The Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand project

The “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand 2021-2022” project runs from August 2021 to July 2022. Upcycling the Oceans founder ECOALF hopes the initiative will raise awareness by reaching a wider audience, and encourage greater cooperation from public, private, and social enterprise partners.

“Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand” is a collaborative project that began in 2017 involving three partners – the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (GC), and the ECOALF Foundation. The aim is to promote a waste management solution for Thailand’s coastal and marine tourist areas. The project also involves transforming discarded plastic waste into new value-added products while promoting responsible tourism by minimizing the amount of waste in the seas around Thailand.

“Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand 2021-2022” is a collaborative project involving four partners – PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (GC), the Marine Department, the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), and Khon Kaen Finishing Net Company Limited. The project has also received support from the Friends in Need (of “PA”) Volunteers Foundation of the Thai Red Cross and Qualy to help design and create new ways to add value with discarded plastic waste, provide greater functionality, and emphasize the importance of the environment.

The “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand 2021 – 2022” project is a further platform to raise awareness among Thais about the many issues caused by discarded plastic in nature, rivers, seas, and oceans. The project allows people to better understand how these materials are brought back into the system by GC’s YOUTURN platform, undergoing upcycling processes and transforming waste into value-added products. Furthermore, using modern processes and technologies also helps reduce environmental impact and global warming – which is why implementation processes of both “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand” and YOUTURN have been assured that they are aligned with BS 8001 : 2017 (the world's first standard for implementing circular economy principles). These initiatives provide holistic plastic waste management integrated with innovation that will help create lasting impact for Thailand as it progresses towards implementing the circular economy principles and striving for perfection.