US retail titan discusses sustainability with Thai officials, entrepreneurs
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has ensured American retail giant Walmart that Thai foods and agricultural products as well as their supply chains are environmentally friendly and are ready to comply with global sustainability standards.
Walmart executives recently met with ministry permanent-secretary Sedthakiat Krajangwong and representatives of Thai entrepreneurs to discuss Thailand’s adoption of global sustainability standards.
Sedthakiat said on Friday that Jeff Rice, Walmart’s senior vice president of Supply Chain and Sourcing Compliance, was especially interested in Thailand’s policies regarding carbon border adjustment mechanism, deforestation-free products, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and labour welfare.
He told Walmart executives that the ministry puts a priority on sustainability and the Thai private sector and farmers now follow its safety, security, and sustainability policy.
Sedthakiat added that the ministry has also been operating under the government’s BCG (bio, circular, and green) economic model, which focusses on using science and innovation to boost economic growth while preserving the environment.
The ministry’s Department of Fisheries, meanwhile, has been cracking down on IUU fishing in Thai waters and ensures that workers in the sector receive the welfare and protection due to them by Thai law.
The Department of Agriculture and the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards have also been working together to set sustainability regulations for the manufacturing of agricultural products, such as greenhouse gas reduction in the farming of economic crops, and sustainability standards for rubber plantations that comply with the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.
Walmart, which has over 10,000 branches in the United States and 19 countries worldwide, is importing a variety of products from Thailand, including frozen seafood, canned seafood, canned fruits, rice, wooden furniture, electrical appliances, plastic bags, and toys.
