Our future is inexorably linked to the future of our planet. Economic stability is crucial to human wellbeing, but it cannot exist without environmental sustainability. To secure our economic and environmental future, global industry must be at the forefront of sustainable development. This will be especially important in the developing world, where unchecked industrial expansion could spell environmental disaster. To help industry in developing countries achieve resource-efficient growth with a low carbon footprint, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization has implemented the Green Industry Initiative.
Thailand’s Ministry of Industry has adopted UNIDO’s Green Industry principles and has made its own system of classification to help the nation’s industrial sector develop sustainable processes and activities.
The plan for Green Industry is based on the twin pillars of continuous improvement and corporate social responsibility. For organizations to be considered Green Industry entities, they must achieve environmental sustainability goals, improve upon those goals year over year, and be transparent, and accountable to the communities in which they operate.
The Ministry of Industry awards five levels of Green Industry to organizations that operate in Thailand.
Level 1 – Green Commitment: The organization submits a written commitment to becoming a Green Industry that also details plans for reaching that goal.
Level 2 – Green Activity: The organization implements its commitments and achieves some significant goals.
Level 3 – Green System: The organization meets the rigorous ISO 14001 standards for all of its activities.
Level 4 – Green Culture: The organization meets the ISO 26000 standards, which evaluate the social responsibility of the company, ensuring that it is acting in an “ethical and transparent way that contributes to the health and welfare of society.”
Level 5 – Green Network: This most intensive stage requires the organization to meet all four previous levels, while also spreading Green Industry principles to its suppliers and partners, bringing them up to a minimum of Green Industry Level 2, and thus creating a Green Network.
"A Green Industry Level 5 organization must act as a mentor for all of the other businesses that fall within its orbit and have a positive influence on its entire supply chain."
INSEE Ecocycle provides sustainable waste management in Thailand. We work closely with customers and stakeholders to ensure the utmost environmental benefit in all our operations.
As part of our waste recovery activities, we work with many different partners of different sizes. We are committed to helping all of them become Green Industries as well. As our partners improve their regulatory compliance and environmental performance, there will be a positive effect on the sustainability of industry in Thailand and the ASEAN region.
If we are to secure a sustainable and prosperous future, the private sector must play a pivotal role. And, INSEE Ecocycle is committed to doing its part.