NSTDA in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Works (DIW) and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) hosted End of Waste Thailand Seminar on 8 June 2023 with representatives from more than 60 enterprises in attendance.

MTEC Executive Director Dr. Julathep Kajornchaiyakul remarked that the objective of the seminar is to present the end-of-waste concept, regulations and research to industrial players to encourage the practice and innovation to help transform Thai industry to green maufacturing.

“NSTDA has been conducting research to add value to resources to support the Bio-Circular-Green Economy (BCG) model and enhancing waste utilization with industrial symbiosis is one of our attempts to turn waste from one industry into secondary raw materials in another,” said Dr. Julathep. “Our researchers have a wealth of experience working with industrial partners in this area, with strong support from DIW and FTI.”

End-of-waste is a principle that unlocks the barriers and allows waste from one industry to be used as raw materials in other industries without damaging human health and the environment. Under this principle, the waste can become a ‘secondary’ resource in place of and fulfilling the same role as a ‘primary’ resource from nature and research and development are keys to achieve end-of-waste.

DIW Director General Mr. Jullapong Thaveesri said successful implementation of End of Waste Thailand requires close collaboration among three major players, namely the government, industry and academia which are represented by DIW, FTI and NSTDA, respectively, to employ technology to drive end-of-waste campaign in Thailand. Research will be conducted to study properties of waste and its potential to be used as secondary raw materials, develop technologies and processes for waste utilization and evaluate the quality and safety of final products. Such studies will provide evidence to enable materials to cease to be regulated as waste. Initially, the Thai campaign will focus on biomaterials and basic mineral substances.

Mr. Promporn Isarangkula Na Ayutthaya, Chairman of Circular Material Hub Working Group at FTI’s Water and Environment Institute for Sustainability (WEIS) said that one of FTI’s goals is to bring research into practice to increase Thailand’s competitiveness. To drive the circular economy under the BCG model, FTI is introducing new business opportunities and promoting resource-use efficiency. Initiatives that have been launched include smart agriculture industry (SAI) model and industrial symbiosis platform. FTI also collaborated with MTEC-NSTDA to develop an environmental database of aluminum industry in preparation for the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and is in discussion with NANOTEC-NSTDA on SAI.

“FTI has a diverse membership that expands over 45 industries and 11 clusters located in 75 provinces throughout 5 regions. With its members associated with various steps of waste, ranging from waste generation, to waste transport and processing, FTI can play a critical role in all stages and activities of the end-of-waste initiative in Thailand.”

In addition to presentations from experts, participants also had an opportunity to meet with NSTDA researchers to seek technical support under NSTDA’s Innovation and Technology Assistance Program (ITAP).