Page 59 - FoodFocusThailand No.155_February 19

SITE VISITTE VISIT
SI
In 2017, 185,000 tons of
1
PET beverage bottles made from
virgin plastic were supplied to the Recycled PET (rPET)
Thai market and less than half
of these bottles were collected
and taken for recycling, with Bottles
almost 100,000 tons going to
the landfill, with the rest finding
its way into the ocean, creating to Achieve Sustainable
environmental issues at the
Plastic Waste Management
global level.

With an increasing number of countries now aware of the issue packaging in a responsible way. One of our global commitments is to
of plastic waste, support for the use of plastic packaging that can make all our primary consumer packaging 100% recyclable by 2025
be recycled is growing, notably in Japan and the European Union which the Thai market has already achieved. Speaking of reducing
(EU). All 28 EU member countries currently recycle post-consumer use of plastic, we for a long time have had our beverages in returnable
PET packaging to produce primary food contact recycled PET glass bottles that can be cleaned and refilled time and again. And, in
packaging, which proves that the use of recycled PET is safe for 2012, we invested substantially in order to revamp our bottled water
consumption. Germany leads the EU with a PET bottle recycling brand ‘Namthip’ and introduce special kind PET bottle, which reduces
rate of 94%, while in Asia, Japan leads the recycling rate with 83%. the amount of plastic used by 35% compared with the previous
Thai Beverage Industry Association, The Coca-Cola system in packaging. Together with that change, we also stopped using plastic
Thailand and Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited have cap seals – which was well before it became a big issue in Thailand
announced their collaboration to encourage the use of recyclable recently “, Mr.Nuntivat added.
PET (rPET) in beverage packaging to help reduce the amount of Thailand currently prohibits the use of recycled PET in food and
virgin plastic used. The partnership aims to create a better beverage packaging. The Notification of the Ministry of Public Health
understanding of recycling innovations and technology that provides (No.295) B.E.2548 (2005), Clause 8 states: “It is prohibited to use
hygienic and safe recycled PET for food and beverage packaging. plastic containers made from re-used plastic with the exception of use
At the same time correct information is being disseminated to help for packing fruits with peel.” The objective of this regulation was to
build confidence among the government sector and encouraging it protect consumers from unclean packaging, however, this has resulted
to legalize the use of recycled PET in food and beverage packaging. in all PET packaging produced in Thailand being made from virgin
It is believed that the eventual success of this project will help reduce plastic. This has resulted in high amounts of virgin PET packaging
plastic waste and ease the global environmental issues. This project being improperly disposed of.
is also consistent with the three organizations’ commitment to social Mr.Richard Jones, Senior Vice President, Head Office HR,
responsibility and promoting a sustainable environment. Corporate Communications, CSR & Sustainability, Indorama Ventures
Mr.Veera Akraputtiporn, Vice President of Thai Beverage Industry Public Company Limited said: “Indorama Ventures houses modern
Association said: “In its position at the core of the cooperation among and hygienic technology to convert recycled PET bottles into rPET
non-alcohol beverage industry, the association plays an important pellets which meets the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug
role in helping to solve the plastic waste problem that is affecting Administration (FDA) and European Commission Regulations. The
the environment. The association recently and successfully acted level of hygiene and safety in all our products is of paramount
as the liaison between government and its members to stop using importance. In the first instance, all used plastic bottles are sorted to
plastic cap seals on bottles. Today, thanks to the significant progress separate impure materials like labels and closures. The bottles then
in recycling technology, it is safe to use recycled PET in the go through a rigorous cleansing process involving thermal processing
production of beverage and food packaging, widely used in many for sterilization to eliminate germs and dangerous contaminants. The
countries. Therefore, we would like to raise the awareness of the plastic is then shredded into small flakes and melted at temperatures
public in this regard. Coca-Cola is the main player in focusing exceeding 285 C to produce the highest quality recycled PET. Plastic
o
attention on this issue, which is part of its global vision. For its part, bottles produced from recycled PET by Indorama Ventures’ plant are
Indorama Ventures is capable of producing recycled PET bottles well accepted at both the national and international levels. Indorama
but these can currently only be exported. If this regulation were to Ventures exports recycled PET to other countries such as England
be revised, we are confident that more industries will be interested and Australia.”
in this innovation because we are all committed to operating our “As one of the world’s biggest PET producers, the company
businesses with full social responsibility.” recognizes the importance of using plastic in a sustainable way and
Mr.Nuntivat Thamhatai, Public Affairs and Communications we would stress that PET plastic is not meant for single use followed
Director of Coca-Cola (Thailand) Limited said: “As the leading global by disposal. PET can be reused in many different ways through an
beverage company that uses a lot of PET bottles for our beverage effective recycling process, including as recycled PET in food and
packaging, Coca-Cola has an important role to play in reducing beverage packaging. The more recycled PET is going to be used, the
plastic waste. The company announced the “World Without Waste” lower the reliance on virgin plastics in the production of PET bottles.
vison earlier this year as a global commitment, aspiring to create This will not only increase the demand for recycled PET, but will also
packaging that is at least 50% recycled material by 2030. The encourage the recycling industry to generate incremental economic
company must now start working toward this plan with our supplier, value throughout the supply chain. Furthermore, this will encourage
Indorama Ventures. We need to present our plan to the government the recycling industry to take on the important role of sorting plastic
in order to start building confidence and invite our industrial allies waste from other general wastes, to then produce recycled PET for
to move forward with this project with the support of the Association.” further use.” Mr.Richard concluded.
“The company has been consistently working to use PET
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