Director-general Dr Monthip Sriratana Tabucanon said that besides quality, environmental friendliness should be one criteria for Otop (One Tambon One Product) status.

She suggested something like the Blue Angel and Green Seal used for environmentally friendly products in the European Union and United States. "Initially it could be promoted as a pilot project," she said.

Such a system has met with success in the Thai sa mulberry-paper industry.

Sa paper is used in greeting cards, boxes, notes, gift wrappings, photo albums, umbrellas and clothes patterns, and Thailand is a major exporter, shipping Bt2 billion to Bt3 billion worth annually.

The programme, in cooperation with the EQPD, aims to enhance the competitiveness of the industry.

Among 11 criteria for sa-paper production are effective use of raw materials, reuse and recycling, clean energy and energy-saving, reduction of harmful chemicals and waste management.

At first, Monthip said, 15 enterprises from Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phrae, Nan and Lampang applied for the environmental standard set up last year. Only four got it, two from Chiang Rai and one each from Phrae and Nan.

They were vetted by the EQPD, the  German organisation GTZ and Chiang Mai University, which inspected them, assessed problems, made recommendations and gave technical advice. The EQPD decided whether production complied with environmental standards.

Pilot studies show that chemical use and production time were halved. "They reduced environmental problems by 8-10 per cent," said Monthip, adding that this would cut costs, saving small enterprises up to Bt100,000 per production cycle.

Sasithorn Ongdee

The Nation