Activating a Circular Economy

The world’s natural resources and environment have been utilized for people in society at any given moment. With change in environment and the world is in crisis due to limitation of resources, a circular route of maximizing benefit of resource use and minimizing resource use to sustain the balance is of critical importance. Natural resources process into goods and gears, would only end up as waste. Without proper aggregation of waste from household, residential and commercial sector, waste is still waste and impact on environment. Waste aggregation and sorting therefore constitute the starting point which may seem small steps that if it multiply will make proper recycling and resource circulation happening for real. With this conceptual framework, SCG initiated a number projects, and collaborates internally among the workforce and with external partners in public and private sector as well as communities to aggregate waste to achieve maximum recycling.

Bangsue Model SCG Employee Participation

We started practicing in earnest within our organization with “Bangsue Model” project in 2018 focusing on behavior change among employees at the SCG Head Office in Bangsue so they #Effective Use #Correct Sorting #Proper Dispose”, starting with reduction of disposable plastic cup by bring own tumbler, reduction of PET water bottle by use dispenser and glasses and design 6 color bins for easy sorting. With strong participation of employees, the Bangsue project can continuously reduce the amount of waste every month and bring more sorted waste to be recycled. We aim to achieve Zero Waste to Landfill target at the head office in 2021.

Community Like (No) Garbage Community Collaboration in Rayong

SCG scaled up circular waste management approach at community level by undertaking pilot project with communities in Map Ta Phut Municipality in Rayong called “Community Like (No) Garbage” which means Zero Waste Community. The pilot follows the Bangsue Model prescribing “#Effective Use #Correct Sorting #Proper Dispose” while seeking to partner at community level with the three establishment pillars of Household, Temple and School to enforce proper separation at source and to link up with community garbage bank whose management is supported by SCG through “KoomKah” application. The objective of the pilot project is to generate a prototype or model of integrated waste management in community.

The starting point is “Household” where residents join hand to properly separate wet and dry waste according to material type such as plastic, glass bottles, cans, clean plastic bags. A community leader coordinates with Khao Phai Garbage Bank to sell sorted waste, as a way to supplement community income.

With “Temple” we built knowledge about maximization of resource use to monks, novices, and villagers who make merit by donating food and requisites to temple. The community leader of Khod Hin 2 volunteers to aggregate waste collected and separated at Temple to the Garbage Bank, and proceeds are pooled as scholarship to support needy pupils.

At “School”, we cultivate pupils and teachers about circular economy principles, by integrating contents in classes with actual practices off classrooms such as at Wat Khod Hin Mitrapab 42 School. Pupils are taught to rinse plastic milk bags, to correctly separate waste and deposit them in the correct bins in preparation for recycling. Community-based “Garbage Bank” serves as learning center on various types of waste, aggregator of household, temple and school waste using KoomKah application to manage waste collection from end to end, creating value to waste and increase channels to feed stock to recycling factories.

In 2020, the number of collaboration increased to 36 groups, 10 garbage banks, with the total of 2,697 members and the total amount of collected wastes of 97.8 tons.

From Ban Rangplub to Ban Pong Model
A success story as case study in driving Zero Waste Community “Community Like (No) Garbage” project is the so-called Ban Pong Model, a circular community model in Ratchaburi province originating from Ban Rangplub community where SCG has been collaborating in the theme of waste management from 2015. It won a national award in 2019 from Zero Waste Model Community contest by Department of Environmental Quality Promotion.

“We aspire to become a model community same as Ban Rangplub. We want a large amount of waste to be decreased especially organic waste. We worked to raise awareness among local residents on proper waste management,” said Chayanin Jampathong, a community representative,
about how Ban Pong Model came into being.

“Local government administrative agency can scale back on budget required for waste collection. At the same time residents can create value out of waste and generate income
for the community.”

If we visit communities in Ban Pong District such as Ban Aor Eekeaw, Ban Nong Mai Fao, we can see evidence of recycling and reuse in the forms of organic vegetable plots, handicrafts. Circular waste management has also improved quality of life among residents compared to the past when piles of rubbish hosted germs and pests. Ban Nong Mai Fao won a citation award in the Zero Waste Community contest of the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion in 2020.

