CPF adopts ‘circular economy’ in bid to boost sustainability

THAILAND’S Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF) has announced that it will boost the use of renewable energy in its operations and promote sustainability in line with the “circular economy” principles and the UN’s sustainable development goals.

CPF senior v ice-president for corporate socia l responsibilit y and sustainable development Wuthichai Sithipreedanant said the company has adopted t he circula r economy principle to optimise efficiency in the use of resources.

He added that CPF has been proactively look ing for solutions to reduce food loss and food waste generated in its operations as well as boost efficiency i n the consumption of water and energ y. He went on to say that CPF is also using more renewable energ y in a bid to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and has continuously reduced single-use plastic and is working on designing ecofriendly packaging.

“As a leading food producer, CPF places importance on safe and eco-friendly production,” said Wuthichai. “The balance of human life is closely linked to the balance of nature. People cannot live in sustainable prosperity without nature’s abundant resources. Therefore, we must take care of the environment as we take care of ourselves.”

He added that CPF wanted to join t he fight against plastic waste by developing sustainable plastic packaging. At present, CPF’s plastic packages are reusable and recyclable.

CPF has also developed an effective system of water consumption throughout the production process based on the circular economy principle. For instance, CPF has applied the bio-floc system to its closed shrimp farms in Chanthaburi and Rayong prov inces, which a llows natura l microbes to treat the nitrogen produced from shrimp manure. This reduces the need to replace water in shrimp ponds, leading to a 70 per cent reduction i n water consumption compared to conventiona l shrimp farming.

The company is further reducing its water footprint by using ultra filtration technology to filter recycled water, which is then used to refill shrimp ponds.

Currently, 26 per cent of CPF’s power consumption comes from renewable energy produced from biowaste. The company aims to run coal-free operations by 2022.

Meanwhile, CPF has transformed wastewater and manure in all its swine farms into biogas to generate electricity. This practice has been expanded to the company’s operations in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines.

CPF has also installed solar rooftops in 24 feed mills, foodprocessing plants, ready-toeat production plants and distribution centres. The solar rooftops generate 15MW worth of electricity and are expected to be fully operational within this year.

The company has also joined the Royal Forest Department and local communities in reforesting 955.36ha around Lopburi’s Khao Phraya Doen Tong area.