Chansin Treenuchagron, President & CEO of PTT PLC, Jiraporn Kaosawad, President & CEO of PTT Oil and Retail Business PLC, or PTTOR, and Supattanapong Panmeechaow, President & CEO of PTT Global Chemical PLC, or GC, recently held a joint press conference at PTT Headquarters to launch the Café Amazon Circular Living Concept store, located at the Sam Yan PTT station, which aims to boost conservation and environmental awareness through the café’s stylish decorative items made from recycled waste.

Chansin Treenuchagron, President and CEO of PTT PLC, said that PTT is proud to have promoted eco-friendly products and services over the last four decades to help build sustainable growth for green products in Thailand. “As part of our unwavering commitment, we established the PTT Innovation Institute, together with operating subsidiaries under the umbrella of PTT PLC, to show the company is committed to offering Thai people a greater choice of premium-quality, environmentally-friendly products at reasonable prices. This is why the Café Amazon at the Sam Yan PTT station is running a pilot project for which the PTT Innovation Institute created composite materials made from transforming recycled “coffee chaff,” the dried skin from coffee beans, also known as ‘husks,’ which come off during the roasting process, combined with bio-based epoxy, to create furnishings such as distinctive tables, cupboards, counters, and shelves that are lightweight and robust, with glossy and abrasive surfaces that are resistant to chemicals. Using recycled coffee chaff is a positive example of the Circular Economy in action, promoting the efficient use of resources to ensure maximum benefits,” he said.

Jiraporn Kaosawad, President and CEO of PTT Oil and Retail Business PLC, or PTTOR, noted that the Café Amazon Circular Living Concept reflects PTTOR’s commitment to operating in line with social, community, and environmental considerations, resulting in a key cooperative framework among companies in the PTT Group to integrate the Circular Economy throughout their operations and promote eco-friendly product development. “In line with Café Amazon’s clearly-defined concept of a ‘Taste of Nature,’ and its reputation as a trailblazer in the coffee industry experiencing rapid growth in both number of locations and sales, Café Amazon recognizes the importance of in-store waste management and reducing the use of plastic products to minimize environmental impact. In making this shift, Café Amazon is using biodegradable products such as Bio-PBS-coated paper cups that are 100% bio-degradable, 100% plant-based Bio-PLA cups for cold drinks, and Bio-PBS + PLA straws and paper bakery bags that are an ideal substitute for plastic bags. This initiative has reduced the amount of plastic waste generated in stores by around 645 tons per year. In addition, PTTOR realized that used materials left in stores could be reused by adding value. This led to a joint effort to launch the Café Amazon Circular Living Concept store as a pilot project. PTTOR plans to expand the number of Café Amazon Circular Living Concept stores in the near future to offer eco-friendly products and services in partnership with PTT Group,” he said.

Supattanapong Panmeechaow, President and CEO of PTT Global Chemical PLC, or GC, explained that as a leading chemical company committed to better living, GC recognizes the importance of the resource revolution now underway. According to Mr. Supattanapong, “GC fully supports the Circular Economy, which focuses on resource and environmental conservation and the efficient use of resources to ensure their maximum benefit. This coincides with our company’s efforts to recycle discarded plastic waste to produce creative, eco-friendly products in partnership with designers and in line with the Circular Living concept, which helps make the world a better place. GC’s eco-friendly products offer a new and green perspective at the Café Amazon Circular Living Concept store, with decorative items and furniture both inside and outside the store made of used raw materials from stores, the coffee processing plant, and recycled plastic waste. This reflects the Circular Living concept and also follows GC’s 5Rs framework for resource effectiveness, which is: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renewable, and Refuse. Compostable BioPlastic, an effective substitute for petroleum-based plastic products, demonstrates how GC is working to use plastic products more efficiently for more effective waste management that supports the recycling process under the concept of the Circular Economy to ensure the maximum benefits from earth’s resources.”