Environment and sustainability high on WHA’s agenda

WHA aims to contribute to the quality of life of everyone and sustainability in the community, the society and the country at large, company chairwoman Jareeporn Jarukornsakul said.

“We have set guidelines for continuous development towards becoming a green industry, starting from clear policies, goals, plans and systematic environmental management practices, with monitoring and evaluation processes in place,” she said.

“We are creating a shared awareness of environmental concerns as part of our culture, as well as encouraging our business partners and customers to improve and enhance their operational processes to be in line with green industry principles,” she added.

Jareeporn added that the WHA Mega Logistics Centre Building B in Samut Prakan province was the company’s first warehouse in Thailand to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the US Green Building Council.

The 20,000-square-metre warehouse has met the requirements of the LEED Gold rating, with green-building principles focused on strictly controlling energy and water consumption, reduction of carbon emissions and implementing effective waste management practices. 

“This achievement would also help lead the shift towards sustainability in Thailand’s warehouse sector,” she said.

Founded in 2003, WHA is now among key players in logistics, industrial estate development, utilities and power, and digital services. The company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) in 2012. 

The company has established 13 industrial estates over 11,500 hectares in Thailand and Vietnam. Most of its industrial estates are in Rayong, Chonburi and Chachoengsao provinces, where many foreign entrepreneurs in automotive, electronics and petrochemical sectors are setting up their production base in the country.

Sustainable utility management

WHA has set out water management guidelines, which includes ensuring efficiency in water source procurement, industrial water production, wastewater treatment and water loss reduction, to meet the demands of industrial manufacturers and community residents.

The company has also implemented innovations and technology, such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, to further enhance water management as well as activated a sludge wastewater treatment system using sedimentation tanks, constructed wetlands and aeration ponds, Jareeporn explained.

The company's water management system has a combined wastewater treatment capacity of more than 36,200 cubic metres per day, with a target to reach 83,000 cubic metres per day in 2028.

“The company also has set a goal to reduce water use from natural water sources by approximately 21 million cubic metres per year, equivalent to water usage of 575,340 people, in 2027,” she said.

In a bid to mitigate global warming and cater to different customer needs, WHA is focusing on developing renewable energy sources, such as floating solar and solar car parking lots inside the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate in Rayong province that would generate a total power capacity of 15.7 megawatts.

In 2023, the company reduced greenhouse gas emissions from grid electricity consumption by 51,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. With 300 megawatts of renewable power-purchasing agreements, the company can generate revenue of 1.4 billion baht per year.

“Today, we have achieved significant progress in building an eco-industrial estate across various aspects, which contribute significantly to optimal resource utilisation in WHA’s ecosystem in line with the principles of a circular economy,” Jareeporn said.

Circular economy

WHA’s chief strategy officer Krailuck Asawachatroj said the company had implemented strategies to drive a circular economy by 2050, including adoption of circular innovation, waste management and greenhouse gas emissions trading.

This move aims to maximise industrial resource consumption, as well as cope with existing and upcoming environmental preservation frameworks, such as carbon taxes based on greenhouse gas emission in manufacturing, he explained.

He said the company was looking at short-term and long-term solutions to ensure efficiency of the circular economy. These include setting solar LED street lights, turning wastewater to high-value water products, collecting plastic waste for recycling and replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with electric ones.

For emissions trading, the company has launched an over-the-counter platform for trading carbon credits generated from adoption of renewable energy, he said, adding that it was expanding every year.

“Even though the circular economy is voluntary now, it would become mandatory in the future,” he said.