We hope that Ban Pong Model can be sustained as an effective waste management mechanism at district level, engendering collaboration to address the national challenge of waste management and driving a sustainable waste management model community. In 2020, a total of 41 zero waste model communities are up and running and the target is for complete coverage of 183 communities in Ban Pong District by 2022.

Waste Paper and Packaging Collection Collaborating with Urban Communities
Waste paper is a type of recycle material we prioritize and have developed Digital Platform to manage collection of waste paper and packaging as feedstock for recycling through application. We collaborate with housing projects and urban communities in with large population live and generating huge volume of waste.

In 2020 we began collaborating with Chewathai, Sansiri and Property Perfect estate developers to implement awaste separation scheme at housing estates to separate and aggregate used paper packaging for recycling process.

We joined with Thailand Post in “Post reBOX” project to collect used paper packaging materials at post offices nationwide, to be sent back to SCG to manufacture desks and chairs, which we present as 2021 New Year gifts to 220 Border Patrol Police Schools across Thailand.

In 2020, SCG has total of 60 partners, helping us aggregate 150 tons of used papers back for recycling
at SCG plant. “No piece of paper is ever trash. It is useful, recyclable, can be turned into products to be used within community and give to other community,” said Phubate Samroengjit, customer relationship manager of Chewathai on collaboration project with SCG.

Plastic Waste Collection PPP Plastics, A National Collaborative Platform
Marine plastic pollution is a major crisis that is challenging Global and Thailand for its impact on ecology and microplastic contamination in the food chain. Aggregating plastic waste to return into recycling thus is the first critical step in tackling plastic waste crisis.

“To recycle used plastic bags and food bags that are cleaned, and produce new packaging from it, which
technology now can help circulate multiple rounds will scale back resource use while reducing ocean plastic waste and harm to the environment”, said Paradorn Julachart, Honorary Chairman of the Plastic Industry Club, Federation of Thai Industries and the first chair of PPP Plastics Project about the key concept behind the initiative.

“The Public Private Partnership for Sustainable Plastic and Waste Management or PPP Plastics, was established on 5 June 2018 by the Federation of Thai Industries’ Plastic Industry Club, jointly with Thailand Business Council for Sustainable Development (TBCSD) along with many other public, private and civic society sectors. All these organizations recognize the urgency of the problem and share the commitment to resolve plastic waste problem. SCG is one of the active founding members and advocating through a number of projects of PPP Plastics.”

PPP Plastics sets the target of reducing marine plastic waste in Thailand by at least 50% of the existing volume by 2027.

An important project for 2020 is “Magic Hands x Won” that installs more than 350 locations “Drop Point” in Bangkok and vicinity, Rayong and Supanburi. The presence of these drop points aims at raising public awareness and actions in waste separation for plastic bags and soft film packaging which can be recycled back several rounds. The project also donates to philanthropic organizations the rate of 5 baht per kilogram of plastic waste collected.

From Pile Head Waste to Building Materials
Expanding Collaboration in Construction Industry
“Construction industry consumes a lot of material in the construction process. The industry would typically generate around 20% waste. Reducing it to the range of 5-10% will be very beneficial to the world, environment and economy.” Nithi Patarachoke, President of Cement-Building Materials Business, said about problems besetting the industry that most people tend to overlook. Waste from concrete work, concrete piling, and steel scrap around construction sites is estimated at the volume of 110,000
tons per year, from activities such as demolition, construction, and from excess stock materials.

SCG developed innovation to enhance efficiency by CPAC Construction Solutions to work on waste reduction in construction work. These include using Building Information Modeling (BIM) in aid of design and supervision, or apply modern technology to crush the waste of concrete pile head at building sites for recycling as material in a process known as Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA), or send for
crushing at Waste Hub in case mobile machinery cannot be deployed onsite. To date over seven projects took part in waste concrete piling management resulting in 5,400 tons of recycled output.

SCG is committed to making circular economy happen in all business groups and for efficient waste management by promoting waste separation at source and deploying innovation to support waste management business and product development from recycled material.

At SCG we are fully aware that collaboration of all sector is the success factor, in turning waste to value,
for economic, society and environment sustainably.