PTT on the hunt for degradable materials
with a sister company in the petrochemical sector, PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC), on R&D to find a biodegradable plastic cup using polylactic acid (PLA).
The research conducted by PTTGC is meant to determine the appropriate quality and effective cost to replace plastic cups for cold drinks.
Cold drinks account for the highest sale volume at Cafe Amazon and normally require a large size of plastic cup, a single-use item.
“Single-use plastic has rapidly become popular among Thai consumers, so we need to spearhead [reduction of such plastic],” Ms Jiraporn said.
Further coordination of R&D may lead to biodegradable plastic bags at an effective cost with high quality, she said.
PTT is also l ooking for other kinds of biodegradable materials such as sugar-cane fibre from sugar millers.
The group plans t o apply biodegradable plastics and new materials to other uses such as straws and packaging.
PTT may, however, promote other options as an alternative if the cost of biodegradable plastic is found to be unviable.
One campaign launched at the end of June offers a five-baht discount per cup if customers brings reusable glasses in place of the singleuse plastic cups at Cafe Amazon. The campaign’s success has yet to be confirmed, but PTT expects a warm welcome.
Recycled paper as a replacement for plastic bags is also being considered by the company.
“We are pushing this campaign to be PTT’s crucial agenda for a marketing campaign in the second half,” Ms Jiraporn said.
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
Voralak Tulaphorn, chief marketing officer of The Mall Group Co Ltd, said the company will no longer provide plastic bags to shoppers at all business units in department stores on days 1 and 16 of every month, starting in August.
Customer who ask for a plastic bag will have to donate money to the Foundation for the Environment, Mrs Voralak said.
“We have been promoting a no-plastic-bag campaign for several years, and we were able to reduce the use of plastic bags by 4 million last year,” she said. “We expect to reduce by another 6 million and 10 million plastic bags in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Within the next five years, we expect to reduce the use of plastic bags by 50%.”
To achieve its goal, starting Aug 16 the company will stop giving plastic bags to customers at Gourmet Market, in addition to awarding 10 shopping points to discourage plastic bag usage.
In early August, the company will no longer provide customers with plastic straws at food courts, except when customers demand them.
Mrs Voralak said there should be a law to discourage plastic bag use by customers, while the government should conduct a poll to discern people’s willingness to use fewer plastic bags.
“If the government enforces the law, customers could protest against it,” she said.
Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), meanwhile, is reconsidering the design of its packaging as one factor to help reduce environ- mental impact.
The company has switched from a widely used petroleum-based plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), to plant-based and biodegradable PLA for food products, particularly fresh chicken and pork, making it the first company to do so in Thailand.
This transformation reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 83%, equivalent to the switching off of 12 million electric lights in one hour, said Sukhawat Dansermsuk, CPF’s co-president and chief executive for food business.
During 2007-17, the company’s paper and plastic usage fell by more than 2,315 tonnes, equivalent to a greenhouse gas reduction of 131,361 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
To tackle excessive plastic use, CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores and the 24 Shopping online channel, signed a memorandum of understanding with more than 30 universities nationwide on reducing plastic waste in stores located at these universities.