BANGKOK — Two entrepreneurs reveal the secrets behind building green businesses at the Prachachat Business ESG Forum 2024, under the topic “Time for Action, Turning the Tide on Climate Crisis” held at Plaza Athenee on August 22, 2024.
Chalakorn Ekchaipattanakul, CEO of Pluk Pak Pro Rak Mae Co. (Public), shared experiences from his company, which currently grows its own organic vegetables and operates restaurants, while Jiraroj Potjanawarapan, MD of Sangcharoen Grand Co., Ltd., explained how his third-generation company collects textile waste and recycles it into fabric products.
The CEO of Pluk Pak Pro Rak Mae, which means “Growing Vegetables Because We Love Mom,” said that his restaurants are operating under three brands: Ohkajhu, Ohkajhu Wrap & Roll, and Oh Juice.
Chalakorn reminisced about the past, saying that his business dates back to his childhood in the Chiang Mai countryside. His father had a house on a hill in Mae Kampong village, which he often visited. His father often told him that Mae Kampong was important as the watershed forest of Chiang Mai Province
“Back then, my father wanted the land behind our house to be used by the villagers to grow and harvest coffee. My father’s goal was to preserve the forest in the catchment area, which awakened a deep-seated commitment to nature conservation in me from an early age. As I grew older, my friends, Jho and I, became interested in combining modern farming with traditional methods and so we started farming”
ESG Is not an Option
“In the beginning, we wondered if we would dare to buy vegetables from the market, knowing that they were contaminated with pesticides or chemicals, and serve them to our families. Our answer was ‘no’ so we decided to grow organic vegetables ourselves. The name of the company, Pluk Pak Pro Rak Mae, came from our desire to help mothers, who are the central figure of every family, to live longer and healthier lives.”
Chalakorn added, “This morning, I heard news about flooding in Chiang Rai. Upon analysis, one of the reasons is deforestation due to burning.”
“I once went to the mountains and asked the farmers why they were slash-and-burn farming, as this is a cause of PM2.5 pollution. They replied that they need to earn money to pay for their children’s education and provide for their families.”
“I realized that they didn’t really want to burn down the forest to expand their agricultural land, but they lacked options and alternatives. So I invited them to grow organic vegetables, which I would buy directly. Today, over 100 households are part of our network.”
“We have been doing this for about 7-8 years and teach them all the know-how. The farmers take care of the cultivation to get results and send us their harvests. This approach has improved their livelihoods and health, as they no longer need to use herbicides or pesticides, and has increased their income so they can support their children’s education.”
Chalakorn explained that ESG is not seen as an option, but as a way to ensure a sustainable livelihood. “Combined with organic living, a method already used by our ancestors, companies like mine can offer farmers more opportunities.”
“In 2019, there were more and more closures in the textile industry, which prompted us to look for alternatives, but we didn’t want to give up the factory. My grandmother used to say, ‘We turn waste into gold’, which, combined with the opportunities I saw in the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, led us to use textile waste to create a brand for recycled fabrics.”
Turn Waste Into Gold
Jiraroj Potjanawarapan, Managing Director of Sangcharoen Grand Co, Ltd, or SC Grand, explained that his third-generation company collects textile waste from various industries and recycles it into fabric products.
He explained that the first generation worked in buying and selling in the textile industry and traded in textile waste. “The second generation, my grandfather, founded a yarn spinning mill that used waste yarn to make mass-produced products such as mop cloths.
Now, in the third generation, we saw opportunities related to the values inherent in our business and so we expanded into recycled fabrics. We also realized the importance of being a fashion hub and we are clearly moving towards ESG, because our goal is to reduce the negative impact on the environment.”
“One of the turning points that led us to recycling and upcycling was in 2019, when we saw that many friends in the textile industry had to close, which led us to look for new options. But we didn’t want to give up the factory because my grandmother loved it very much. She always said: ‘Our family turns waste into gold’, which means that we create great value from worthless materials.”
“In conjunction with the opportunities I saw in the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, we decided to recycle old fabrics into new fabrics using textile waste from the fashion industry. We also expanded our range to create a brand for recycled fabrics. For example, we have helped recycle old Thai Airways uniforms into over 10,000 polo shirts and have collaborated with several other brands.”
Jiraroj added that one trend that has been seen post- COVID-19 is that every country in the world keeps discussing just a few key issues, and ESG is one of them. In Thailand, there are already clear guidelines on this topic and we have seen that many organizations have taken it very seriously in the last 3-4 years.
“The future of ESG is clear. We just need to develop a strong strategy as the trend gains momentum. For me, ESG is an opportunity and will become the norm in the future. This includes the circular economy, which enables business to adapt to future changes.”
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