Thai firm seeks Philippine support for sustainable dev’t

BANGKOK, Thailand—Thai conglomerate Siam Cement Group (SCG) is seeking the Philippine government’s support to further promote sustainable development in the country, a ranking official of the firm said Monday.

Pramote Techasupatkul, chairman of SCG’s sustainable development committee and president of SCG Cement, said in an interview that the Philippine government should work closely with the private sector in establishing sustainable development practices.

Sustainable development is a global agenda being pushed by concerned companies and is determined by the resulting balance in the economy, society and environment.

SCG is willing to share its knowledge in sustainable development with the Philippine government. Manila officials can then use these guidelines to encourage local businesses to adopt a sustainable development policy, Techasupatkul said during the SCG Asean Sustainable Development Symposium held in Bangkok, Thailand.

“In the Philippines, we also need the support of the government. We can show the authorities [how] we did it, [but] we also need their support to invite other industries to join us,” the Thai executive said.

SCG maintains a presence in the Philippines through kraft paper manufacturer United Pulp and Paper Co. Inc. (UPPC), ceramic tiles and bathroom fixtures producer Mariwasa Siam Ceramics Inc., concrete roof tiles manufacturer CPAC Monier Philippines Inc., SCG Trading Philippines Inc., Green Siam Resources Inc., Green Alternative Technology Specialist Inc. and SCG Marketing Inc.

Green Alternative is a joint-venture company involved in waste management. The company turns municipal solid waste into alternative fuel.

Also, UPPC uses state-of-the-art, eco-friendly technology in manufacturing its products.

The Dow Jones Sustainable Indexes considers SCG to be a world leader in the building materials and fixtures sector.

The Dow Jones index is a benchmark used by investment funds that incorporate sustainability in their portfolio for better returns.

In order to ensure consistency within an organization, SCG established a sustainable development committee to enact and implement eco-friendly guidelines for each business unit.