Taiwan sets the pace for PET recycling

Thailand's industrial development has come at the cost severe pollution problems. While some marketers go green for the appeal factor, consumer knowledge is low despite increasing coverage of environmental issues in some local newspapers.

IN THAILAND, A COUNTRY WHICH HAS seen its share of military coups, a green revolution might not go amiss. Bangkok is without doubt one of the most polluted cities in the world. Dusty roads are choked with vehicles that spew out gases in doses large enough to worry even the traffic police. Their white surgical masks symbolise the urgent need for a solution to the problem.

But instead of seeking to alleviate the chaos and pollution by restricting the number of cars on Bangkok’s congested and inefficient road system, Thailand’s military-appointed government has instead perversely reduced import duties on all makes of automobiles.

Car prices tumbled by 12 to 28 per cent in July and even luxury cars like BMWs are cheaper by 16 to 20 jier cent. At the same time, a proposal has been made to hike car registration fees according to engine capacity, age, weight and price. Madness? No, says editor of the Bangkok Post, Paisal Sricharatchanya. "It is likely the automobile tax restructuring introduced by the government will increase the number of cars on the streets of Bangkok, but will not necessarily lead to worse pollution." Paisal uses Japan as an analogy. "I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually more cars in Tokyo than there were in Bangkok," he says. "But because unleaded gasoline (ULG) and catalytic converters are compulsory in Tokyo, you can feel a big difference in the air there."

"ULG and catalytic converters do make a difference," says Paisal, rejecting any scepticism that Bangkok’s pollution is an insurmountable problem. "If the government succeeded in replacing the old cars that are causing the worst pollution and those whose engines would be too costly or could not be adapted to take ULG or catalytic converters, it would lead to lower pollution levels," he says.

The launch of ULG can be considered Thailand’s first major effort to enter the green era. The state-owned petroleum company Petroleum Authority of Thailand took the initiative in May followed immediately by leading oil companies Shell, Esso, Caltex and BP. Months before ULG became available in Thailand (it is currently imported from Singapore and local refineries are expected to produce ULG in one or two years’ time), the oil companies staged an extensive PR and advertising exercise which deployed the full spectrum of media from exhibitions, seminars, conferences. TV. radio and posters to newspapers and magazines. Leaflets were distributed at petrol stations to inform motorists which car models can take ULG.

Thailand’s National Environment Board predicts the use of ULG will reduce the current three micrograms of lead per square metre in Bangkok’s air by 50 percent. The government has also set a deadline for all vehicles to be installed with catalytic converters by September 1992. Catalytic converters run only on ULG and transform carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons into the purer gases of carbon dioxide and nitrogen plus water vapour. Other government measures to curb pollution include reducing the sulphur content of the diesel which powers Bangkok’s public buses from one to 0.5 per cent by the target date.

Paisal is confident that environmental awareness among Thais is growing. "One clear example is that whenever the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand proposes hydro-electric dam projects that involve the inundation of forest land, there’s bound to be opposition by conservation groups," he says.

In fact, ecological awareness has been building for some time. "Rapid economic development in Thailand has resulted in excessive exploitation of Thailand’s natural resources," says Paisal. "In the north there’s less forested land and the Gulf of Thailand has been so fished out that Thai trawlers have to travel further afield for fresh catches. The Bangkok Post has been doing its bit to try and further awareness of Thailand’s pollution problems by running frequent features on such subjects as deforestation, the sad state of the Chao Phraya River and the trade in wild animals.

Perhaps one turning point was the typhoon which struck the south of Thailand in late 1989 which led to the government’s decision to ban logging nationwide, he says. Coverage of typhoon devastation and flooding in the area in the Thai media generated enormous concern.

Since 1989. several campaigns to protect the environment have been carried out by companies locally. Major department store The Mall celebrated its 10th anniversary with a "Save The Forest" scheme to plant 100,000 trees in Bangkok schools. The scheme attracted sponsors such as Coca-Cola and Fuji Film, and was organised in conjunction with government bodies including the Forestry Department, National Environment Board, Ministry of Education and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Coca-Cola marked the 1988 World Environment Day by joining the United Nations Environment Programme and Chulalongkorn University to host a number of activities such as papaya-tree planting, debates on environmental problems and solutions, an essay competition and drawing contests. Coke is one of the supporters of the pervasive "Magic Eyes" tidyup campaign that has been running since 1983.

"Magic Eyes" is a pioneer of green campaigns. Created for the Thai Environmental and Community Association, it has been effective in fighting litter and pollution in the Chao Phraya River. The campaign has also highlighted the role of the advertising and media industry in countering environmental damage.

Numerous other green campaigns have been run in Thailand. Direct-marketing household-goods firm Amway held a competition in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature to find the country’s largest trees. Thai hoteliers have pledged to plant a tree for each room. Using popular performer/singer Bird Macintyre, Fuji presented a TV campaign promoting a better environment. Procter & Gamble has introduced environment-friendly products such as less-pulp sanitary napkins and small-package Pampers. to help save trees and reduce rubbish.

Despite the campaigns, and unlike their Western counterparts, Thai manufacturers and marketers have not responded to pressure from environmentally conscious consumers or green groups by altering their products. There has been talk on the subject among marketers, but only a few have adopted green manufacturing techniques or produced goods which could be called "green", says Thailand Marketing Management Group’s Somchai Choonharat, who is also vice-president of Berli Jucker Confectionery and Food Division.

One exception is Thai packaged goods giant, Sahapathanapibul, which produces and distributes Pao detergent. The detergent contains "Zaolite", a salt substitute for phosphate, its makers claim in a five-million baht (US$195,000) campaign. Commonly used by detergent and laundry soap manufacturers, phosphate is a potent fertiliser and encourages the growth of algae in rivers and lakes. This depletes the oxygen supply for other creatures and plants which are essential for breaking down biological pollutants, so when they die, the water eventually dies too.

Sales of Pao detergent have been encouraging while prices have remained steady, says product manager Ong-art Chitcharoen, but research shows that Thai consumers still need more educating when it comes to using environmentally safe products, even if they are aware of environmental problems. If the media, like Bangkok Post, makes coverage of environmental issues a clear editorial policy, that problem will be solved sooner than pollution can be controlled.