On 4 November 2024, H.E.Mrs. Sirilak Niyom, Ambassador of Thailand to Denmark, welcomed at the Thai Residence the Thai delegation on study visit about the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the circular economy in Denmark. The delegation consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Pollution Control Department) of Thailand, the Ministry of Interior, the Office of the Council of State, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Finance, the ASEAN Center for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogues (ACSDSD), the Environmental Research Institute of Chulalongkorn University (ERIC), the International College Burapha University, the Federation of Thai Industries, Thailand’s Institute of Packaging and Recycling Management for Sustainable Environment (TIPMSE), the Network of Organizations for Sustainable Packaging Management (PRO Thailand Network), the Public-Private Sector Cooperation Project for Sustainable Plastic and Waste Management (PPP Plastics), and representatives from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA), the Embassy of Denmark in Thailand, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
On this occasion, the Ambassador emphasised that the first crucial step of circular economy begins in households. She gave a briefing on the waste sorting practice at the Royal Thai Embassy and the Thai Residence, which are in line with the Copenhagen Municipality’s household waste sorting guidelines to facilitate disposal and recycling. She explained that each household in Denmark is required to sort its daily waste into many different types which must be disposed of in each household’s classified bins. Also mentioned is a deposit and return system for plastic and glass bottles in the recycling process. Afterwards, the Ambassador hosted a dinner for the delegation.
The study visit on EPR in Denmark for the Thai delegation was organized in a collaboration between DEPA, the Royal Danish Embassy in Thailand, and the GIZ. The objective is to allow the delegation to explore the implementation of EPR and gain insight into the circular economy of Denmark and Germany. EPR is a concept that producers must extend their environmental responsibility in a comprehensive manner, from the beginning of product design, distribution, return, collection, reuse, recycling, and treatment to create a sustainable process for products which are cost-effective and have no impact on the environment.