New guidelines for so-called ‘green industry’ introduced

As part of the Industry Ministry's efforts to enhance the competitiveness of the industrial manufacturing sector, new guidelines for the “green” industry have been introduced to help achieve carbon neutrality and net zero by 2050 and 2065 respectively.

Nattapol Rangsitpol, the ministry’s permanent secretary and chairman of the Green Industry Promotion and Development Committee, announced that the committee’s August 7 meeting had approved a new draft of Green Industry (GI) guidelines, which will help accelerate improvements to infrastructure, regulations, workforce skills, and, most importantly, social and environmental responsibility.

The guidelines emphasise sustainable industrial business development in tandem with community engagement to encourage businesses to operate in line with goals to mitigate climate change impacts and environmental degradation.

By 2025, the goal is for all factories to achieve 100% compliance with the GI guidelines and for GI-certified factories to operate with safety, environmental care, and minimal impact on surrounding communities and the environment.

Priority is also given to green productivity, which enhances economic and social development with environmental considerations. By using tools, techniques, management systems, and practices aligned with the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) principle, businesses can improve production processes and services efficiently while preserving the environment.

Jullapong Thaveesri, the Industrial Works department director-general, said the department has revised the GI guidelines as follows:

GI 1 Green Commitment: Focuses on getting industrial factories to comply with the customer registration i-Industry system, ensuring awareness of ministry policies and adherence to relevant regulations regarding factory operations, with considerations for the environment, safety, and social responsibility.

GI 2 Green Activity: Requires factories to develop environmental plans that lead to greenhouse gas reduction, covering areas like resource use, energy conservation, waste management, and other environmental issues related to greenhouse gas emissions.

GI 3 Green System: Industrial factories must conduct self-assessments through the Thailand i4.0 Checkup to gauge readiness for Industry 4.0 and the DIW Safety Application to ensure compliance with safety regulations. Additionally, factories must demonstrate reduced greenhouse gas emissions resulting from their environmental plans and continuously develop these plans.

GI 4 Green Culture: Industrial factories must achieve Green Industry Level 3 certification and CSR-DIW Continuous or CSR-DPIM Continuous certification or undergo verification for compliance with social responsibility standards (TIS 26000-2553 or ISO 26000-2010). They must also prepare organisational carbon footprint reports and conduct activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, showing continuous improvement under normal conditions.

GI 5 Green Network: Factories certified at Green Industry Level 4 must promote a green supply chain. If the supply chain has significant environmental impacts, it must be at GI Level 3 or above. Non-factory entities with environmental impacts must implement measures to control or reduce these impacts, propose a carbon neutrality or net zero emission plan, and demonstrate income distribution to communities with an average satisfaction rating of at least 80%.

Measures to drive the new guidelines forward include public relations, training and seminars to prepare business operators, develop information systems, and implement the new guidelines. The DIW will collaborate with agencies that provide benefits to businesses certified at GI Level 3 or above, covering investment, government procurement, and facilitating machinery registration.

It is also working on improving access to credit from state financial institutions. Currently, there are 62,979 registered factories, with 56,221 of them certified under the Green Industry, accounting for 89%. The breakdown includes 49,094 at GI Level 1, 3,155 at GI Level 2, 3,450 at GI Level 3, 454 at GI Level 4, and 68 at GI Level 5.