The “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand” project

The “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand” project encourages the public to take part in addressing the plastic waste problem at marine tourist attractions in Thailand. This approach involves transforming plastic waste into fiber to produce value-added products in support of the Circular Economy and helps promote the efficient use of plastics leading to reduced waste in the ocean and an improved condition for coastal areas through sustainable waste management.

PET Bottles
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T-Shirt
T-Shirt

“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.

The “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand (UTO) 2021 - 2022” Project

PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (GC) is collaborating with the Marine Department, the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), and Khon Kaen Fishing Net Company Limited (KKF) to extend its “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand” project, collecting used plastic bottles (PET) and fishing nets from seas, rivers, and the ocean as part of the YOUTURN Platform and recycling and upcycling the materials to transform them into value-added products that bring benefit back to society.

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.

Increased public awareness of and participation in Thailand’s efforts to reduce the amount of waste

This project has increased public awareness of and participation in Thailand’s efforts to reduce the amount of waste along the country’s popular coastal and maritime areas. Through the project, PET and Nylon plastic waste, such as plastic bottles and fishing nets found in the sea and in coastal areas, were collected and transformed into value-added clothing and fashionable products. This approach established an efficient and long-term utilization of plastic waste which contributed to resource efficiency. The main purpose was to promote sustainable management solutions of marine waste through the transformation of plastic waste to produce value-added products that contribute to a circular economy and responsible tourism. It further helped protect and conserve the beauty of the country’s coastal areas.

Partners of the “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand 2021-2022” project can see the significant role of plastic waste management that plays in bringing discarded waste back into the system, and how it aligns with the country’s strategy to add greater value to resources, and therefore improve Thais’ quality of life.

The “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand” project was active for three years, from February 2017 to January 2020. The project’s pilot areas were Samet Island in Rayong province, Tao Island in Surat Thani province, and Phuket on the Andaman coast, all very popular tourist destinations. The target groups included Thai and foreign tourists, divers, communities, tourism operators, public agencies in tourist areas, and the public.

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.

Special Collection Products of the “Upcycling the Oceans, Thailand 2021 – 2022” project, made from used plastics (PET), were designed by M.L. Jirathon Jiraprawat, a well-known Thai artist and fashion designer. Products made from used or discarded fishing nets found in seas, rivers, and oceans are designed by world-renowned Thai brand Qualy.

GC is committed to applying sustainability practices in its business by balancing economy, society, and the environment, which is the foundation of successfully driving future growth together.

as of March 2022