SX Sustainability Expo 2023 Talk Stage, 3 October 2023

SweCham, Embassy of Sweden and C ASEAN Committee joined forces at SX Sustainability Expo 2023 Talk Stage

On 3 October, SweCham with the support from the C ASEAN Committee, held the ‘Re: Waste, Rethink, Resources’ session on the SX Sustainability Expo 2023 Talk Stage at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC).  

H.E. Mrs. Anna Hammargren (Ambassador of Sweden to Thailand) begun her opening remarks by asking why the focus was on waste.  The reason being, that if waste is not properly managed, it leads to a lot of methane gas which effects our societies, economies, and our own health.  To minimise waste, the ambassador urged that everyone needs to do their part.  She argued that states need to invest and change policies for recycling, which could save billions.  Companies also need to be responsible. This could be achieved by focusing on the lifespan of their products and their whole supply chain.  As for the consumers, they need to do their part by being conscious of what they buy.  The ambassador concluded by stating that Sweden stands up for the values when it comes to sustainability and so are the companies on this stage.  

The first speaker, Mr. Sean Too (Managing Director, Sentinel Solution, Altered), spoke about how precious the water is on the planet and how we need to rethink the way we use water.  This concern lays the foundation of Sentinel Solution’s actions. Mr. Sean Too highlighted that agriculture is one of the biggest issues when it comes to water consumption.  However, hotels are also substantial consumers of water.  He urged that we all become more conservative with water usage -after all, water is a common resource that we all share. Sentinel Solution has consequently developed a product that helps to reduce the water spillage.   

The next speaker, Dr. Worawut Waruttamapornsu (Managing Director, Hitachi Energy Thailand), emphasised how Hitachi Energy aims to offer leading products in the environmental space and redefine sustainability. They have developed the eco-portfolio for a carbon-neutral energy future called EconiQ.  EconiQ is a portfolio which mixes products, services, and solutions, which all are provided by Hitachi Energy.  For example, the EconiQ high-voltage portfolio achieves its goal by incorporating innovative technology that eliminates the use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), a potent greenhouse gas, thus reducing carbon footprint.   

The final speaker Mr. Patinya Silsupadol (Head of Sustainability, Tetra Pak Thailand), spoke about the importance of circular economy and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).  He emphasised that this transformation to a circular economy cannot be done alone from Tetra Pak’s side, and that they need collaboration from industry partners and customers.   He highlighted that Tetra Pak does it best to work with municipalities when it comes to the recycling process and recycling facilities. Therefore, the focus on EPR runs through the decisions made at Tetra Pak.  He concluded by stating that the recycling responsibility needs to be extended, something Tetra Pak is willing to do as a Swedish company and producer.  

We would like to end by thanking everyone that attended and thank all the amazing speakers at the Talk Stage, without them this Talk Stage 2023 would not be possible!  Also, special thanks to our SweCham Executive Director Dr Pojanath Bhatanacharoen for moderating the session. See you again next year! 

If you missed the talk, watch the playback at https://youtu.be/glx8eCzP9wE?si=fhWi4--qxtl_IS0e