Waste Management
Challenges and Commitments
GGC strives to reduce waste quantity and efficiently manage both hazardous and non-hazardous waste in the production process to lessen environmental impacts and resource shortages as well as help to reduce the Company’s costs relating to waste management.
Key Stakeholders
Employee
Community
Shareholder, Investor and Analyst
Government
Supplier and Business Partner
Customer
Goals
that goes to the landfill to
zero
Management Approach
Waste Management Guidelines
GRI 306-1 (2020), GRI 306-2 (2020)
The Company is committed to eliminating as much hazardous and non-hazardous waste from the production processes, maintenance, and other activities as possible to maximize the use of resources throughout the value chain and reduce the amount of waste to a minimum, along with preventing and reducing potential impacts on the surrounding community and the environment. This includes waste from various sources and waste generated from every step in the Company's production process.
In addition, GGC has implemented a comprehensive waste management policy that embraces the principles of the 5Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, and Renewable combined with Green Purchasing. This policy underscores the company's commitment to minimizing waste generation and reducing waste to landfill.
The effective waste management processes are based on the concept of the Circular Economy and in accordance with international standards, including the 3Rs approach, which consists of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Refuse.
3Rs Principle
GGC has established an action plan to control, inspect, and monitor waste management. It begins with collecting, storing, and transporting waste generated from the Company's activities to be delivered to the treatment and disposal facility certified by the Department of Industrial Works in accordance with the Ministry of Industry's announcement on the disposal of sewage or unused materials. The Company, then, arranges for tracking and reporting of waste information through the electronic waste transport supervision system (E-manifest) every time.
Waste Management Programs
GGC places a high importance on stability and the environment, especially regarding industrial waste generated from the production processes in its factories. GGC manages waste according to the 5Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, and Renewable) principles and standards. GGC conducts regular waste audits to identify hotspots of waste generation. The hotspots are analyzed to determine their causes and to explore opportunities for improvement, to achieve zero waste to landfill.
GGC developed the waste management action plan during a plant shutdown by applying the Environmental Culture 5Rs to minimize waste generation and manage waste efficiently that covers the following waste management strategies:
- Solid Waste Reduction in Productions: GGC reduced the waste generations throughout the production’s activities. GGC reused used materials and packaging instead of purchasing new ones. For instance, GGC stores used insulators separately in designated areas and containers with the intention of reusing them in the future.
- Creating Value-Added Products through Repurposing By-Product Waste: GGC collaborates with joint research study for repurposing by-product waste to fertilizers. Moreover, GGC collaborates with the 5S Waste Bank Project, which aims to collect recyclable materials and send them to the school's waste bank for recycling ane repurposing activities.
- Turn Around Time Scope and Optimization: GGC has carefully optimized the turnaround time activities and the cleaning process itinerary of the equipment with the intention of reducing waste generated in the process.
- Chemical Selection: GGC constructs the requirement of chemical procurement for decontamination process to reduce the toxic gas (H2S).
Contractor Safety Commitment for GGC Plant Shutdown 2024
For More details about our waste management performance, see Performance Data 2023
For more about our waste management projects, see the 2023 Integrated Sustainability Report at Integrated Sustainability Report 2023.
1. Utilization of By-Product from Waste to Produce Growing Media for Plants
GGC recognizes the uses of waste and the importance of using resources in the most efficient manner through repeated use or turnover, reducing the proportion of use of resources that cannot be replaced and increasing the use of renewable resources in line with the circular economy goal for sustainable development according to BS 8001: 2017 standards and the goal of reducing landfill volumes to zero through the 5Rs concept. In 2023, GGC had a joint research study with the Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom Province, Simsulalai Company Limited, and TARF Company Limited to use vegetable fat sludge from wastewater treatment systems and starch powder waste from factories in both Chonburi and Rayong provinces to produce organic fertilizer used in growing 4 types of crops: tomatoes, melons, kale, and marigolds. The benefits from the programs include increasing and developing waste managemnet and prmoting waste resused program, reduce waste from vegetable fat sludge to landfills by 40-80 tons per year and was able to reduce waste from landfills by 1,200 - 2,400 tons per year. This is calculated from waste from sludge, vegetable fat in the wastewater treatment system, and all of the dung powder used to produce soil improvers.
2. Material Improvement for Process Pipeline Project
GGC integrated the principle of Reduce, into the pipeline process that often encounters the Corrosion & Erosion incidents by changing materials used to manufacture pipes from stainless steel to PTFE-lined carbon steel in order to expand the functional life of the pipes from less than 5 years to more than 15 years. This resulted in decreasing waste generated from the pipeline process as well as reducing the cost of maintenance and operation by 900,000 Baht per one-time maintenance which is equal to 1.8 million Baht per year.
3. Project to increase efficiency of wastewater treatment with Integrated Fixed Activated Sludge (IFAS) system
GGC develops wastewater treatment systems byincreasing the ability to receive wastewater from methyl ester and fatty alcohol production plants and increasing the efficiency of reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewater treatment systems with the Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) system. This results in a reduced concentration of Total Suspended Solid (TSS) before the water is discharged, which reducing the amount of export of Glycerin Residue High Concentration for disposal, ultimately saving disposal costs by up to 7,485,645 THB per year. The treatment system also increases the capacity for wastewater treatment by COD Loading from 100 kgCOD/hr to 280 kgCOD/hr.
4. Reuse of Insulation Project
GGC applied the principle of Reuse by separating insulation that can be reused out of other materials, which can be only treated or disposed of. Moreover, GGC has managed a proper containers for reusing purpose, resulting in reductions in the amount of waste generated and waste disposed to landfills by 100 percent.
5. Reprocess of Fatty Alcohol (FAOH) Project
GGC applied the principle of Recycle by restoring Fatty Alcohol (FAOH) materials that are in transitional grades to the production and fractionation processes in order to use them as materials to produce new products. This resulted in 296 tons of FAOH being brought back into production.
Zero Waste to landfill
GGC consistently reports the amount of waste generated by both of its factories to the government, (Department of Industrial Works), on an annual basis. The amount of Waste Generated, Disposed and Reverted to Landfills have been audited by third party verification.
In 2024, GGC has no waste sent to landfills from all plants. Apart from reporting waste quantities to government agencies, GGC monitors the amount of waste generated to identify opportunities for process improvement or the introduction of new technologies. These aim to reduce waste production and enhance the reuse of waste materials. By continuously analyzing waste data, GGC seeks to optimize its waste management practices and integrate innovative solutions to minimize environmental impact.
Waste Training
GGC consistently prioritizes enhancing employee efficiency. Creating awareness about waste management is a crucial aspect that aids GGC in achieving its goal of zero waste to landfill. GGC also conducts training sessions in accordance with ISO 14001 and other training relevant to the GGC production process to enhance employee’s knowledge and skills in effective waste management practices. The contents and activities of trainings consist of
a) Introduction to Waste
b) Waste Awareness
c) Contractor Safety Commitment
d) Improve resource efficiency, leading to their optimal use
e) Process optimization and waste reduction in production processes
f) Managing both non-hazardous and hazardous waste (Green SD by 5Rs)