MQDC has announced its mission to achieve “Nature Positive & Carbon Negative by 2050”, a key climate change goal under its founding commitment to develop projects and innovate to enhance the quality of life for all beings.
Visit Malaisirirat, CEO of MQDC, said, “As a leading property developer with a focus on well-being for all life, or ‘For All Well-Being’, covering not only our residents but society and the environment, the company has recognised climate change and biodiversity loss challenges for the past 30 years. MQDC has therefore moved to help address the global crisis through this new component in its sustainability mission, with a positive effect on nature and net-negative carbon dioxide emissions.”
He revealed that the mission aims to go beyond corporate carbon neutrality. “We recognise that our carbon emissions don’t only come from our core business. As we want to build a truly net zero carbon project, we are also trying to involve all the suppliers in our value chain in sustainable practices.
“To craft the most effective property model for the future, we have invested heavily in research and ‘sustainnovation’ through our research centres, starting with an initial six billion baht. The Forestias is one of our proudest projects because it is a sandbox exercise and a challenge no one else has taken up. As we are contacted by various international institutes and partners who want to visit and study our project, it has become more than a matter of sales figures. Step by step, we are treating The Forestias as a biodiversity-enhancing project that doesn’t just feature a park but an actual woodland. We just needed to start somewhere. Already, it has received great support from our environmentally conscious customers who are willing to pay for what they have been looking for and haven’t found until The Forestias,” said Mr Visit
Assoc Prof Dr Singh Intrachooto, chief advisor to the Research & Innovation for Sustainability Center (RISC by MQDC), added the mission is a major undertaking by MQDC. “Countries around the world have set a common goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero carbon by 2050. MQDC has chosen an even more aggressive mission to achieve carbon negative by the same year. The world is in crisis. All sectors must cooperate to solve these problems urgently. Tackling environmental challenges is a core mission for RISC, which has always been dedicated to research to empower organisations that care about the environment and the well-being of all life,” Assoc Prof Dr Singh said.
RISC is one of MQDC’s six research centres which provides strategic planning and innovation to help operations achieve these missions.
Discussing his work at RISC, Assoc Prof Dr Singh said that the centre is committed to the future of the property industry as a whole. “RISC is happy to share its research findings and knowledge with all developers because we recognise that any project on its own cannot improve the well-being of all. We also focus on upcycled and recycled materials from suppliers, usually smaller enterprises that have to close down when there is not enough demand for what they offer. In many cases, their products have fewer carbon emissions. Therefore, it is much better to use these materials than virgin materials dug up from the ground. Sustainable suppliers can scale later to meet more demand, elevating the entire industry. Once people see The Forestias’ success story, they come on board and help drive nature-positive and carbon-negative goals.
“MQDC is deeply committed to nature-positive and carbon-negative 2050 goals. The extensive research shows many approaches to achieving the goals, including 1) Net Zero Energy Ready Building; 2) Reduce Construction Impacts and Employ Circular Economy; 3) Nature-based Solution and Enhance Biodiversity, and; 4) Climate Tech & Innovation.
“The most important thing is to ensure that the two concepts go hand in hand to achieve the sustainable future we all really need,” Assoc Prof Dr Singh said.