Low Carbon Society is a society where most people turn to cooperate in helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions from various activities that occur in daily life for a better quality of life for everyone in society.
Our daily lives today, from waking up to cook, driving to work, relaxing, watching TV or surfing the internet, almost every human activity relies on energy to drive. And as innovations become more advanced, the energy consumption of people around the world will only increase.
The problem is that today most of the energy sources we use come from traditional sources such as oil, coal and natural gas. Despite the greenhouse gas emissions and the world facing climate change as it is today, fossil fuels are still necessary to maintain energy security and support economic growth and recovery. Therefore, it is important to create an appropriate energy balance between energy security and the transition to new forms of clean energy that are more environmentally friendly.
From a Thai oil refinery business founded 38 years ago, today Bangchak is moving full steam towards the goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions. How are their operations and action plans for a low-carbon society? What has made Bangchak become Asia’s leading green innovation business group?
The Practical invites you to read an interview with Khun Kloyta Na Thalang, Assistant Managing Director, Corporate Communications and Sustainability, Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited, about the company’s actions and cutting-edge vision that never stops adapting to transform into a sustainable world.
Why the world needs an energy transition
Human activities create a lot of greenhouse gases that accumulate in the atmosphere, causing the average global temperature to rise, resulting in global climate change and having a major impact on all living things. Therefore, the nations made a joint agreement at the COP26 world leaders meeting late last year that they would do everything possible to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases to zero, or so-called Net Zero Emission, including signing an understanding to establish a fund to compensate for losses and damages, Loss and Damage Fund, from the COP27 meeting that just ended recently.
Khun Kloyta explained, “The national targets are passed on to various industries because the private sector is the driver of the economy. It must be admitted that the production and delivery chain of goods generates a lot of greenhouse gases. For Bangchak, although we started out as a refinery and gas station business, that is no longer the case. We are aware of the impact that traditional energy has on the world, so we have been changing our business model to green innovation for the past decades.”
Khun Kloyta talked about Bangchak’s exciting new innovative businesses that we are likely to see from now on, such as the production of aviation fuel from used cooking oil (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), hydrogen energy production, or Carbon Capture and Utilize Storage (CCUS) technology, which will help accelerate Thailand’s energy transition.
Sustainability comprised of multiple goals
Khun Kloyta said that Bangchak aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and Net Zero by 2050. To drive both goals, they have created a feasible operational structure called BCP 316 NET.
“ B stands for Breakthrough Performance , where we will improve and enhance the efficiency of our processes to become a low-carbon system. We will introduce new technologies and fuels to help reduce carbon emissions from our production processes and operations. This will account for 30 percent of the carbon reduction.”
Another 10 percent will be reduced to C or Conserving Nature and Society , emphasizing tree planting, increasing green areas that have the natural ability to absorb carbon. In the past, Bangchak has supported both land reforestation, mangrove forest planting, and sea grass care. We are now studying the feasibility of using sea grass areas to help sequester greenhouse gases in coral reefs around Koh Mak and Koh Kradat, Trat Province, in collaboration with the Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University.
“ P stands for Proactive Business Growth and Transition , or the transformation of our group’s businesses to clean energy, increasing the proportion of revenue from green businesses, focusing on expanding new investments that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as explained above. This part will help reduce carbon by up to 60 percent.”
And finally, NET, which stands for Net Zero Ecosystem , or creating an ecosystem that further promotes the Net Zero goal. “When we established Carbon Markets last year to promote carbon credit trading in Thailand, or created the Winnonie electric motorcycle rental platform, all of these are to make low-carbon living easier and closer to everyone.”
Creating a low-carbon culture in society
Khun Kloyta said that Bangchak places importance on both internal and external communication, believing that people in the organization must be aware and take action before they can effectively communicate with people outside. This is the reason why Bangchak has many campaigns to create a low-carbon culture in the organization.
“Like the ‘Bangchak100x Climate Action, Everyone Can Help’ project, where we aim to become a sustainable company that is over a hundred years old, and everyone has a part in helping push our organization to get there, especially in dealing with climate change in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13, which we place special importance on.
Another project is the Reduce, Reduce, Start campaign, which encourages all employees to join together to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce the impact on the world, and start doing it today.
“When we talk about sustainability, many people think it’s something far away. Does it have to be the government or large businesses? Actually, it’s not. We all have to be involved. So we set environmental friendliness KPIs for our employees so that small behaviors in our daily lives, such as separating waste or saving electricity, become something that everyone feels they have to do.”
If you borrow it, you must take good care of it.
“I must say that these days, all roads lead to the Net Zero goal, and I feel very lucky to work for an organization like Bangchak, where there are many great partners who are heading towards the same goal.”
Khun Kloyta said that Bangchak, together with its partners, has established the Carbon Markets Club to support carbon credit trading for individuals or organizations that are still unsure of how to reduce their carbon footprint or offset carbon emissions from their activities. Try becoming a member or study the information on the website.
“An American Indian once said that the world we live in today is not our inheritance from our ancestors, but rather our future generations borrowing it. Since we borrow it, we must take care of it as best we can,” concluded Kloyta.
We Adapt, the World Changes The Next Generation: Join us in creating a Low Carbon Society for a Sustainable World
Or you can choose to listen to the program in Podcast format at:
We adjust, the world changes The Next Generation because we all can “change” the world for the better. Meet various ideas and actions from the new generation who have risen up to “adjust” their thinking and take action to jointly create a sustainable world.
Change the world #Everyone can change the world for the better
