Turn trash into gold with Wongpanich, a business that operates a recycling business. It has received ISO 14001 environmental management certification and received the Outstanding Industry Award in the category of medium and small-sized industry management in 2001. Wongpanich uses ethical principles in business, life, and produces only ethical products.
Wongpanit International Company Limited is a factory that purchases recycled waste from households, communities, shops, or anyone who is interested in reselling or giving away waste. Every piece of waste is an opportunity for them to generate income and enormous benefits. As long as people continue to consume products and services, waste will never run out. And that is Wongpanit’s sustainable social enterprise business.
In this episode, I will take everyone to get to know a waste management company that will change everyone’s perspective on waste. The waste that we throw away because we think it’s worthless, is as valuable as their money. Everyone will get a different perspective on waste from an interview with Dr. Somthai Wongcharoen, founder and CEO of Wongpanich Group, who will teach everyone that there really is no waste in this world.
When people hear the word “garbage”, we think of it as something dirty, rotten, or worthless. However, the opposite is true. Today’s garbage can be used to create many benefits, so it’s a shame that we give the word “garbage” the same old meaning. The problem with garbage in society is not that garbage is worthless, but because people don’t value garbage.
Trash can create the world.
Wongpanich processes over 1,400 types of waste. Dr. Somthai said that if it were someone else, they might be worried about the amount of waste coming in. But Dr. Somthai is very happy that there is a constant stream of waste coming in because the story of waste is a story that is bigger than we can imagine. Waste creates money, creates the economy, and also creates jobs for many people in society.
The beginning of Turning Trash into Gold
At first, Dr. Somthai stood and looked at the tall pile of garbage for 7 days and realized that this garbage could be used for more benefits than just garbage. Normally, we have to leave the house to go to work, struggling to make money every day. But the business about innovation in garbage that Dr. Somthai is doing is like sitting at home and everyone brings money in. As long as people don’t stop consuming, garbage will still flow into the company, which is very beneficial to the company’s business.
“Garbage science is something that can be learned in one morning and eaten in a hundred evenings.”
Dr. Somthai himself has tried many different careers, which made him realize that all the careers he had done were just jobs to find food to eat in the evening, to find food in the morning to eat in the evening. However, when he turned to the business related to waste, he found that it was different, as if he could find food in one morning but could eat for a hundred nights.
“It’s good that he looks down on us. If he looks up on us, he’ll come and take us away.”
Dr. Somthai said that in the beginning of starting this business, of course, people around him would think that he was not normal. Why did he suddenly want to do a business related to garbage? But Dr. Somthai thought that whether it was normal or not in the eyes of others, this business made money, made more money than the business that people thought was normal. In addition, people’s attitudes towards garbage were the problem. People like to look down on people who work with garbage as low-class jobs. In fact, these attitudes are low. But it’s a good thing that people think that way because the business that Wongpanich is running will not have anyone to compete with.
Nothing would have happened without waste.
Dr. Somthai started by opening a single shophouse that was 4 meters wide. Then people started bringing their trash to sell, which was mostly given away or even free. From a single shophouse, it became a 2-story shophouse, then 4 shophouses, an area of 1 rai, then 4 rai, until finally more branches were added. Today, Wongpanich has 2,000 branches in Thailand and 4 more branches in the United States in just 20 years.
Waste Innovation Program
In 2000 branches, there were people interested in studying innovative waste science. The curriculum used for teaching comes from Dr. Somthai’s 48 years of experience working with waste. The study will take 6 days in total, followed by another 6 days of internship, after which there will be discussions about franchises. The company will have business mentors in various areas, whether it be engineering, finance, marketing, business strategy, etc. To study here, the cost is 18,000 baht, including food and accommodation.
“Don’t be afraid of competitors because we only have business partners.”
Dr. Somthai explained that the first thing to do in this business is to think about the collective benefit more than personal benefit. Knowledge is a powerful thing. If we keep our knowledge to ourselves, how much trash can our two hands collect? But if we share this knowledge, it becomes 100 hands, 1,000 hands, we will collect a huge amount of trash.
“Business people must think about society first. If society can survive, we can survive.”
Doing business to help society and the environment is doing business in the form of a social enterprise, and Wongpanich is operating as a civil society business for sustainable environmental conservation. Therefore, in doing business, the company always thinks of society first. If we can help society survive, the company will survive. Most importantly, eliminating waste here does not only make the city or the world cleaner, but also cleans people’s hearts.
If the world is in crisis, we are in crisis too.
We can no longer be selfish. Some people think that doing social enterprise is a waste of time. Why do we have to waste our hard work and capital to help society? But business comes from the word business plus business. When we can see a matter as a business, it means that we see the problems of society and we want to use business to help support society.
Conclusion
When we run a social enterprise, we can truly help society. People in society, who are the majority, will turn to look at us and we will have many supporters. Wongpanich, for example, uses moral principles in business, life, and produces only moral products. People who do not value morality are just outdated people because modern people know the value and worth of waste. All of us who are living our lives each day are aware of the changes and struggles in an increasingly chaotic world. I would like you to try to open your mind and see the world more broadly. When your thoughts change, your life will change on its own.
“In fact, there is no waste in this world. There are only resources that have been misplaced.”
Turning Waste into Gold with Wongpanich Group | The Practical Sustainability, a “Friend” of Society Enterprise
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Contact channels
Wongpanit International Co., Ltd. Website: http://www.wongpanit.com/ , Tel.: 055-321555
Email: wongpanit@gmail.com
Supported by the Office of Social Enterprise Promotion (OSEP)
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