business operation. To achieve sustainability goals, SCG has set the strategy as follows:
Packaging Business applies the Circular Economy principles in various aspects of business operations. In terms of product design solutions, our focus is on designing products to use fewer resources and those can be reused or recycled. For supply chain management, there is a program of product take-back in place to ensure efficient resource control and waste management practices as well as to increase the proportion of recycling in the production process.
Chemicals Business has applied technology to put Circular Economy into practice throughout the supply chain, ranging from product development (enhancing the recycling capability such as Mono-materials ) and plastic recycling technology development (increasing the proportion of wastes as raw materials) to digital platform development as a tool for waste sorting and collecting (creating waste free communities and supporting waste banks operation).
Cement-Building Materials Business emphasizes on the technology with the innovation integration to develop the products and services to meet customers and the environmental needs under “SCG Green Choice”. The label offers the products made from recycled material, finished product that reduces waste in the installation process. And products and services help to reduce energy consumption or use renewables such as solar energy. These efforts lead to “Green Living and Green Society” which include reused waste materials under the campaign “Turn Waste to Wealth” to benefit the society.
Some images at the Symposium:
Mr. Roongrote Rangsiyopash, President and CEO of SCG with other representatives discuss in the SD Symposium 2020
Multi-sectoral representatives are discussing solutions for “Collaboration to Drive Circular Economy in Thailand”
SCG and its partners from multi-sectors join hands to adopt Circular Economy and provide solutions for emerging global issues