Mall Group, UNEP in local green campaign
The Mall Group, one of the largest local mall opera¬tors, is forming a partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to devel¬op an environmentally friendly initiative to be used as a model for modern retailing in Thailand.
Vice chairman Supaluck Umpujh said the group, which operates The Mall Department Store, The Emporium and Siam Paragon, would also work very closely with both private and state partners, such as the Energy Ministry and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, on the "Think Green" campaign. This is a project to encourage customers to love nature, preserve natural resources and help save the environment.
"We'll introduce measures and campaigns to raise people's awareness and change their behaviours and attitudes," she said.
Supaluck said the retail sector had become the heartbeat of modern lifestyles the world over. Under the partnership with the UNEP, modern retailers will be encouraged to introduce green sustainability strategies into their operations, management and customer communications. "At The Mall, we plan a series of green initiatives this year on the theme of 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle'," said Supaluck.
She said attractive advertising materials would be installed in all product departments to raise shop¬pers' awareness. The mall operator has also con¬verted all plastic bags to biodegradable plastic that degrades in two years. All foam packaging has been changed to bioplastic containers that degrade in 180 days.
Supaluck said the group started its green cam¬paign last year and hoped to reduce the use of plas¬tic bags at all of its malls by 6 per cent from 100 million bags per year. The group also managed to reduce its electricity bill by 5 per cent.
"We plan to recycle all biowaste produced by our malls into liquefied petroleum gas for reuse in the food halls and food courts," said Supaluck.
She said the group would also encourage its retail tenants to switch from plastic water bottles to refill
¬able glass bottles. Suppliers of green products to the malls will have a "green label" certifying its environmentally friendly products.UNEP regional deputy director Dechen Tsering said his agency welcomed the green initiatives.
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