Bangchak signs agreement with Thailand’s public-health ministry to convert UCO into SAF

Photo: Bangchak

Thailand’s minister of public health, Pattana Promphat, presided over the opening of the “Healthcare Leadership toward Net Zero MOPH” seminar July 6 and witnessed the signing of memoranda of understanding between the Ministry of Public Health and its partner organizations to advance Thailand’s public-health sector toward becoming a low-carbon organization.

Bangchak Corporation Public Company Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding for the sustainability and environmental initiative on the campaign against the reuse of cooking oil and the conversion of used cooking oil (UCO) into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in support of the “Net Zero MOPH” policy.

The agreement aims to promote the proper and efficient management of UCO across healthcare facilities under the Ministry of Public Health for conversion into SAF, creating greater value from waste, reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and promoting resource efficiency in line with the circular-economy concept.

Under the MOU, both parties will exchange knowledge and expertise in sustainability and environmental management, support the effective management of UCO across healthcare facilities under the Ministry of Public Health, and jointly promote public awareness of the health impacts of reusing cooking oil and the importance of proper UCO management.

The collaboration also seeks to maximize resource value, reduce GHG emissions and support the achievement of the Net Zero MOPH target.

“Bangchak Group is delighted and honored to be part of the low-carbon journey of the healthcare and civil-society sectors through the signing of this MOU, which marks not only an important milestone for the environment, but also a dimension that brings together the health of Thai people and ‘greenovation,’ an area where we have strong expertise,” said Gloyta Nathalang, a senior executive with Bangchak. “Today, countries, businesses and organizations around the world are pursuing net-zero goals, which require collaboration across all sectors, from changing behaviors and making efficient use of resources to developing clean-energy technologies and innovations such as SAF, which plays a significant role in reducing GHG emissions from the aviation sector.”

The SAF ecosystem starts at the very beginning—with public health and the environment, Nathalang said.

“Through our collaboration with the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, we have promoted the ‘No Refry’ campaign to encourage healthier cooking practices before extending the initiative through ‘Fry to Fly,’ encouraging the collection of UCO for SAF production,” she added. “We are confident that, over the three-year term of this partnership, the collaboration between the public-health sector and Bangchak will establish a practical environmental-management model that protects the health of the Thai people, reduces GHG emissions and serves as an important driving force in advancing Thailand toward our shared sustainability goals.”