Chamber of Commerce joined forces with the private sectors of the South to promote the Krabi model, focusing on the circular economy to sustainably drive business and tourism in 23 provinces on the sea under the green concept.
At the Krabi City Hall, Mr. Sanan Ang-Ubolkul, Chairman of the Board of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand said, after the memorandum of the cooperation signing ceremony of the circular economy and environment between the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Thai Chamber of Commerce Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Krabi Chamber of Commerce Krabi Hotel Association and the Krabi Sustainable Foundation, that they collaborate to jointly promote and support entrepreneurs to take part in reducing environmental impacts in a sustainable way by applying the concept of the circular economy. We have set a pilot model in Krabi Province by using guidelines for managing food waste and plastic waste through important activities, including:
1. reducing the amount of waste or getting it to zero.
2. using raw materials that reduce the impacts on the environment
3. applying efficiently reusable product design
4. adopting an efficient and comprehensive waste management system
All these are in line with the government’s national economic development policy in accordance with the BCG or Bio-Circular-Green Economy guidelines.
Mr. Sanan said nowadays, entrepreneurs are becoming more alert and paying more attention to doing businesses that emphasize environmental responsibility. This is partly due to the fact that many countries around the world have turned their attention to this issue, and set a standard for business operations which Thailand itself has to adjust to keep up with the rest of the world because many trade standards in the future will be linked to environmental responsibility. Focusing solely on economic development leads to social and environmental problems such as drought, flood, and garbage overflowing the city.
Ultimately, these problems will inevitably return to business, especially the Thai tourism sector that relies on and depends on natural resources. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the circular economy. In the past, the Thai Chamber of Commerce together with the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce established the circular economy academy for entrepreneurs and consumers to promote knowledge, publish an idea of network development, and create innovation as well as develop a set of tools and courses related to the circular economy for members and SME entrepreneurs so that they can effectively apply them in a practical way.
Mr. Yuttana Jiamtrakarn, chairman of the committee on circular economy and environment, Thai Chamber of Commerce, said that the issue of maximizing resources to be economically worthwhile is being widely discussed, especially in the business sector, and it has been proven that environmental responsibility can create sustainable growth for businesses. The Chamber of Commerce is committed to driving the circular economy through its network of more than 100,000 members across the country, which is in the trade, investment, agriculture, food, tourism, and service sectors. The campaign will encourage entrepreneurs and members to adopt circular economy models of various organizations according to individual needs.
“By 2022, the Thai Chamber of Commerce plans to expand the model to the commercial and service sectors in 23 coastal provinces to help reduce marine environmental impacts. This is a part of promoting and developing the Thai tourism sector for future sustainability in the future,” said Mr. Sanan.
