TAT, PTTGC, and the ECOALF Foundation join together to tackle the marine waste problem with the “Upcycling The Oceans, Thailand” project

ข่าวท่องเที่ยว Monday April 3, 2017 14:59 —PRESS RELEASE LOCAL

Bangkok--3 Apr--ABM (March 29, 2017) Today at the Central Court, Central World, Bangkok, Dr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT); Mr. Supattanapong Punmeechaow, President & Chief Executive Officer of PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (PTTGC); and Mr. Javier Goyeneche, Founder and CEO of the ECOALF Foundation, together launched the "Upcycling The Oceans, Thailand" project. It aims to tackle the problem of plastic waste in Thailand's coastal and island tourist areas with an innovation that offers excellent environmental value. The project will also help improve Thailand's image as a tourist destination concerned about environmental and social responsibility. Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor, said, "Tourism is a key industry that brings revenue to the country. However, our competitiveness in tourism was recently ranked at No.35 according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). This reflects the challenging of Thailand's tourism development. Several tourist destinations in Thailand are deteriorating due to environmental problems such as rubbish and wastewater pollution due to inefficient management. This is why the TAT, PTTGC, and the ECOALF Foundation are committed to improving tourist areas by creating a stakeholder collaboration network to give back to society while encouraging environmental sustainability. Together, we are implementing the 'Upcycling The Oceans, Thailand' project to address the issue of waste in Thailand's coastal areas and islands through an innovation that offers great environmental value. The project needs the co-operation of related parties and will increase awareness about environmental protection among tourists and the public to help achieve sustainable tourism development and management." Mr. Supattanapong Punmeechaow, President & Chief Executive Officer of PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited, said, "The company is fully committed to growing its business in tandem with corporate social responsibility activities that benefit the community, society, and the environment, under the company's 'sustainable business' concept. Through the 'Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand' project, PTTGC wants to reduce the amount of waste in the seas around Thailand and rehabilitate shoreline areas currently covered with debris. The project will leverage the continued success of the company's 'Building Homes for Marine Animals' project that promotes marine ecology in the coastal area of Rayong province. Most importantly, this revolutionary project offers the beneficial transformation of plastic waste into new products, which is in line with the company's sustainable management practices. The 'Upcycling The Oceans, Thailand' project will raise awareness of and engagement in conservation of the sea and coastline among communities, tourists, and local business operators. As a petrochemical leader, PTTGC will play a pivotal role in encouraging the recycling of PET plastic bottles and plastic waste from Polyethylene found along the coastline and in the sea, then transforming them into synthetic fibers for producing well-designed, value-added garment and fashion collections. This reflects the 'Circular Economy' concept, which emphasizes the beneficial re-use of plastic waste and cutting down energy and water consumption in industrial operations. In the end, this will help reduce marine pollution and lead to the rehabilitation and conservation of the prosperity and beauty of Thailand's marine tourism destinations." Mr. Javier Goyeneche, Founder and CEO of the ECOALF Foundation, said, "The ECOALF Foundation implemented our first and unprecedented 'Upcycling The Oceans' project in Spain in 2015. By partnering with the federation of fishermen, we managed to transform plastic debris found in the Mediterranean Sea into a fashion collection under the 'ECOALF' brand, which received overwhelming response from consumers. We are now expanding the project's success by replicating it in other countries affected by marine debris. Thailand is the first country in Asia where we decided to implement our 'Upcycling the Oceans' project in a strategic partnership with the TAT and PTTGC. The management of the entire process, from waste collection, through the transformation into raw material, and making clothing and fashion collectioms, will be completely done in Thailand. Another of the project's aims is to raise awareness of the negative impact of improper waste disposal on the oceans. Currently, there is about 269,000 tons of plastic waste in the world's oceans, representing around 2.25 trillion pieces of litter." The "Upcycling The Oceans, Thailand" project will also focus on increasing awareness among stakeholders including tourists who want to volunteer to collect waste from the sea and coastal areas, as well as accurately separating plastic waste for recycling. Waste collection for the project will target areas on Thailand's eastern seaboard including Samed Island in Rayong province, Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand off Surat Thani province, and Phuket on the Andaman coast, all of which are popular tourist destinations. It is expected that the "Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand" project will play a pivotal role in driving efforts to reduce the amount of debris found in the seas around Thailand in a sustainable manner.

เว็บไซต์นี้มีการใช้งานคุกกี้ ศึกษารายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมได้ที่ นโยบายความเป็นส่วนตัว และ ข้อตกลงการใช้บริการ รับทราบ