Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Thailand is on the brink of pioneering a new approach to sustainable event management as five leading alliance organizations have initiated a soft launch for the nation’s inaugural carbon trading platform. This innovative system, specifically tailored for enterprises, will enable the trading of carbon credits in both medium and small quantities, thereby fostering community benefits throughout the region. The platform, currently in its experimental phase with individual travelers, is slated for a trial run among MICE entrepreneurs by year’s end.
A coalition of five entities has embraced the initiative, namely The Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand—who owns the “Carbon Neutrality 4 All” project—the Central Group, which funds the platform, The Ministry of Interior, providing carbon credits for trading, along with Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), both of whom advocate for platform adoption within their industry networks. Last week marked the memorandum of understanding signing, coinciding with the platform’s soft launch in Bangkok. This collaboration underscores a concerted push towards achieving a net-zero carbon goal via trading carbon credits from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the MICE, tourism, and service sectors across Thailand.
The platform is tailored for entrepreneurs eager to procure high-quality carbon credits derived from programs reducing carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Incorporating the CERO application, the platform facilitates carbon footprint calculations and seamlessly integrates with venue energy control systems and visitor mobile AI. This integration simplifies data gathering for event organizers and enhances attendee engagement through the Green Activities feature, allowing them to track their carbon footprint related to travel and dining.
The platform’s development is led by Vekin (Thailand), a government-endorsed organization specializing in decarbonization and carbon tokenization engineering. The carbon credits available on the platform originate from community-based household waste management projects, supervised by the Ministry of Interior and certified by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO), an independent agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. By offsetting carbon emissions on the platform, event organizers not only support local community waste management initiatives but also accumulate points redeemable for discounts on goods and services at participating retailers.
Mr. Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya , President of TCEB, stated that TCEB’s collaboration in “Carbon Neutrality 4 All” platform project is part of the bureau’s strategies “Partnership for Business Success” and “Go Sustainability” for Thai MICE industry. TCEB will promote the use of carbon credit trading platform among Thai MICE operators following a few years’ capacity building on carbon avoidance calculation for Thai MICE industry players.
Using the platform can be a proven record of how Thai MICE industry can reduce environmental negative impact and generate positive economic and social impacts for local communities..
