TCP Spirit Energizes the Environment through a ‘Caring’ Strategy Highlighting the Circular Economy to Drive Sustainability Promoting collaborations between volunteers and communities to recognize the importance of waste management and collection, and create new value

TCP Group brought together TCP Spirit volunteers to the South for the ‘Lae Mueang Raenong Chuan Malong Jadkarn Kaya (Visit Ranong to encourage waste management)’ mission to improve environmental awareness under the ‘Circular Economy’ concept, and create a better understanding of, and promote packaging waste collection in the recycling process to achieve ‘sustainable packaging’. TCP Group also joined forces with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) setting a three-year goal to establish a model for packaging waste collection and integrated waste management that leads to improved responsibilities and commitments by manufacturers in their beverage packaging post-consumption.

Mr. Saravoot Yoovidhya, Chief Executive Officer of TCP Group, said, “For this year’s TCP Spirit project, our focus shifted to activities that support the collection of packaging waste or ‘sustainable packaging’ which cannot be achieved without proper waste management. Therefore, TCP Spirit is building engagement with partners, communities and volunteers through activities that provide a better understanding of waste management that reflect our values and encourage behavioral changes that support sustainable development.

As part of this effort, TCP Spirit will create a model for packaging waste collection and management promoting an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) project with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Thailand and Vietnam to collect at least 730 tons of waste within a three-year period.”

TCP Spirit’s “Kana Sed Sarng (Faculty of Waste to Value)” made their way to Ranong, the gateway to the South and a location renowned for its beauty along the Andaman coast, for the Lae Mueang Raenong Chuan Malong Jadkarn Kaya mission, designating a pilot area where TCP Group is collaborating with IUCN to build a network to improve awareness of waste management. This year, more than 200 new-generation volunteers and residents in the community got together to learn about the impacts of waste at the Baan Haad Sai Dam community, a ​​fertile mangrove forest area that also serves as a nursery for shrimp, shellfish, crabs, fish, and various species of marine animals. While the main source of income for villagers is from the local fishery, the increase in waste being generated and restrictions on waste management are seriously impacting people’s livelihoods in the area.

Environmentally-friendly courses for volunteers​

• Naturopathy: Learn about waste problems in the Baan Haad Sai Dam community, which remains inaccessible by cars. On the way to the community, boats will take volunteers to see an over 200-year old mangrove forest, the largest and richest, in Thailand.
• Understand Others and Yourself: Learn about the context of the Baan Haad Sai Dam community, and the limitations and challenges of waste management.
• Investing Money and Effort: Learn about consumer behavior through surveys. Volunteer to collect waste in the Baan Haad Sai Dam community and talk to villagers and gain insights on the complexity of the waste problem which involves infrastructure, public administration, knowledge and understanding, and community participation.
• Waste to Value 101: Learn how to sort waste properly, turning waste into material which people need, and how to apply this information in your daily life and create your own waste sorting techniques.
• Circular Economy: Learn how to turn waste into value-added materials, generating income for the community, how it can be reused in the production process, and creatively produce various types of handicrafts.
• Nature Accounting and Invisible Taxes: Learn about the natural effects of marine debris and invisible costs of waste management (both the natural and management costs).
• Sharing Knowledge: Communicate useful information on waste management to children in Baan Thung Ngao School.
• Thesis: Develop the thesis after gaining a sense of creativity from learning activities based on the “Kana Sed Sarng (Faculty of Waste to Value)” guidelines which involve managing waste to create value.

Through this three-day activity, volunteers will gain valuable insights and experiences from discussions with community leaders. They will also join a waste collection activity with villagers, learn about various dimensions of waste management, recognize the added value in recycled materials, and the importance of the circular economy. This cumulative knowledge can then be shared with others to effect positive change because waste cannot be recycled without properly being sorted at the source. The objectives of this worthwhile activity fully support TCP Group’s Caring strategy to promote a circular economy.