Kongkrapan Intarajang, CEO and President of PTT Global Chemical (GC), has been at the forefront of the company’s sustainability journey, focused on demonstrating that petrochemical companies can contribute positively to the environment with the right direction in place.
Over the last 10 years, GC has been operating its business with sustainability in mind. Moreover, the company is a pioneer in applying the circular economy to its business operations, a crucial foundation for its journey toward achieving its net zero goal. GC has shown its commitment to building a sustainable business by incorporating Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into its operations. Driven by its “Chemistry for Better Living” vision, the company has continued its decades-long endeavor to create sustainable solutions for all, says Intarajang.
Sustainability in Business
To transform the business sustainably in response to the rapidly changing world, GC has integrated 3-step strategies into its business operations. The strategies comprise of: Step Change—actively strengthen the business competitiveness by enhancing resilience and creating future growth; Step Out—move toward High Value Businesses (HVB) focusing on growth products and superior profitability that meets consumer needs and megatrends, for example GC’s acquisition of allnex, a global leader in specialty coating resins that provides high performance and environmentally friendly solutions; and Step Up—elevate its sustainability operations for business connectivity in response to industrial trends, while striking the ESG balance.
Working Together to Net Zero
As one of the global sustainability leaders, GC aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.
Its “Together to Net Zero” roadmap, drawn up in 2021, comprises three core pillars: efficiency-driven, which involves increasing operational efficiency and reducing waste emissions; portfolio-driven, which involves transitioning its portfolio to low-carbon businesses while maintaining corporate growth and integrating circularity to solve issues of limited resources and waste management; and compensation-driven, which utilizes nature-based solutions and explores technology to drive decarbonization.
GC started a closed-loop plastic waste management project called YOUTURN, which is one of the driving forces to net zero that aims to instill proper knowledge of plastic recycling and sustainability in local communities and encourage circular living. YOUTURN focuses on transforming plastic waste into valuable products such as fashionable items and construction materials, among others. The waste collected from the YOUTURN drop-off points is also transported to GC’s plastic recycling plant ENVICCO, where it is turned into high-quality, food-grade PCR PET approved by the Food and Drug Administrations in Thailand and the U.S.
Helping the Society
One of GC’s main missions is to assist society by elevating the quality of people’s lives. This is achieved through promoting community development (since 2011), engaging in community procurement of goods and services and creating employment opportunities that generate income for the community, which has amounted to 2.45 billion Thai baht (US$72 million). These efforts are also carried out in conjunction with environmental
conservation initiatives.
Intarajang says, “Sustainability starts with ourselves. Then, we collaborate and take a dedicated, hands-on approach not only within the company but also across all sectors throughout the supply chain. These actions have led us to receive international recognition, such as being ranked consecutively for four years in the chemical sector by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. We feel proud and grateful to all our partners who have contributed to our sustainability efforts, and we remain committed to continuing these efforts for the benefit of ourselves and future generations.”
