Collaborating with LINE MAN Wongnai and foodpanda under the concept of “Reduce-Increase-Exchange” to expand WWF’s Plastic ACTion (PACT) nationwide
Bangkok, 12 September 2024 – As part of the Plastic Smart Cities movement in Thailand, WWF-Thailand announced its collaboration with major businesses, LINE MAN Wongnai and foodpanda, to promote the reduction of single-use plastic in the food delivery sector.
Through WWF’s Plastic ACTion (PACT) initiative, which aims to reduce plastic waste generation by driving business transformation and consumer behaviour change with resource-efficient practices, the initiative is currently piloted in four Plastic Smart Cities in southern Thailand – Surat Thani, Koh Samui, Songkhla, and Hat Yai – and aims to expand its impact nationwide through further collaboration with other business sectors.
Rattaphon Pitakthepsombat, Deputy Director of Conservation, WWF-Thailand said, “Plastic waste is a global issue that affects all of our lives. Every year, 430 million tonnes of plastic are produced worldwide. In Thailand, 75% of plastic waste, or around 1.5 million tonnes annually, is discarded and not being circulated in the system, posing a risk of leakage into nature and remaining in the oceans for hundreds of years. This has detrimental effects on marine ecosystems, the tourism industry, food security, and human livelihoods. Tackling plastic waste pollution is a priority for WWF, and we are committed to promoting sustainable consumption and production and driving efficient management throughout the entire plastic life cycle.”
The Plastic ACTion (PACT) initiative was started by WWF-Singapore and based on WWF’s “No Plastic in Nature” initiative. Its goal is to engage businesses to participate in plastic waste solutions by sharing knowledge, innovation, and best practices for responsible production and consumption, reducing environmental impact, and promoting consumer behaviour changes to reduce unnecessary single-use plastic packaging.
In Singapore, WWF partnered with major food delivery companies in 2019 under PACT to support their first initiative in implementing an automatic ‘opt-out toggle for plastic cutlery’, successfully reducing over 1 million pieces of single-use plastic waste per week.
In Thailand, WWF-Thailand, together with local agencies, piloted PACT through collaboration with 38 local businesses in the food and hospitality industries across four Plastic Smart Cities: Surat Thani, Koh Samui, Songkhla, and Hat Yai. The initiative focuses on empowering companies to adapt their business models and processes to be more resource-efficient, by providing businesses with tailored monitoring and evaluation tools and training, communication for behavioural change, guidance, best practices, and network building among stakeholders in the value chain.
“Thailand’s business sector is committed and ready to drive the shift towards a circular economy. WWF-Thailand recognises the potential of platform service providers, such as food delivery companies, which have the ability to reach and influence consumers and merchants across the country. We are therefore very pleased to have LINE MAN Wongnai and foodpanda join the Plastic ACTion project. Together, we will work to expand plastic reduction activities and drive industry-wide change,” Rattaphon added.
In this collaboration, LINE MAN Wongnai and foodpanda are promoting the transition in three key areas:
- Reduce: Supporting the reduction of single-use plastics in food delivery systems.
- Increase: Promoting the use of sustainable materials, eco-friendly packaging, and reusable packaging, to replace single-use plastics.
- Exchange: Sharing relevant information, case studies, policies, and best practices to facilitate business transition towards circularity.
Previously, both LINE MAN Wongnai and foodpanda introduced a “opt out of single-use plastic cutlery” feature on their apps, which has helped reduce over 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste. They have also encouraged merchants on their platforms to adopt eco-friendly packaging and partnered with major packaging suppliers in Thailand. The collaboration under the Plastic ACTion initiative is expected to be a key driver in expanding sustainable solutions to plastic waste issues in the food delivery industry.
The PACT project in Thailand runs parallel with Plastic Smart Cities, which is working to improve waste management systems and reduce plastic pollution impacting coastal ecosystems and biodiversity in four pilot cities. The initiative involves collaboration with municipalities, schools, local communities, and recyclers with activities such as plastic-free schools, community waste banks, waste sorting centres, and a take-back programme.
The Plastic ACTion initiative operates under WWF’s vision of no new plastic in nature by 2030.
