FTI, industrial estate authority aim to improve waste processing standards

FTI chairman Kriengkrai Thiennukul said at a press conference on Tuesday that the move was another significant initiative to prepare Thai manufacturers and industries for global green regulations, particularly Western ones, such as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

The EU's CBAM is scheduled to go into effect in October, expected to serve as a tool to set a reasonable price on the carbon emitted during the production of goods imported into Europe and to promote cleaner industrial production in non-European nations.

Kriengkrai conceded that for some entrepreneurs, who are not prepared, the regulations would undoubtedly turn into non-tariff trade barriers that lower their ability to compete.

He said the present collaboration between the FTI and the IEAT is an extension of their 2017 joint project called “Eco Factory” which, this time, would concentrate on waste processors by encouraging them to take part in standard tests set by IEAT and FTI to get the official certificate.

This would validate the credibility of all waste processors in Thailand, on whom manufacturers can rely with confidence, he said.

"By 2025, we expect that all our members in the industrial waste-processing industries would have obtained this type of certificate. The move would serve as a benchmark for other non-member processors to see how much better it would be to have this certificate," Kriengkrai explained.

The FTI currently has 60 waste processors as members. However, the total number of processors nationwide is around 2,000.

Weris Amrapal, governor of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), added that nine waste processors have already received the certificate, and another 18 are in the process of obtaining one.

He explained that having a certificate allows the IEAT to track the operation of the processors. As a result, manufacturers as waste generators will be assured that their wastes are properly recycled or eliminated.

"This move is part of the 'polluter pays' principle, which is one of the foundational principles of environmental policy to guide sustainable development worldwide," he said. 

It would not only help the country achieve its Bio-Circular-Green economy model and sustainability goal, but would also increase its competitiveness in a world that prioritises environmental protection, he added.

The FTI and the IEAT also signed a memorandum of understanding, reaffirming their commitment to establishing a sustainable supply chain. The signing also included major manufacturing companies, such as Siam Cement Group, PTT, and IPRC, who pledged to only use certified waste-processing services.

Thailand aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2065.