Dow is supporting an initiative to clean up Hanoi lakes on September 17, 2016. On this occasion, the Vietnam Business Forum conducted an interview with Mr Kiattipong Techavachara, Director of Value Chain Marketing, New Business Development and Sustainability, The Dow Chemical Company (Dow).
Could you please tell us why Dow supports the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD) in the implementation of the Lake Clean-up campaign?
Marine debris is a global environmental concern. Annually, the Ocean Conservancy organises the International Coastal Cleanup Day to engage people to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways, identify the sources of debris and change behaviours. Last year, more than 18 million pounds of trash was collected by nearly 800,000 volunteers during the 2015 International Coastal Cleanup event.
According to the statistics of the Ocean Conservancy Organisation, the top 10 items collected in the International Coastal Cleanup Day are cigarette butts, plastic beverage bottles, food wrappers, plastic bottle caps, straws and stirrers, other plastic bags, glass beverage bottles, plastic grocery bags, metal bottle caps and plastics lids. These are bad for the environment, caused by bad behavior or accidental discharge and we know that we have a responsibility to act towards changing it. The Ocean Conservancy is proposing many projects in the key countries in Asia, identified as main sources of marine litter, to demonstrate that by improving waste management infrastructure we can reduce the flow of plastic and other trash to the ocean.
Currently, Dow is a member of a global coalition that includes industry leaders, ocean advocates, analytical advisers, donors and governments committed to identifying the causes and developing solutions to prevent waste from entering the seas. In addition, Dow has sponsored the International Coastal Cleanup for 29 years and we are a Founding Member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance with the Ocean Conservancy, helping to solve marine littering globally.
As you know, Hanoi is famous for having more than 30 natural lakes of 783 hectares inside the city. And Hanoi is beautiful not only for its ancient streets, the unique features of the people daily life, but also for the very beautiful lakes flowing in the heart of Hanoi. The fact is that we can find litter and marine debris all around us. Many lakes in Hanoi have become seriously polluted over the years due to a considerable amount of untreated solid waste and wastewater poured in from lakeside restaurants and households, combining with rubbish tossed by pedestrians. This has been adversely damaging lakes’ landscape and aquatic life, as well as affecting people’s health. Therefore, as a supporter of Declaration of the Global Plastics Association for Solutions on Marine Debris which has signatures from over 60 associations spanning 34 countries, Dow supports the initiative to clean up Hanoi lakes in order to enhance the public awareness of environmental protection and lakes preservation.
What goals do you expect the campaign will achieve in the years to come?
Currently, Dow is the major sponsor of Ocean Conservancy Organisation, which provides the solutions-oriented report on “Stemming the Tide: Land-based Strategies for a Plastic-free Ocean”. The report outlines ways to stop the flow of the plastic waste into the ocean. In the report, the solution in Vietnam will be provided. And Dow will continue to engage and be involved as a solution provider to the industry in Vietnam.
As plastic producers we don’t make plastic with the intent of it ending up in the ocean, and we acknowledge the strong role industry must play in order to help eliminate ocean plastic waste by 2035. We think that we should identify the sources, amount, and impacts of plastics in the marine environment, as well as find solutions for Vietnam to properly concentrate and treat the plastic waste before it makes its way into the ocean. We hope that the municipal waste management systems are well managed and societal changes in behaviour to keep the lakes clean. For the time to come, Dow is committed to finding viable and innovative solutions to keep our oceans clean. Dow continues to advocate and expects to have strong support for collaborative science-based solutions to prevent waste from entering the marine environment. Furthermore, Vietnam has a long coastline with more than 3,000 km, we do hope that through the initiative of lakes cleanup, many organisations in Vietnam will be engaged and the activity will be expanded to beach cleanup so that we can help keep all materials, including plastics, off the beaches and out of the ocean.
Could you please share with us about similar events that Dow has supported in other countries?
In 2015, we sponsored a major research project to identify the sources of plastic trash in the ocean and determine the most effective ways to reduce the flow of plastic trash to the ocean. Significantly, last year, we successfully closed out our 2015 Sustainability Goals and renewed our commitment to sustainability with the launch of our 2025 Sustainability Goals — our third set of 10-year goals. Dow is actively supporting various initiatives to
prevent marine debris and is engaged in coastal clean-up efforts. Dow educates externally and internally on recycling and litter prevention and funds anti-littering campaigns such as “Don’t be a Litterbug” in Malaysia and Keep America Beautiful in the U.S. In Thailand, the International Ocean Cleanup has become one of our signature CSR events in Rayong province since 2003. Dow is also one of more than 30 organisations which are actively joining and helping this province clean up the beach, with more than 2,000 people joining and collecting more than 11 tonnes of garbage from the ocean along 11km of the beach.
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