Production and consumption waste has brought about significant negative effects on the environment and climate change. Therefore, the waste management has become an issue jointly addressed by global communities, particularly the plastic waste problem. Thailand is no exception, producing and dumping plastic waste into the sea in an amount ranked one of the top levels. In an attempt to tackle this long-standing problem, a number of private and public organizations have established waste management policies, with anti-plastic campaigns, measures of waste sorting and recycling imposed to reduce amount of waste sent to landfills, the use of environmentally-friendly materials which can be reusable, etc.
To address the garbage problem and climate change, Krungsri initiated the
‘Krungsri Zero Waste Project’ in 2018 under the concept
‘Let’s Unite for Zero Waste’ with an aim to raise awareness of waste problem and promote accurate waste management in the organization for recycling and reducing landfill waste. Under the project, the Bank organized ‘Zero Waste’ activities to raise awareness among employees and minimize plastic pollution, namely the waste management training session, the waste sorting campaign, and the campaigns against single-use plastics and foam containers.
The ‘Krungsri Zero Waste’ project not only meets the above-stated objectives, but also aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13: Climate Action.
Performance
Krungsri is well aware that creating ‘Zero Waste’ habits among employees which would certainly change their daily habits may take time and need consistent promotional activities. In 2020, the Bank intensified the Krungsri Zero Waste project through diverse activities, including:
- Provided basic knowledge concerning the environmental issues and waste management to staff through a training course entitled ‘Zero Waste’, presented by speakers from Chulalongkorn University, to instill a sense of social and environmental responsibility in waste management
- Expanded the ‘Krungsri Right Place, Right Bin’ activity to cover almost 700 branches of the Bank and Krungsri Auto, so that their staff could take part in the garbage sorting activity
- Promoted the use of reusable mugs for purchasing beverages at vendors at the food court, on the 8th and 9th floor, at the Head Office and on the 12th floor, at Krungsri Ploenchit Office from 14 February 2020 onward
In addition, on the World Environment Day (5 June 2020), Krungsri encouraged executives and staff members at all levels to take part in addressing the garbage problem and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by changing their daily habits, particularly reducing single-use plastics. Therefore, the Bank provided a ‘refillable bottle and cloth bag’ for every staff member. This not only reflects our environmental responsibility, but also the responsibility for health and well-being amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
In October 2020, the Bank installed a
food waste decomposer at the Head Office to achieve zero waste to landfills. Facts become known that food waste produces methane gas, the main contributor to global warming. Thanks to biotechnology of the food waste decomposer, the food waste would be turned into high quality fertilizer for nourishing trees and increasing abundance of the ecosystem.
In 2021, Krungsri organized many activities toward the ‘zero waste’ goal as follows:
- Joined the Green Office project of the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. We initiated the ‘Krungsri…The Green Office’ for the purpose of changing employees’ habits and encouraging their engagement in the organization to save energy and resources, reducing the amount of waste from resource utilization, including carrying environmentally-friendly activities to cut down GHG emissions to zero
- Installed a food waste decomposer at the Head Office to reduce food waste to landfills to zero. In 2021, the machine helped break down 5,000 kilograms of food waste, representing the reduction of GHG emissions by 12,700 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kgCO2e). The food waste was converted into 1,300 kilograms of high-quality organic fertilizer for application in the green areas surrounding the Head Office and it was also given to the Royal Forest Department for further use. A feasibility study is being conducted on installing a food waste decomposer at the Krungsri Ploenchit Office. It is projected that the machine can be installed and start operating by the end of 2022.
In 2022 marked the fifth year of the ‘Krungsri Zero Waste’ project with the following activities.
- Supported the ‘Care the Whale’ project by joining hands with the SET in promoting end-to-end waste minimization and waste sorting for proper disposal, including promoting the circular economy model. In 2022, 5,384.65 kilograms of RDF was collected from the Head Office and Krungsri Ploechit Office and sorted to be used in the cement manufacturing process, helping reduce GHG emissions by 8,817.63 kgCO2e.
- In 2022, food waste from the Head Office was reduced by 5,810.76 kilograms or 14,701* kgCO2e and the leftovers were turned into 1,174 kilograms of bio-soil. Then another food waste decomposer was installed at Krungsri Ploenchit Office. Installation was completed in December 2022 and the machine is scheduled to start running in early 2023. It is expected that the machine will help reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills by 3,000 kilograms per year or 7,500* kgCO2e, equivalent to planting 830 trees.
2023 marked the sixth year of the ‘Krungsri Zero Waste’ project with the following performance:
- Participated in the Low Emission Support Scheme (LESS) of the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (Public Organization) (TGO) for the category of waste management under the ‘Krungsri Right Place, Right Bin’ activity which covers areas of Head Off ice and KSPO. The Bank was awarded the Certificate of the Low Emission Support Scheme (based on waste management in 2022), under which Krungsri can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1,081.561 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e).
- Supported the ‘Care the Whale’ project by joining hands with the SET in promoting end-to-end waste minimization and waste sorting for proper disposal, including promoting the circular economy model. Krungsri aims to reduce non-recyclable waste such as plastic bags, snack packaging, plastic eating utensils, paper cups, plastic cups, plastic straws, milk cartons, and juice cartons by sending them to be used as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in the cement manufacturing process so that there is zero RDF to landfills. The Bank communicated and provided RDF waste bins so that employees can take concrete action in sorting waste. In 2023, 9,106.75 kilograms of RDF was collected from the Head Office, Krungsri Riverside Office and KSPO and sorted to be used in the cement manufacturing process, helping reduce GHG emissions by 7,224.38* kgCO2e.
- Installing food waste decomposers to reduce waste to landfills as well as GHG, Krungsri committed to becoming a zero food waste organization.
- Krungsri installed a food waste decomposer in 2020 at the Head Office. It uses biotechnology to turn food waste into bio-soil in alignment with the circular economy concept. In 2023, food waste from the Head Office was reduced by 16,243.47 kilograms or 41,095.98* kgCO2e and the leftovers were turned into 2,960 kilograms of bio-soil.
- Another food waste decomposer was installed at KSPO in December 2022 and started running in early 2023. The machine helped reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills by 4,957.61 kilograms per year or 12,542.74* kgCO2e, equivalent to planting 1,393 trees.
Remark:
* Calculation of GHG emissions is based on the emission factors and the carbon footprint for organization (July 2022) of the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO).