Businesses should prioritise sustainable development, human rights

The ideas were expressed during the 7th Bangkok Business and Human Rights Week organised via the Zoom application.

Justice Ministry permanent secretary Pongsawat Kaiarunsut said many countries paid attention to business and human rights as unsustainable operations that could violate people's rights in accessing a good environment.

“Increase in business competition has led to inequality in people's rights," she said.

She said the government has entrusted the Justice Ministry to work on ensuring that entrepreneurs will not violate human rights in line with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

She also hopes that business, human rights and environmental preservation will be conducted together to mitigate the impact of climate change and achieve sustainable economic growth.

Meanwhile, UNDP resident representative Renaud Meyer said Thai entrepreneurs should pay attention to human rights in accessing a good environment to gain confidence among stakeholders.

He said a delay in the formation of a new government would enable the administration to work on business, human rights and environmental preservation effectively. He also pointed out that all people have the right to a good environment.

Thai agencies should pay attention to environmental issues, especially in agriculture, the service and industrial sectors, he said.

He said businesses of all sizes should be able to work on sustainable development, adding that the financial sector should support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to access funds.

"Even though we have worked hard in sustainable development, there is still more room for improvement," he added.

Government agencies' actions

The director of social division at the Department of International Organisations, Jitvipa Benjasil, said the Foreign Ministry has negotiated with several agencies on sustainable development in a bid to mitigate the environmental impact in the next few years.

The ministry has promoted the implementation of the sufficiency economy and Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy as well, she added.

She outlined the following challenges in sustainable development:

▪︎ Rights in environment are a cross-cutting issue

▪︎ No international compliance mechanism on environmental rights

▪︎ Environmental rights have been accepted in some countries

▪︎ Transboundary impact on the environment

The director of measure and mechanism development group at the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Rosarin Amornpitakphan, said all sectors in Thailand should pay attention to environmental impact.

"Thailand was ranked 19th among greenhouse gas emitters, but was ninth among countries affected by climate change," she said.

She said the Environment Ministry has launched Thailand's “Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategy”, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30-40% by 2030.

The ministry is working with related agencies to encourage Thai entrepreneurs, especially SMEs, to work on sustainable development, she added.

"Even though it is hard for Thailand to achieve the goal, it is possible," she said, adding that cooperation among all sectors is necessary.

She said the Environment Ministry is studying a draft climate change act, expecting the act to be launched in the latter part of this year.

Circular economy the key

The National Metal and Materials Technology Centre's deputy executive director, Aree Thanaboonsombut, said the circular economy is key to sustainable development.

"Circular economy helps stimulate the economy without causing environmental impact," she said, adding that it can boost employment and reduce waste in production as well.

She explained that the circular economy consists of six principles: system thinking, resource availability, resource traceability, ecosystem resilience, value creation and value sharing.

She also advised three ways to transition toward a circular economy: consume less, consume better and create systemic change.

Rights and Liberties Protection Department's director of international human rights division, Nareeluc Pairchaiyapoom, said the Justice Ministry is working on its plan to promote environmental preservation between 2023 and 2027, covering climate change, PM2.5 dust particles, ageing society and transboundary environmental impact.

She advised entrepreneurs to operate businesses based on labour satisfaction and environmental preservation.

Entrepreneurs should accept complaints from people affected by their unsustainable operations, she added.

Private sector's actions

Thaioil Group's human resource manager, Maliwan Thanaban, said the company has implemented UN Guiding Principles on human rights to ensure human rights among stakeholders, including employees, contractors, the environment, society, suppliers, and customers.

"Working on human rights is part of environmental issues and climate change," she said, adding that climate change happened due to people's consumption.

She added that Thailand has a commitment to sustainable development but the progress was only 50%.

Siam Cement Group (SCG) director of sustainable development office, Nattawut Intharos, said the company has implemented a sustainable development plan called "Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) 4 Plus", consisting of achieving net-zero by 2050, going green, reducing inequality and enhancing collaboration, plus boosting trust through transparency in all operations.

Challenge of climate change

He added that the company would adhere to the BCG economy model as well. "Inequality in climate change is a thing that people are facing," he said.

The director of general management at Sunsweet Pcl, Panlop Boonthueng, said the sweet corn manufacturing company was severely affected by climate change.

He said the company has improved its production process under the concept of reuse, refurbish, sharing, recycle and upcycle, to boost waste management efficiency.

"We have to maximise the use of resources," he said, adding that company has applied renewable energy to improve production and set up solar cells to reduce electricity cost.

He said Sunsweet also shared agriculture technologies for farmers to increase their crop yield and quality, such as drones.

The vice president of Singha Estate Pcl's corporate branding and sustainable development department, Sirithon Thamrongnawasawat, said the company is operating businesses in four areas: residential, hospitality, commercial, and infrastructure.

The company aims to achieve its carbon neutrality goal by 2030, have 30% of key biodiversity areas in 2030 and develop human capital, she said.

She outlined the company's measures to achieve its carbon neutrality and net-zero carbon emission goals by improving energy consumption in transport, applying technologies, managing waste effectively and restoring biodiversity.

All the private sector executives advised the government to commit to sustainable development and gain the confidence of entrepreneurs.

The government should create awareness of environmental rights among people, the executives added.