It is three years since Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) launched its Recycling Education Project. Recycling is one of the most sustainable ways to protect our environment. IVL's commitment is long-term, having committed to operate the project for 30 years (2017-2047). The main goal is to raise awareness of waste separation and the 3Rs method - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This project aims to create a behavioral shift by teaching young people to separate waste properly in Thailand.
IVL's focus is on educating young children at elementary level and above in schools across the country. This is because in 30 years' time, these elementary students will hold positions of responsibility and lead others in the same direction. The company also helps the staff of other companies understand their own role in waste management. With these initiatives, recycling knowledge will expand with each generation, creating a truly sustainable society.
"Here in Thailand and across the world people are worried about the mismanagement of waste and its impact on our environment." Yash Lohia, Chief Sustainability Officer of Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, said. "As a leading PET recycler, we have a responsibility to our community. This responsibility can be seen in this project as we educate the next generation about recycling as part of our 30-Year Recycling Education Project. In Thailand, 8 out of 10 PET drinks bottles are collected for recycling. Sadly, only 4 out of 10 of all pieces of municipal plastic waste are collected. We must do better."
"But it is not just about recycling the waste we collect. The most worrying thing for me is that more than one in four pieces of all waste are littered or illegally dumped in public areas. This leads to waste leaking into our rivers and ultimately into the sea. This leakage of plastic waste into our lands, seas and rivers is the result of incorrect waste separation and irresponsible waste disposal - discarding valuable and recyclable plastic. That is why, we are going to the root cause of the problem. By empowering the next generation with the knowledge to properly separate and dispose of waste, they will know how to reduce waste and protect their environment. This knowledge can create additional income for their community and households too. If we want to influence understanding of waste separation, we must start with children and youths who are capable of learning new things," added Yash.
Mr. Richard Jones, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, said "We take our Education Project very seriously and conducted a comprehensive assessment of our 30-Year Recycling Education Project in 2019." Richard explained "The numbers speak for themselves. In 2019 we visited 26 schools in six provinces and educated 13,148 students. More importantly we worked with 163 teachers who will inspire thousands more students to recycle. In 2019 alone, we were also able to collect 200,000 recyclable PET bottles. The assessment also revealed that 100% of participants have adopted new behaviors on waste separation. The results aligned with our objectives for the project: to educate people and reduce waste in the environment and society. Every one baht invested into this project is equivalent to a 5.49 time increase in sustainability in society. Such findings will be factors to improve our education method and activities to better suit young children and create long-term sustainability, which is the ultimate goal of our 30-Year Recycling Education Project."
At present, the Recycling Education Project is just for Thailand. IVL is ambitious about scaling this project into other countries. IVL currently has facilities in 33 countries and recycling businesses in 15 locations. IVL's global-local approach allows subsidiary companies to make alterations to better suit their culture and customs in each country. The company hopes that this Thai project will encourage other IVL companies to follow, with a common goal of managing the world's limited natural resources more efficiently and driving communities to create long-term sustainability for the global environment.
Interested schools and organizations may contact IVL's corporate communications department via: 02-661-6661 Ext. 240 or visit our website at https://www.indoramaventures.com/th/sustainability/social/csr/priorities/education/local-recycling-initiatives
