Revolutionizing Plastic Waste Management in Thai Shopping Malls: A Circular Economy Approach

Researchers from Chulalongkorn University and Université de Toulouse propose a novel circular business model for plastic waste management in Thai shopping malls, which could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate economic benefits through enhanced recycling practices. Their study highlights the need for effective waste separation, stakeholder collaboration, and policy support to promote sustainable solutions aligned with circular economy principles.

A new study conducted by researchers from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Universite de Toulouse in France explores the significant contribution of shopping malls to plastic waste management, assessing various alternatives that balance environmental and economic impacts. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, gathering data through in-depth interviews and questionnaires, analyzed using thematic analysis. This comprehensive investigation underscores the crucial role of policymakers in fostering collaborations essential for effective plastic waste management. The researchers propose a novel business model centered on resource recovery, based on an analysis of the plastic waste landscape from both macro-factors and key stakeholders' perspectives. By enhancing plastic recycling rates, this model could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 19.88 tCO2-eq per year and generate an annual revenue of USD 584. The findings advocate for collaborative efforts between mall stores and office spaces to increase the availability of recyclable plastics, contributing to the formulation of evidence-based environmental policies tailored to shopping malls. These policies aim to promote sustainable solutions aligned with circular economy principles and offer a framework that can be adopted by stakeholders across the plastic ecosystem.

Circular Economy Principles Drive Waste Management Innovation

Thailand, like many rapidly developing countries, has experienced a significant increase in consumption, leading to higher levels of waste production across various industries, including shopping malls. The study underscores the need for effective waste separation at the source, improved waste collection quality, operational cost management, and regulatory framework enhancements to overcome challenges in municipal solid waste management. Applying circular economy (CE) principles to plastic waste management holds promise for driving innovation and reshaping the entire lifecycle of plastics. The researchers conducted a detailed PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal) analysis to examine the factors influencing plastic waste management within shopping malls. This analysis identified both opportunities and risks associated with the business model, considering macro-environmental factors and stakeholder adaptation. Stakeholder analysis revealed the interests, motivations, and power dynamics of various stakeholders involved in plastic waste management, highlighting the need for collaborative efforts among different groups.

Bangkok Mall as a Model for Sustainable Practices

The study area, a shopping mall in inner Bangkok, served as a representative sample. Covering around 580,000 square meters, the mall receives an average daily visitor traffic of 370,000 visitors. The mall prioritizes environmental issues, particularly waste management, involving waste sorting, storage, and utilization through recycling and recovery. However, challenges and obstacles in implementing sustainable solutions persist. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive and multidisciplinary approaches, including PESTEL analysis, stakeholder analysis, Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and economic impact assessment. These approaches were used to explore and implement circular business models (CBMs) for sustainable plastic waste management in Thai shopping malls. The study encourages collaborative efforts by considering stakeholders' motivations and concerns, providing actionable insights and strategies for policymakers to design suitable incentives and address region-specific challenges and opportunities.

Resource Recovery: A Game-Changer in Plastic Waste Management

The research's findings indicate that a CBM centered on resource recovery could significantly improve plastic waste management. The shopping mall currently collects 3,595 kg of low-value plastic monthly, with a recycling rate of 8.62% under the new CBM scenario. This approach resulted in a higher greenhouse gas mitigation compared to the business-as-usual scenario and demonstrated economic benefits through market price accounting and carbon credits. Integrating resource recovery into the environmental policies of shopping malls can offer sustainable solutions for all parties involved in the plastic ecosystem. By actively collaborating with stakeholders, shopping malls can contribute to mitigating plastic pollution and capitalize on the economic opportunities associated with sustainable waste management practices.

Unlocking Economic and Environmental Benefits

The solid waste management system in the study area comprises a multi-step process from collection to disposal. The findings reveal key insights into the composition of solid waste generated from consumption and business operations, as well as the subsequent handling and management practices. Data analysis indicates that primary collection and separation of solid waste occur at designated collection and separation centers, where trained staff undertake the initial sorting process, distinguishing between wet and dry waste streams. A significant insight from the data is the composition of the collected waste, with wet waste accounting for a substantial majority, representing approximately 93.02% of the total waste collected. This predominantly comprises organic waste and general waste, which are subsequently directed to sanitary landfills for disposal. The predominance of wet waste highlights the importance of prioritizing organic waste management to enhance overall waste management efficiency and environmental sustainability within the studied area. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that the dry waste (approximately 7% of the collected waste) encompasses a variety of recyclable materials, including paper, plastic, metals, and aluminum. Segregating dry waste into recyclable materials offers a valuable opportunity to reduce environmental impact and promote resource conservation through recycling initiatives. Junk shops and recycling industries receive the sorted recyclable materials for further processing, playing a crucial role in the circular economy ecosystem.

Creating Collaborative Pathways for a Circular Economy

Based on the findings, the researchers formulated recommendations for optimizing the plastic waste value chain. Notable barriers to promoting circular economy initiatives include inefficient waste separation at the source due to knowledge gaps and resource constraints. Additionally, challenges persist in fostering collaboration among businesses across the upstream-to-downstream spectrum, including logistical expenses, workforce issues, access to capital, limited knowledge and technology, and supply and demand alignment. Addressing these challenges and advancing CBMs will require a concerted effort to foster collaborative relationships among stakeholders and overcome barriers in pursuing a circular economy. A fair-trade-like business model linking sorters, intermediaries, and industry groups together has shown successful outcomes, and sharing platforms could facilitate this well. By leveraging economic mechanisms, the aim is to create win-win scenarios throughout the entire value chain, driving the transition towards a circular economy and maximizing resource utilization.