Even if leading Thai businesses adopt sustainable practices as part of efforts addressing climate change, a multisector collaborative approach is still required to help solve the overall problem, a forum at the Sustainability Expo 2023 was told on Thursday.
This message was part of the "Business Leadership in Sustainability" forum at the annual expo event held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Tongjai Thanachanan, Thai Beverage Executive Vice President and Chief of Sustainability and Strategy, moderated the forum with three speakers who shared their stories on leading their businesses while adhering to sustainability practices that contribute to improving society and the environment.
Anthony M Watanabe, the Indorama Ventures Chief Sustainability Officer, said the company, which is one of the largest PET plastic bottle recyclers in the world, has recycled 100 billion plastic bottles over the last 11 years.
Mr Watanabe said climate change adaptation has become a primary challenge and concern for all businesses worldwide.
"What we do, [things] such as renewable energy, operational efficiency, and carbon capture storage is all about mitigation," he said.
"Adaptation is the other side of the coin. It means climate has already been changing, and we already feel temperature variations, increased natural disasters and its impact on infrastructure and several systems in society."
Mr Watanabe cited climate disaster statistics and said that natural disasters are now occurring frequently.
He said the challenge for every business is convincing other business leaders that mitigation, management, and preparation for climate change is vital.
Sarayuth Saengchan, Mitr Phol Group's Managing Director on Health Products and Sustainability, said Mitr Phol believes in doing fair business by improving farmers' livelihoods, including knowledge sharing and ensuring their productions have less carbon emissions and zero waste.
He said climate change is already a challenge.
"In the past, we still had some time to prepare ourselves for the dry season, but now the dry season comes quicker and more frequently, so we need to find prompt responses," Mr Sarayuth said.
Mitr Phol also needs to increase its innovation to address the issue, he added.