About the Project – Industry-urban symbiosis project in Thailand

About the Project

Background

Climate change has been recognized as a threat to Thailand, which was the ninth hardest-hit country by extreme weather events between B.E. 2536 and 2555. Despite the efforts made to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the country is the world’s 19th largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) releasing 327 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in B.E. 2556.

Thailand has rectified the Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants on 31 January 2548. In terms of the release of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a report from Greenpeace International on the industrial releases of POPs and other harmful chemicals in the Chao Phraya Basin underlined the seriousness of the current situation. This is confirmed by a study that collected a total of 300 surface water samples in 31 locations along the Chao Phraya River and concluded that higher PFOS concentrations were measured in more industrialized and more densely populated areas.

The Ministry of Industry by the Department of Industrial Works has been assigned to mobilize the eco-industrial town together with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand and other relevant sectors for example the Federation of Thai Industries. The concept of eco-industrial development focuses on the resource efficiency to reduce wastes, GHG emission and release of harmful chemical as well as the promotion of industrial symbiosis and industry-urban symbiosis.

The Department of Industrial Works has collaborated with United Nations Industrial Development Organization together with other project partners consisting of the Pollution Control Department, the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, and Kasetsart University to request the grant from Global Environment Fund and to execute this project. The project aims to reduce GHG emission and safe disposal of POPs by applying the concept of resource efficiency, green chemistry and industry-urban symbiosis under the mobilizing of eco-industrial development.

Project Partners

The project is executed and supervised by:

Department of Industrial Works under the Ministry of Industry
Pollution Control Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand under the Ministry of Industry
The Federation of Thai Industries
Kasetsart University

The project supports Thai industries through the comprehensive capacity building program and various demonstration projects. The following companies have already committed to collaborate with the project to reduce the GHGs emission.

PTT Public Company Limited
PTT LNG Company Limited
PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited
Saha Pathana Inter-holding Public Company Limited

Objectives

The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), as well as releases of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other harmful chemicals from industries and urban centers through the application of industry-urban symbiosis and green chemistry technology.

Project Period

2020 to 2025

Key Outputs

The project is officially started on 1 September 2020. There are 4 components in the project with the following key outputs.

Component 1 Policy development

Proposed policy improvements/guidelines and market-based instruments endorsed by the key stakeholders

Component 2 National capacity building and awareness raising on industry-urban symbiosis and POPs

MFA/SFA reports of new POPs in three selected provinces
Monitoring reports of new POPs contamination in three selected provinces
One pilot online waste database for one industrial estate/park
3,000 participants attend the awareness raising event/seminar/workshop
3,600 participants trained under the project
Three academic courses developed for RECP, low-carbon technologies, green chemistry, and industry-urban symbiosis
Online learning and information sharing platform

Component 3 Pilot demonstration of cleaner production, new POPs management and industry-urban symbiosis

200 RECP assessment conducted, when appropriate including the application of low carbon technologies, green chemistry implication, energy management system and system optimization measures.
50 implementation projects related to the application of RECP, low carbon technologies, green chemistry or BAT/BEP carried out.
3 demonstration projects on industrial symbiosis between the companies/estate and communities carried out
1 demonstration project for waste management and waste-to-energy
1 demonstration project for e-waste management and its dismantling and recycling plant