Page 9 - 2020 Sustainability report DOW Thailand Group

Collaborations to protect the climate
Working with customers to develop rice
bags that reduce plastic and energy use
Dow has cooperated with Prepack, Thailand's
leading flexible packaging producer under SCGP, to
raise the standard of rice bags for "Royal Umbrella''
as Thailand's first "green" rice bag. Using Dow's
innovative special polyethylene resin, INNATE�,
the new rice bags are aimed to be thinner (from
110 microns to 90 microns) but stronger and more
durable. The collaboration helps reduce carbon
dioxide emissions that cause global warming by
lessening plastic and energy used in the packaging
process by lowering rice bags sealing temperatures.
Moreover, it promotes recycling as the new bags are
made from easily recyclable polyethylene plastic.
The partners also encourage consumers to support
PPP Plastics' drop points "Magic Hand x Won'' by
donating used rice bags. Royal Umbrella bags will
be a part of the circular economy and not become
residual plastic waste in the environment.
In the beginning, the program is expected
to reduce the consumption of plastic by more than
300 tons per year and reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by more than 600 tons of carbon per
year. This is equivalent to planting over 60,000 trees,
excluding carbon dioxide reduction from consumers
donating empty bags for recycling.
Dow Thailand Group
Creating a blueprint for environment
Dow joined hands with experts from the
Department of Industrial Promotion, Ministry of
Industry, Plastics Institute of Thailand, National
Research Council of Thailand, Thammasat University
(Faculty of Engineering), and Kasetsart University
(Faculty of Science) to run the "Dow for Sustainable
Industry" project supporting small and medium
industries (SMEs) to improve efficiency, safety, and
environmental friendliness.
This collaboration is a part of the "Big
Brother" project, the government's policy that
encourages large private organizations to be
mentors for SMEs. The support aims to strengthen
the economy and promote a sustainable
environment in Thailand, aligning with Dow's
sustainability goals which focus on creating a
blueprint to protect the climate and eliminate
plastic waste. The project promotes smart factories
by applying IoT (Internet of Things) technology to
improve productivity, safety, and environmental
management.
In 2020, 20 factories in the food and plastic
industries were selected to participate in free
in-depth consultations. In addition, the Industry
4.0 manual and self-assessment form have been
developed. They can be used as guidelines for SMEs
to upgrade to Industry 4.0 standards to increase
efficiency, safety, and eco-friendliness.
Since the beginning of the project, the
amount of waste from participated factories has
been reduced. The quality of life and environments
for more than 922,000 workers and surrounding
communities nationwide have been positively
impacted. The program has reduced more than 1.5
million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, an
equivalent of planting 150,000 trees per year.
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