Circular Economy for Sustainable Resource Management: The Case of Packaging Waste Sector in Thailand

Abstract

The status of circular economy (CE) in Thailand is reviewed in this chapter. The current CE practices and policy instruments used towards sustainable resource management in Thailand are presented as well. CE indicators for Thailand are extensively studied and summarized in the paper. Based on the review, it is established that the existing policies and programs on CE are focused more towards 3R concepts and less on other sub-sects of CE such as products-as-services, next life sales, product transformation, collaborative consumption, etc. Currently, CE indicators are primarily based on 3R concepts, whereas it is recommended that the other sub-sects of CE should also be taken into consideration to measure the actual CE progress. Employing packaging waste in Thailand as a case study, the current circular economy practice and key barriers to CE implementation were assessed to propose appropriate policy measures for sustainable waste and resources management. There has been an increase in packaging waste in the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, of which plastic poses a key challenge in the urban waste stream. The current flow of packaging waste is predominated by recycling as downcycling. Most packaging waste remaining at landfills is one-time-use packaging. According to the comprehensive assessment, consumers had positive attitudes towards 3R practices and were conscious of waste problems. Economic incentives and regulatory instruments in line with a new waste management policy framework are recommended to overcome the barriers hindering CE implementation. Packaging waste management policy framework and policy measures are established through this study.