Rayong – 17 September 2022: SCG Chemicals (SCGC), an integrated petrochemical leader for sustainability, has joined forces with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and 23 businesses in Map Ta Phut and Ban Chang industrial estates in Rayong to host the International Coastal Cleanup 2022 to foster private–public collaboration for systemic upstream–to–downstream waste management in order to mitigate the issue of marine litter and revitalize coastal ecosystems. The activity also promotes the recovery and reuse of resources in accordance with circular economy principles, which leads to a sustainable solution to global warming.
Placing emphasis on environmental conservation alongside business operations, SCGC, which has been engaging in upstream–to–downstream marine debris management, has joined a global collaboration to host the International Coastal Cleanup 2022 under the theme #SeatheChange. The activity seeks to draw attention to the impact of marine pollution to the ecosystem, from the smallest organisms such as plankton all the way to whales, as well as its role as a contributor to global warming, irregular weather patterns in recent years, and the ongoing climate emergency, which has triggered flash floods and droughts across the world.
To change the world for the better, SCGC has invited volunteers to help revitalize the seas and marine ecosystems as their small contribution can make a big difference. As one of the keys to solving this problem is effective and systematic waste management and the instillation of proper at–source waste segregation practice, SCGC is ready to join hands with all sectors to pass on knowledge and cultivate eco–conscious attitudes for the sustainability of the environment and the world.
Mr. Preeda Vatchratiensakul, Vice–President Manufacturing and Polyolefins Manufacturing Director, SCGC, said, “SCGC has driven various projects for marine and coastal ecosystem revitalization, with particular focus on marine debris management. It is found that over 80% of marine litter originates from land-based activities, including waste from households and littering on beaches. Only about 20% is generated directly by marine activities. Ocean trash affects not only marine life but also the way of life in coastal communities. SCGC thus places great emphasis on at-source waste management, which reduces the amount of waste that will make its way into waterways and eventually to the sea. Our effort to create proper waste management has led to the Waste-free Community Project, which focuses on fostering behaviors such as “resource maximization,” “correct sorting,” and “proper disposal” in accordance with circular economy principles in order to foster an understanding of resource efficiency, increase recycling, as well as reducing landfilling, which ultimately helps mitigate global warming. Through this project, we have passed on knowledge to and fostered collaboration among youths, beachfront store and business owners, local fishery groups, and communities.”
SCGC is also committed to designing and developing green polymers that are readily designed to be recyclable from the beginning and has innovated recycling technology to enable the recovery and reuse of plastics. It is thus clear that SCGC has planned out the entire system, from upstream to downstream management all the way to educating consumers and retrieval of materials back into the system to minimize waste problems, thus forming systematic and sustainable end-to-end waste management.
Acting Sub–Lieutenant Pirun Hemarak, Deputy Governor of Rayong, stated, “Over the past 20 years, the International Coastal Cleanup has garnered tremendous attention and has been a major annual event that can bring together all sectors, including government agencies, private businesses, and the general public, who all share the goals of tackling waste problems, restoring the marine ecosystem, keeping Rayong’s seas clean and pristine, promoting the province’s natural tourism, creating a sustainable source of livelihood for local fishery groups, and generating a steady source of income for local residents, which ultimately plays a vital role in the simultaneous development of the environment, economy, and society.”
Over 450 volunteers participated in the beach cleanup. The event also featured an educational exhibition on waste management at the source, a showcase of SCGC GREEN POLYMER™, which addresses various environmental needs, and a vocal performance by representatives of CS BEACH YOUTH, where they performed songs promoting sustainable conservation of marine resources and conveying their hopes on behalf of young people everywhere that all sectors will recognize the significance of collaborative waste management in order to preserve healthy ecosystems and pass on a sustainable environment to the next generation.
The International Coastal Cleanup is held annually on the third Saturday of September across the world. The activity has been organized in Rayong for 20 consecutive years at Saeng Chan and Laem Charoen beaches in Muang District and at Nam Rin, Phayun, and Phla beaches in Ban Chang District, which are Rayong’s vital natural tourist attractions. The event has drawn an increasing number of business owners, government agencies, and members of the general public each year. Over 850,000 pieces of trash, weighing more than 95,000 kilograms in total, have been collected, and the data of the waste collected is sent to Ocean Conservancy in the United States to be added to the numbers of other participating countries in order to solve the issue of marine pollution sustainably.
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Published on: Sep 19, 2022
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