According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, every year 8-15 million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into the world's oceans, killing marine life and entering the human food chain. According to a study by Ocean Conservancy, a Washington-based environmental advocacy group, five Asian countries (China, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand) account for some 60% of all that plastic waste swirling around the sea.
The World Bank revealed in September that the total volume of global waste could expand 70% by 2050, as urbanisation and overall populations continue to rise. The multinational lender further forecast that South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa will generate the biggest increases in rubbish. It also asserted that while over one-third of global waste ends up in landfill, over 90% is dumped openly in lower income countries that often fall short of adequate disposal and treatment facilities.
Meanwhile, every day the world wakes up to new data and statistics confirming that our planet is deteriorating at a shocking rate. As these figures ring alarm bells, they make us more aware that the world is in urgent and desperate need of sustainable solutions. And while planting mangroves, nursing baby turtles and releasing them into the sea, and creating artificial coral reefs are all very worthwhile, they do not go nearly far enough.
But to their credit, faced with these challenges, at least some businesses in Thailand have taken serious strides beyond conventional corporate social responsibility projects. Instead of setting up extra campaigns to improve society, many organisations are incorporating a socially responsible mindset into their core culture as they strive to make better use of natural resources or redesign their products and services to create as little waste as possible in the first place.
This model is now defined as "circular economy',' a concept that aims to redefine what we mean by growth. A popular model promoted by the European Union and several other governments and businesses across the globe, circular economy starts with using natural resources more wisely, followed by keeping them in circulation as long as possible and, subsequently, generating as little waste as possible. In a nutshell, circular economy aims to eliminate waste by designing materials, products, systems and business models based on sustainability.
"CSR Focus" explores this new industrial landscape, in the process answering some of the key questions, including: how to define circular economy and its implications; how the Thai government is taking up the model; and how circular economy might lead to sustainable living for consumers.
Also featured in this special publication are prime examples of organisations already incorporating circular economy into every aspect of their operations. Some are doing so more than others but in their different ways they are all striving to adopt more resource-efficient approaches to business that not only generate substantial economic benefits but do so sustainably.
We believe circular economy is key to sustainable development and can form the basis of sustainable society. The time to act is now. Because if the world doesn't radically change its ways, and soon, the impacts of the deteriorating planet on health, livelihoods and the very survival of our species, will undoubtedly be in serious jeopardy.
Arusa Pisuthipan
Project Editor
