Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) Co., Ltd., reinforces its commitment to sustainable packaging management by collaborating with public and private sectors, namely Rayong Province, PTT Global Chemical PCL (GC), ENVICCO Ltd., and Central Pattana Public Company Limited to drive Rayong Province to pilot for promoting the segregation and collection of used PET plastic bottles for recycling into new bottles, fostering a circular economy in Thailand, through a “Bottle to Bottle Recycling by Suntory PepsiCo Thailand” project, since October 2023 onwards.
The “Bottle to Bottle Recycling by Suntory PepsiCo Thailand” project encourages Rayong’s residents to segregate used PET bottles and dispose them at specific PET bottle collection bins. These bins have been placed throughout Rayong including locations such as government offices, educational institutions, public areas, Central Rayong, and restaurants that are customers of Suntory PepsiCo Thailand. Over 220 bins have been set up, and the transportation of collected PET bottles are managed by community volunteers along with the “GC YOUTURN” platform.
Crucially, the properly segregated used PET bottles are transported to the ENVICCO plant for the recycling process, transforming them into high-quality food-grade recycled plastic resins. These resins are subsequently used to produce recycled PET bottles (called rPET bottles). These rPET bottles meet FDA standards, ensuring their cleanliness and safety. This initiative is acknowledged as a closed-loop model for sustainable packaging management, achieved through the collaborative efforts of all sectors within Rayong.
Wipawan Tasanapreechachai, Head of Corporate Affairs, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) Co., Ltd., explained the project’s objectives, stating, “Following our introduction of 100% recycled plastic bottles (100% rPET bottles) for the first time in Thailand’s beverage market, we remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting PET bottle segregation, facilitating ‘Bottle-to-Bottle Recycling.’ We also recognize the readiness and potential of Rayong to be a pilot province for sustainable packaging management. Rayong stands out as the only province in Thailand that has all important key stakeholders in the beverage packaging value chain – product manufacturers, distributors, consumers, segregators, and recycling plants.
Importantly, our large production base plant locates in this province. We therefore have joined forces with public and private sectors to launch the ‘Bottle to Bottle Recycling by Suntory PepsiCo Thailand’ project which focuses on collecting and recycling more used PET bottles, with the aim to drive Rayong as the pilot province for sustainable packaging management.”
Teerapan Siripakmanon, Director of the Local Administrative Development Subdivision, a representative of Rayong Province, said,” the ‘Bottle to Bottle Recycling by Suntory PepsiCo Thailand’ project aligns with the Rayong Province’s development plan. This project promises to bring about positive changes for Rayong, which the province also holds paramount economic importance for the country. Beyond its economic impact, the project contributes to the effective management of natural resources and environment in Rayong, leading to a circular economy in line with government policies. It brings me great pleasure that such a commendable project is taking root in Rayong, setting a notable precedent.
We warmly invite our fellow residents in Rayong to actively participate by segregating used PET bottles and depositing them in designated PET bottle collection bins conveniently located throughout the province.”
Dr. Chaya Chandavasu, Executive Vice President of Sustainability, PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (GC), said, “GC is deeply committed to conducting business in line with the ‘ESG’ (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and the ‘Circular Economy’ principles, with a dedication to address global warming concerns, aiming to Net Zero. With this reason, GC has invested in state-of-the-art production technology of recycled plastic resins to foster sustainable resource management by adopting the ‘Circular Economy’ principle. Through the partnership with Suntory PepsiCo Thailand, we provide support to the project in term of managing the collected used PET bottles by community volunteers, which were already trained about a proper waste segregation, and the ‘GC YOUTURN’ platform.
The management include segregation, collection, transportation and recycling the used PET bottles. The used PET bottles are processed through ENVICCO’s recycling system to guarantee that each PET bottle, segregated by residents of Rayong, undergoes appropriate recycling, resulting in the production of recycled plastic resins under the brand ‘InnoEco’. The resins are clean, safe, and meet the standard of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as well as the Thai Food and Drug Administration.
Kittipong Sipiyarak, General Manager, Central Rayong, said, “Central Pattana Public Company Limited underscores its dedication to fostering sustainable development across the realms of the economy, society, and the environment. The company actively engages in partnership projects that focus on improving society and the environment, with a dedication to delivering concrete benefits that address the urgent requirements of the communities.
Central Pattana is pleased to join the ‘Bottle to Bottle Recycling by Suntory PepsiCo Thailand’ project, by offering space for setting up PET bottle collection bins at Central Rayong. This project encourages customers to actively participate in used PET bottle segregation, with the collected bottles being handed over to community volunteers for transportation to ENVICCO, where they are recycled into new bottles.”
“This project in Rayong is a part of our company’s dedication to promoting sustainable packaging management since the beginning to the end of packaging life – from eco-friendly packaging design and material choices, educating the public on proper waste segregation. Additionally, we have initiated projects to increase the collection of used PET bottles for recycling. This approach aligns with the ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (EPR) principle, which extends our responsibility to cover the entire packaging lifecycle. Going forward, we are ready to collaborate with all sectors and take proactive steps to turn sustainable packaging management into a reality in Thailand,”concluded Wipawan.
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