Brother, the leader in printer innovation, together with its partners organized “15th Brother Volunteer Mangrove Forest Conservation and Restoration”, a part of its sustainable development strategy. The mangrove tree planting activity in the mangrove forest area at Klong Khone Mangrove Forest Conservation Center, Samut Songkhram Province.
The survival rate of newly planted mangrove forests is expected to increase by 70%-80% and to generate oxygen by 91,000-104,000 pounds or 40,950-46,800 kg/year, hoping to create sustainable natural life cycle for the past 14 years.
The event at Klong Khone Mangrove Forest Conservation Center, Samut Songkhram province received great support from the management team of Brother Commercial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. led by Mr. Teerawut Supapunpinyo, Managing Director, Mr. Pornpuck Upaisilpsataporn, General Manager, Finance and Administration, Ms. Rassiyakorn Tantavanit, General Manager, Customer Service. The representatives from Klong Khone Mangrove Forest Conservation Center and more than 120 volunteer employees and partners participated in the activity.
Mr. Teerawut Supapunpinyo, Managing Director, Brother Commercial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said that “Brother’s Commitment to Environment is one of the commitments that Brother Group and Brother (Thailand) attached to in all operations, including products, regulations, guidelines and communities. We’re committed to Brother Group Environmental Vision 2050 to protect the environment and reduce CO2 emission throughout the value chain.
Brother factories in Japan and the United Kingdom has installed solar panels, used resource circulation, and included biodiversity conservation, according to the context of each country. For Thailand, we have coastal areas, therefore, we initiated coastal erosion prevention projects and aquatic animal nursery, followed by mangrove reforestation projects that have been continuously implemented.”
“For sustainability goals, we focus on the entire value chain under the concept of At Your Side, or Brother’s commitment to provide our customers and all stakeholders with innovative quality products, while contributing to society and protecting our planet. The implementation is divided into the medium-term 2030 strategy, when we aim to reduce the carbon dioxide that contributes to greenhouse gases by 30%, minimize the use of new plastics, put used plastics into the recycling process, and encourage consumers to reuse packaging and printing materials to reduce the e-waste.”
“For our long-term strategy 2050, we will co-create a decarbonization society to achieve zero carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and switch to natural renewable energy while maintaining the balance of the world’s ecosystem as much as possible.”
Mr. Teerawut also revealed that Brother’s CSR includes both the environment and the local community. We have continuously implemented and received good feedback and participation from our employees and partners. For example, we have helped cancer patients. In addition, there are quarterly sub-CSR activities, which employees can initiate and then propose.
Mr. Pornpuck Upaisilpsataporn, General Manager, Finance and Administration, Brother Commercial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said that the “Brother Volunteer Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Project” has been running for 15th consecutive year. “We have initiated this project with the main objective of increasing green space, engaging the community, creating a positive environmental impact, and most importantly, continuity and generating income for the community.”
“We have consulted with the local communities to ensure that the trees planted have a survival rate of 70% – 80% and generate oxygen of 91,000-104,000 pounds or 40,950-46,800 kilograms per year. Over the past 14 years, the “Brother Volunteer for Mangrove Forest Conservation” project has been conducted in 3 provinces, namely Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram to give back to both the community and the environment, the essential foundation for both businesses and society to grow sustainably.”
Mr. Pornpuck also mentioned that the company consulted with the local community in the preparation for the activity to get the recommendation of plant species to ensure the survival rate of trees. For example, cork trees are suitable for sandy and muddy riverbank areas while mangroves are suitable for areas where the muddy soil is flooded regularly.
Klong Khone Mangrove Forest Conservation Center located in Khlong Khone, Muang District, Samut Songkhram province was initiated in 1991 by Mr. Paiboon Rattanapongtara or Pooyai Chong together with Khlong Khone people. They started planting mangroves in Khlong Khone sub-District after the mangrove forest was heavily deforested for shrimp farming resulting in the depletion of aquatic resources in the area.
The local fishery can no longer feed their families. When they started planting the mangroves, the forest in Khlong Khone sub-District began to recover. In addition, the Center received extensive benevolence from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn who recognized the importance of planting mangroves in Klong Khone.
HRH has participated in planting the forests many times (in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2004). The mangrove forest in Klong Khone has been revived.
“Now at 15th “Brother Volunteer for Mangrove Forest Conservation”, we have set a target to plant 500 trees in the closed area of 2 rai. All trees will be taken care of by the surrounding communities. This is a collaboration between Brother and the community, with more than 120 volunteer employees and partner organizations participating.” Mr. Pornpuck said.
Ms. Rassiyakorn Tantavanich, General Manager, Customer Service, Brother Commercial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. added that “For Brother, CSR is the foundation for ethical business conduct for colleagues, business associates, competitors, communities and the environment. It is what our employees in all units, whether marketing, customer service or sales department adhere to. For example, for the service, from reception to the completion of the repair process, we designed the process to comply with CSR in every step.
Customers who come for repair service will be advised on the machine maintenance so that it lasts a long time. This will reduce costs and indirectly protect the environment. For the e-waste generated from repair, we will properly sort and destroy. Our customers can be confident that they can be a part of environmental protection.”
“Brother Volunteer for Mangrove Forests Conservation and Restoration” received the Double circle level of “NIJUUMARU” PROJECT certificate from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN-J), Japan, demonstrating excellence in the continuous implementation of the Mangrove Forest Project to conserve the environment and restore the balance of life cycle in the mangrove ecosystem. The cooperation from many sectors that come together to participate in the activities created better results every year, reflecting Brother’s commitment to sustainable development.
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