Join the Fight Against Climate Change with SCGC's Sustainability Mission

Amid the escalating global warming crisis, which has intensified to the point of being dubbed "Global Boiling," the world faces severe climate changes. This has led to unprecedentedly high temperatures. Greenhouse gases are a critical target that the world must control, as they are the harmful gases that damage the Earth's atmosphere. One key policy driving these efforts is the aim for carbon neutrality, a crucial step towards the ultimate goal of achieving net zero emissions.

Efforts to protect the Earth's ozone layer and halt climate change have been ongoing for several decades. Looking back to 1985, the "Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer" stands as an early milestone in global ozone layer conservation. This led to the formal signing of the "Montreal Protocol" on September 16, 1987. As a result, every September 16 has been designated as World Ozone Day to raise awareness among nations about the importance of combating climate change and to collaborate in reducing the use of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are substances that destroy the Earth's ozone layer.

Ozone is a type of gas that envelops our planet, acting as a shield that protects and filters harmful solar radiation, particularly ultraviolet (UV) rays, keeping them at an appropriate level. It also helps reduce heat accumulation in the atmosphere. However, human consumption and industrial advancements involving fossil fuel combustion have led to the release of substances hazardous to this protective layer. Among them, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have a direct destructive effect on the ozone layer, and carbon dioxide, which contributes to the greenhouse effect, is accelerating the global warming crisis.

The time has come for all sectors to collaborate in pulling the world back from the brink of this crisis. Efforts should focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, developing innovation, and driving nations collectively toward carbon neutrality as quickly as possible.

As a regional market leader in the chemical business, SCGC is committed to fostering business growth while simultaneously promoting sustainability. The company has set its target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with three key strategies: 1) Decarbonization, 2) Low Carbon Supply Chain, and 3) Product Portfolio Adjustment and Green Polymer.

Not only that, SCGC has also joined hands with both domestic and international partners to drive forward various Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) initiatives to ensure effective progress towards our mission for carbon neutrality. Examples of such initiatives include:

• The PYROCO2 project is a collaboration focused on developing technology and establishing a pilot plant to convert carbon dioxide back into raw material for plastic production.
• A partnership with IHI, a large-scale Japanese machinery manufacturer in the power plant and construction industry, to study and establish a pilot plant for testing technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions from the production process. This technology aims to serve as an alternative raw material to replace naphtha, which will be integrated into the olefin production systems within SCGC's business group.
• Collaborating with Avantium N.V. in the Netherlands, a specialist in renewable chemistry, to develop polymers carbon-negative plastic or PLGA (Polylactic-co-glycolic Acid) that utilize carbon dioxide as a raw material. These polymers do not emit carbon dioxide during the production process and are recyclable and biodegradable, not only in natural conditions but also in marine environments.

The term "carbon footprint" refers to the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from various activities, ranging from daily life and product life cycles to the operations of businesses and organizations, all the way to national-level emissions. Measuring the carbon footprint can provide data that helps plan actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work toward carbon neutrality in line with set goals.

SCGC never ceases to move forward on the path of sustainability. We prioritize the certification of carbon footprints as a way to demonstrate our capability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past year, SCGC and its subsidiaries have all obtained organizational carbon footprint certification based on assessments of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the value chain. But that is not all— SCGC has also set an ambitious target that products from all its subsidiary companies will receive carbon footprint labels by 2025, with certification renewals being carried out every three years.

Furthermore, SCGC has plans to continually expand green areas for accumulating carbon credits. Every planted tree has a long-term care plan to ensure a survival rate of no less than 80%. SCGC's reforestation efforts aim for tangible and sustainable benefits; hence, it has registered the voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction project under Thailand's Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (T-VER), overseen by the Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. It has registered for a high-standard Premium T-VER project with stricter operational criteria. In partnership with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, it has been allocated an area of 1,100 rais for forest planting in three provinces: Rayong (437 rais), Phetchaburi (563 rais), and Chonburi (100 rais). This effort aims to transform degraded forest lands into thriving ecosystems and increase mangrove forest areas, serving as carbon absorption and contributing to a low-carbon society in Thailand.

Our world faces a crisis that we can no longer ignore. Our damaged ozone layer—akin to a home's roof that cannot provide shelter from sun and rain—poses dangers to every life underneath. It is imperative for all sectors to join hands in overcoming this challenge. By conducting business and living our lives according to the core principle of sustainability, we can repair our home, making it more habitable and maintaining a comfortable temperature for everyone.