B.Grimm urges tree farm model
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From left are Chang Foo, Mr Link, Worachai Bhicharnchitr, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Abel Deng, Ms Jareeporn, Poomchit Balankura and Sukanya Isaranuwatchai at the Forbes Thailand forum at the Bangkok Convention Centre.
B.Grimm Group, Thailand’s oldest trading conglomerate, encourages businesspeople to pay more heed to environmental issues, identifying it as a mega-trend and suggesting commercial forest plantations as a new business model.
Increasing forest areas as part of efforts to prevent natural disasters is a long-term goal of the government, which has made environment protection part of its national agenda, B.Grimm chairman Harald Link said in a forum held on Thursday by Forbes Thailand.
He suggested tree farms be grown to protect soil and build forest ecosystems before being cut down for commercial purposes after a certain period.
Mr Link said this model, which has been adopted in many European countries, especially in Scandinavia, has proven successful in conserving trees.
B.Grimm is preparing to talk about the idea with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry next week. He said the meeting will focus on the possibility of having commercial forests in Thailand.
Mr Link said if Thailand can increase forest areas, it will be less prone to natural disasters such as flash floods and drought.
Money spent for developing commercial forest projects should be tax deductible, he said.
“This will encourage the private sector to participate in efforts to restore natural resources,” said Mr Link.
“The government alone has limited manpower and budget.”
Mr Link is knowledgeable about environmental issues in part because he is a member of the circular economy committee under the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
The government is promoting a circular economy as a new way of doing business and protecting the environment simultaneously.
The circular model, which is often applied to assembly processes at factories, aims to reduce waste or unwanted materials through upcycling to add value to the materials, making them usable again.
At the same forum, industrial estate developer WHA Corporation Plc pointed to a need to find smart ways to improve business, especially during the pandemic as it has been a test of companies’ capabilities.
“We don’t know whether there will be a Covid-25 or Covid-30 in the future, so improving our efficiency is crucial,” said chairwoman and chief executive Jareeporn Jarukornsakul.
She said her company felt little negative impact from the pandemic because of a plan five years ago to adjust work processes and the mindset of staff, catching up with global business trends.
Digital transformation was a big concern of WHA at that time as its employees had to become accustomed to digitalisation, allowing them to process their work quickly and more efficiently.
Ms Jareeporn said industrial estates should adopt smart city and smart grid concepts, using cleaner sources of electricity.
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