Suntory PepsiCo Thailand’s commitment in “Packaging Sustainability Management” reflects its vision of “Growing for Good” in conducting business while taking care of society and the environment.
Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand), the manufacturer and distributor of beverage products under Suntory and PepsiCo brands in Thailand, recognises the importance and commitment of “Packaging Sustainability Management”. This aims to reduce plastic waste problems under the concept of a Circular Economy, reinforcing the vision of "Growing for Good" or sustainable growth in conducting business while taking care of society and the environment.
Starting from the manufacturing principle of using 3R + 1T (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle plus Technology), Suntory PepsiCo Thailand aims to reduce the use of virgin plastics while achieving sustainable growth. Suntory PepsiCo Thailand has developed technology in the production process as well as designed packaging with suppliers, resulting in lightweight PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles that help reduce the use of virgin plastics for production of each bottle. However, these bottles retain good properties according to packaging standards, including being clean, safe, lightweight, strong, resistant to impact and environmentally friendly, making them easy to manage and, most importantly, they can be 100% recycled.
Suntory PepsiCo Thailand has chosen PET plastic as the packaging for its beverages. The company emphasises attention to the upstream process, from designing and developing to deploying eco-design packaging that prioritises using PET plastic bottles. Bottle caps and labels are made from 100% recyclable materials. All bottle caps are made from HDPE (High Density Polyethylene), a high-density eco design that reduces the amount of plastic per cap. This helps reduce use of virgin plastic in production and is also 100% recyclable. All colours printed on Pepsi bottle caps have been removed to reduce the use of chemicals in the recycling process. Bottle labels are made of two types of plastic, namely Shrink Sleeve Label made from PET and Light Weight Wrap-around Label made from PP (Polypropylene), which uses production technology to reduce the amount of plastic needed compared to the weight per label.
The midstream process: “Waste Segregation” plays an important role in helping to increase the collection rate of plastic waste. Suntory PepsiCo Thailand therefore initiated and organised a mentoring workshop called “Train the Trainer'” to educate school management, teachers and community leaders in Saraburi province with the aim of transferring proper waste segregation to students and communities. The project was attended by representatives from 11 schools in Nong Khae, Kaeng Khoi and Wihan Daeng districts. The company has also provided 240 waste segregation bins to schools and communities in Saraburi province.
Regarding downstream plastic waste management, Suntory PepsiCo Thailand recognises the importance of sorting and collecting beverage packaging back into the recycling system wherever possible. To this end, the company has joined hands with Wongpanit, a major aggregator and recycling firm in Thailand, announcing the purchase of clear colourless PET bottles from Suntory PepsiCo Thailand at a price higher than ordinary PET bottles by 1 baht per kilogram. This promotes waste segregation and systematically brings used PET plastic bottles back into the recycling process.
Meanwhile, a new technology, 'ReFun Machine', has been introduced with the aim of promoting waste segregation and recycling of PET bottles. A pilot project was initiated in 2020 with Jiffy convenience stores located in 10 PTT Stations in Bangkok and metropolitan areas. In 2021, Suntory PepsiCo Thailand collaborated with CP All by putting ReFun Machines in front of 10 7-Eleven convenience stores in Bangkok and metropolitan areas throughout the year.
Suntory PepsiCo Thailand has now also launched a project called "Nong Boobie Helps Doctors – a mission to separate bottles to help doctors and transform PET bottles into PPE Level 2 .” This is part of a social network campaign to reduce packaging waste, especially used PET beverage bottles. The company works with 33 participating condominiums in Bangkok by setting up drop boxes for collecting used clear, colourless PET beverage bottles.
The goal is to recycle at least 36,000 used PET bottles and convert them into 2,000 sets of PPE suits for 10 hospitals. These will then be passed on to front liners so that they can perform their duties safely. Educational and fun activities have also taken place in an online format where the company aims to educate consumers how to properly conduct waste segregation and waste management according to the 3R principles (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle) and spreads knowledge about PET plastic packaging.
“Packaging Sustainability Management is one of the most important sustainability policies of the company,” comments Mr. Ashish Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) Company Limited. “Suntory PepsiCo Thailand's commitment to reducing the use of virgin plastic since 2018, has resulted in the company being able to achieve reductions totalling 531.6 tons, which helps to save natural resources and landfill space, leading to a positive effect on the environment.”
“Suntory PepsiCo Thailand believes that if consumers have knowledge and understanding about proper waste segregation, this will enable proper management of different types of waste. Waste segregation behaviour can prevent everything being thrown into one bin and result in a reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill. This will help reduce the amount of plastic waste in Thailand. In turn, it has a positive impact on the environment in a sustainable way.”