BANGKOK, 26 MAY 2022 – Within the framework of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) ‘Greening the Scrap Metal Value Chain through Promotion of BAT/BEP to Reduce U-POPs Release from Recycling Facilities’ project, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a high level visit was organized in partnership with Thailand’s Ministry of Industry for Collen Vixen Kelapile, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and Gita Sabharwal, UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand.

“The Ministry of Industry recognizes the importance of the Bio-Circular-Green (B-C-G) economic development model”, said Suchart Trisangrujira, Advisor to the Minister of Industry. “To comply with this model, MoI has now set a target for factories nationwide to enter the Green Economy by 2025; the GEF-funded UNIDO project therefore seamlessly fits with this approach by being grounded on circular economy principles”.

“The factory’s advance technologies and its commitment to environmentally sound operations are impressive”, said ECOSOC President Collen Vixen Kelapile. “The commitment and investment from the private sector play a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and especially SDG17 as partnerships are required to achieve all goals”.

“Indeed, our project clearly supports partnerships”, said Stein Hansen, UNIDO Regional Director and Representative of UNIDO Regional Office Hub in Thailand. “The multifaceted nature of the partnerships fosters solid collaborations between the public and private sectors, including the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as well as stakeholders from the metallurgical industry. As a matter of fact, the Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM) is our main executing partner”.

The high-level visit was hosted by the Thai Metal Aluminium Co., Ltd (TMA), one of six demonstrating facilities supported by the project. The factory is committed to reduce energy consumption and the environmental impacts from their operation.

Overall, the project aims at contributing to circular and green economy development of the scrap metal value chain by providing co-finance to induce rapid adoption of best available technologies and best environmental practices, which is linked to the improvement of energy efficiency. In total, the project received commitments from scrap-metal recycling facilities in excess of USD12 million over a period of five years.

For more information on the TMA, please visit: https://www.thaimetal.co/en/

(Photos of the visit, https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11VgH8ZQh_jO0lkEjxiSoo-QE9FnEssqK?usp=sharing )

For more information, please contact:

Stein Hansen

Director and UNIDO Representative

UNIDO Regional Office Hub in Thailand

Email: s.hansen@unido.org  

s.chamsuk@unido.org