A group of giant industrial firms has come up with three missions to make Rayong's Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate more environmentally friendly under the concept of an eco-industrial town.
The Community Partnership Association says the missions are to develop green operations, ensure the community's well-being in terms of health care and education and coordinate news between the industrial estate and surrounding communities, said Kun Patumra, who heads the CPA.
Purple bauhinias are planted in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate to absorb carbon dioxide.
H said the CPA plans to have all members work together to make the factories clean and environmentally friendly.
Founded in 2010, the CPA originally had five members - PTT Plc, Siam Cement Group, Dow Chemical Co, Glow Group and BLCP Power Ltd.
Late last year, it welcomed seven new members including Vinythai Plc and Bangkok Synthetics Co.
"The CPA is a network of industrial plants that focuses on preserving the environment and the well-being of people around the plants," Mr Kun said.
"We allow and indeed encourage members to exchange experiences and tools for making the environment around the industrial estate cleaner and greener."
Rayong Deputy Governor Warawut Pin-ngern said the province has many industrial estates.
"Everyone should work together to take care of the environment so that the community and industrial estates can live together," he said.
Pratheep Aeng-Chuan, director of the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, said the expansion of green spaces is a cooperation to balance the ecology.
"This is a real milestone, becoming an ecological industrial estate that has more tree plantings and contains more green spaces," he said.
Anek Nakruangsri, a leader of Soi Khiri community in Map Ta Phut, said the CPA helps the community in many ways by bringing big firms to work together in Rayong.
"There must be a budget for the continuous maintenance of plants so that the expansion of green spaces becomes more evident," he said.
The CPA plans to run a tree-planting project for three years.
With a budget of 6.5 million baht, the group plans to develop more green public spaces in the industrial estate.