Thailand has become the second-largest producer of bioplastic products in the world after the United States. It has also been successful in reducing the use of single-use plastic bags.

Thailand has an abundance of raw materials, such as sugarcane and tapioca, which contribute to the production of environmentally friendly plastic products. The country’s production capacity of bioplastic products is currently 95,000 tons a year. It plans to increase the capacity by another 75,000 tons annually.

Up to 90 percent of Thailand’s bioplastic products are exported, and the remaining 10 percent are sold locally. Bioplastic production helps increase value for the country’s agricultural products and strengthens its efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and it offers an alternative to deal with problems caused by single-use plastics.

The Government has announced the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy Model as part of the national agenda, aiming to use natural assets more efficiently with as little impact on the environment as possible.

Bioplastic production is in line with the BCG model, which also promotes balanced development that does not exceed environmental capacity.

As for Thailand’s success in reducing the use of single-use plastic bags, a report from the Pollution Control Department stated that the use of plastic bags in Thailand has dropped by 148,000 tons, or 43 percent, in three years.

The Thai government has encouraged the public to reduce the use of plastic bags, in accordance with the Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management Phase I, 2020-2022 and Thailand’s Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management, 2018-2030.

Thailand aims to replace the use of plastic bags with environmentally friendly containers and to recycle plastic waste by 100 percent within 2027. It has launched several campaigns and activities to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.

For example, the campaign “Everyday Say No to Plastic Bags,” from 1 January 2020 to December 2022, received a positive response from the general public, shopping malls, and convenience stores. The campaign was able to reduce the number of single-use plastic bags by more than 14 billion, equivalent to 81,531 tons.

The Government’s efforts to drive the BCG Economy Model will also help in the reduction of plastic bags and achieve an environmentally sustainable economy, focusing on efficient use of resources with the least possible impact on the environment.