“Royal Umbrella” Rice under Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) has recently emphasized its sustainability leadership in packaged rice in a collaboration to improve its recyclable rice bag to be more environmentally-friendly for the first time in Thailand. The two packaging experts; Dow Thailand Group, the world’s leading materials science company, and Prepack, Thailand’s leading flexible packaging producer under SCGP, have joined forces taking the rice bag to the next level utilizing Dow’s sustainable packaging solution called “INNATE™” and down-gauging (thinner but stronger) technology. It is the first brand in Thailand to use this world-class innovation to produce a fully-recyclable rice bag that reduces CO2 emission by reducing plastic resin used and lowering energy in production. The new recyclable rice bag will be launched in Q1 of 2021 in response to consumer’s demand for environmental-friendliness and to address the CP Group’s sustainability goals to completely stop using non-recyclable packaging by 2025.
“As CP Group has committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN’s SDGs), the CP Intertrade’s Royal umbrella brand has aligned with the strategy and announced our commitment to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign and reinvention, change single-use plastic packaging to reusable one, and ensure that 100% of our plastic packaging can be reused or recycled. The brand aims to completely stop using non-recyclable packaging by 2025.
In the past, our rice bags were once unable to be recycled; nowadays, the Royal Umbrella’s plastic bags can be recycled. But we are not stopping here; with this collaboration, we will take it to the next level to make our rice bags thinner but stronger while tackling environmental problems. We aim to reduce CO2 emission, the cause of climate change, by using less plastic resins and lowering the temperatures in bags sealing process.” said Thiti Lujitanon, the Royal Umbrella’s Chief Operating Officer.
The developmental packaging, which will be sold in 2021, will make Royal Umbrella Thailand’s first brand use a multi-layer, mono-material polyethylene rice bag made from Dow’s innovative INNATE™ precision packaging resins and Down-gauging approach. The target is to reduce the bag’s thickness but tougher. Thanks to its abuse-resistant condition, The new packaging reduces CO2 emission, the main cause of climate change, by consuming fewer plastics and energy. In the initial phase, it is anticipated that 300 metric tons of plastics will be reduced, equivalent to eliminating 600 tons of carbon or planting more than 237 acres of forests. The mono-material polyethylene bags are easy to recycle. Still, the Royal Umbrella encourages its consumers to waste separation with “Mue Wised x Won” project by PPP Plastics. Consumers can donate Royal Umbrella’s packaging at more than 300 “Mue Wised x Won” plastic bag drop points in Bangkok and nearby provinces or send it by post. The Royal Umbrella’s bags will become a part of a circular economy’s completed loop and not being left in the environment.
“We are delighted that the packaged rice leader like Royal Umbrella cares for nature and partners with Dow to develop a fully recyclable packaging that consumes fewer resources and mitigates the challenges of climate change using Dow’s INNATE™. The innovative solution makes the packaging thinner but stronger, reducing plastics used and CO2 emission. The collaboration supports Dow’s sustainability targets that aim to “Protect the climate”, “Stop the waste”, and “Close the loop” as well as allows Royal Umbrella to meet their sustainability goals while maintaining the packaging quality.
To solve plastic waste problems sustainably, we need three factors; technology, infrastructure, and brands & consumers’ participation. This partnership has them all. Dow and SCGP have the technology that enables the rice packaging to be recycled easily using the current infrastructure and strengthen by drop points of “Mue Wised x Won” by PPP Plastics. With the participation from No.1 packaged rice brand like Royal Umbrella, who serves millions of families, I believe that we will together reduce the environmental impact sustainably with the consumers’ participation.” said Chatchai Luanpolcharoenchai, Dow Thailand President.
Paradorn Chulajata, Prepack’s managing director, added, “To cope with the growing population and the need for more natural resources, SCGP places importance on the effective use of resources and caring for nature following the sustainable development concept. In our business operations, we drive the Circular Economy principles by maximizing the resources used. We design our products and services to enable brand owners and consumers to be convenient while using fewer materials. The offers must also be reusable or recyclable. In our operations, we improve the production and process to drive the Circular Economy throughout the whole supply chain using less water and energy. We are ready to continue driving the principle from inside-out through our customers and consumers so that all parties aware and join forces to make a better and sustainable society and the planet.”
Consumers can drop Royal Umbrella’s rice bags at the nearest recycling bins or donate them at “Mue Wised x Won” plastic bag drop points in leading department stores such as MBK center, Central, The Mall, Tesco Lotus, and Bangchak gas stations. (A complete list of the drop points can be found at short www.dow.com or www.facebook.com/DowThailandGroup/ ) There is also a “by post” donation channel by sending the used rice bags to “Won Project”, TPBI Public Company Limited, 42/174, Moo 5, Raikhing, Sampran, Nakornpathom, 73210. The bags will be recycled and 5 Baht per Kilogram of plastics will be given to environmental organizations.