All Thai factories to have green certification by 2025


The government has told all 70,000-plus factories in Thailand that they must achieve Green Industry certification by 2025 if they want to keep operating, as the Kingdom increases its commitment to sustainable development.
 
The Department of Industrial Works, Ministry of Industry, announced last week that all factories would need to have Green Industry certification. That certification is given to factories meeting the standards set by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Those standards were created to help developing countries adopt and achieve environmentally friendly technologies and initiatives.
 
The announcement came at the behest of Minister of Industry Suriya Juangroongruangkit, who said every one of the 71,130 industrial plants needed to follow the government’s Action Plan 2021-2037 to promote and develop enterprises in green industry.
 
Since 2011, roughly 20,000 factories in Thailand have received Green Industry certificates, according to the Department. A total of 110 factories have Green Industry labels, which means their products were made in an eco-friendly way.
 
Some companies have been trailblazers in environmentally friendly production facilities. NR Instant, a plant-based food manufacturer, has opened the first carbon-neutral factory in the Kingdom. SCG Chemicals has been operating a certified eco-factory since 2015.
 
But in other cases, some companies with factories have been using loopholes to evade regulations and standards. The government has become increasingly aware of this and has said it will apply stricter measures.
 
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Energy Authority (MEA) is examining a joint venture proposal to build two new waste-to-energy power plants in Bangkok. The facilities would promote the expansion of alternative energy in the Thai capital and increase environmental protection.