Namthip's " Eco-Crush" Initiative A Hit

[Lite Beer]

Namthip's "eco-crush" initiative a hit
THANAPAT KITJAKOSOL
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Bottled water has become increasingly popular among Thai people. Countless brands are available, but one brand, "Namthip", clearly stands out, thanks to its "Eco-Crush" bottle.

"Our product makes one think," Tanant Suwanraks said in his capacity as the marketing manager of New Business Development of Coca-Cola (Thailand).

Namthip bottled water began selling in eco-crush bottles last year. The packaging is thinner and 100-per cent recyclable. Each 550-millilitre bottle of Namthip now weighs just 10.7 grams, down from its previous weight of 16.5 grams.

Once the bottle is empty, it can be easily crushed to reduce its size making it easier for garbage collection and disposal.

"Consumers feel good about saving the environment," Tanant said, adding that a survey showed 63 per cent of respondents felt Namthip was different from other bottled-water products. According to the survey, up to 70 per cent of respondents thought of Namthip when the topic of bottled water came up. The survey was conducted shortly after the eco-crush bottle was launched.

"We are now an innovator in the field of bottled-water packaging," Tanant said.

Sunant Phutthasri, quality manager at the ThaiNamthip Plant (Rangsit), said the Thammasat University Excellence Centre of Eco-Energy had found that the eco-crush bottles also lowered electricity consumption and transportation costs.

"When compared with the old manufacturing line, the electricity consumption is down by 6 per cent," he said, adding that the bottles' lighter weight also meant less fuel was needed for transportation.

"We can save more than 1.8 million litres of petrol each year," said Sunant.

ThaiNamthip, a part of Coca-Cola Thailand, has spent more than Bt800 million on the eco-crush assembly line. Considered to be one of the world's most efficient, it can produce 1,200 bottles in just one minute, or 900 million bottles each year.

The machines are installed at the company's plant in Pathum Thani. About 50 rai of land at the factory's compound - approximately one-fourth the total area - is being used for the treatment of wastewater from the factory.

Methee Opassathien, environment chief at the plant, said water quality tests were conducted on a weekly basis to ensure that the plant was not discharging any pollutants. "We also use some of the treated water to irrigate the trees and plants in our compound," he added.

He said the plant had never received any complaints about pollution or faced opposition from local communities.

In addition to its environmental policy, ThaiNamthip regularly takes part in a number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. In one such activity, the company's staff join with locals each month to collect litter from public areas.

The plant also runs a "garbage bank" that buys recyclable waste from its staff, with 10 per cent of profits going towards charitable causes such as building shelters for the elderly, extending assistance to terminally-ill patients, and providing wheelchairs to the Thai with Disability Foundation.

-- The Nation 2013-06-02

[Neilly]

[jonclark]

Hats off to an innovative and genuinely well thought out project - Just shows that Thailand has the ability to make a positive contribution to the world for all the nay sayers out there!

[amore]

First come across one yesterday from Big C. Great idea, but you do have to be careful when taking the top off, the whole bottle twists with it!

[bigbamboo]

Geng maak.

[mmushr00m]

Lol now i know, i was wondering why the Namtip bottles were so flimsy. Have to becareful whenyou openthem or you will crush the bottles. Also should consider using a straw as the bottles do not have enough structural strength if you drink directly.

[thirteenalpha]

Environmentally friendlier bottles have been around for a while now. It's about time they caught on in Thailand. But, I think a bigger impact could be made by figuring out how to instill behavioral changes in people to participate in recycling programs. I think Japan could give us all some pointers in that area. Anyway, I have always bought Namthip because of it's taste (or is that lack of taste?) compared to other brands. Now I will have two reasons.

[DocN]

It is a small contribution...but it is one.

I sincerely hope, that this idea catches up soon.

By the way: I also find the Namthip water quiet "tasty"...

[lemonjelly]

yes...good initiative, now, so which brave person is going to put their neck on the line, possibly literally when one considers the companies and business affected, and propose, demand even, a ban on expanded polystyrene boxes for take away food that have become the norm for the street vendors....If only somebody could make the good old binto 'hip'.. although that does place it's popularity, waning as it is, at the mercy of the fickle fashion trends of the skin bleached doppelgangers that the Thai youth tend to be........ maybe if our good old friend the binto was a hit in Japan first... a new craze...

[itchybum]

2baht a bottle refund policy is the only way.

With hundreds of millions of these things out there, an incentive is required and money is a huge incentive.

[Payboy]

So it wasn't actually about the 60% saving in PET cost.

[Thai at Heart]

So it wasn't actually about the 60% saving in PET cost.

Ooh. Cynic. Of course it wasn't.

[JetsetBkk]

What next? A polythene bag? Oops, already done at the market.

[Thai at Heart]

A hit with whom? Consumers? Or accountants?

[espinoza]

What about all the other bottles ? Why do the "GOVERNMENT" not introduce a European system where you pay a little more for the bottle or can, and when you bring it back to the seller you get the money back ????? Do the Thai government not have the knowlegde, are they stupid ?

It`s very simple, and very invironmently friendly.

Just set up machines like the ATM`s.

[Soi Sauce]

Be like San Francisco and their ban on bottled water.

Things might happen, but cars and their poisons will rule.

[DocN]

So it wasn't actually about the 60% saving in PET cost.

Maybe...but actually something sensible came out of it...

[recycler]

Great for the profit margin of Coca Cola, but it might even reduce the amount of bottles recycled and leave more of them on the side of the road.

These plastic bottles are already recycled, they are collected at every restaurant, by many maids and picked up from the side of the road by my colleagues. They will all receive 35% less per bottle they pick-up, so their incentive to recycling is strongly reduced.

CSR and care for the environment should involve the whole chain, not just improve profits and the image of the big companies.

[americaninbangkok]

the bags... get rid of the plastic bags !!!

see:

Bangkok’s Bad Habit: Plastic Bags
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643770-bangkoks-bad-habit-plastic-bags/?utm_source=newsletter-20130603-1104&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

Edited June 3, 2013 by americaninbangkok