Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO of seafood giant Thai Union Group PCL, has shared his views on sustainable development during a panel discussion at the recently held Thailand Responsible Business Network. Other panellists included executives from Ray Social Enterprise and leading corporates in Thailand including HomePro, AIS and Minor International.

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The world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products, Thai Union Group has been working on sustainability for many years. “Our goal is to move beyond compliance and into leadership of the industry,” said Mr Chansiri. 

 

“Sustainability is not just a trend”

 

“Sustainability is not just a trend. It has become a business advantage, and we understand very clearly that having a robust sustainability policy, as we do with SeaChange®, provides enormous opportunities for the business as consumers and markets increasingly refuse to buy products from companies that don’t take this issue seriously. We are also very clear that we don’t compromise on our sustainability standards.” 

 

Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy back in 2015. The firm’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognised in 2018 and 2019 as world number-one within the Food Products Industry on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, achieving a 100th percentile ranking for its total sustainability score. Thai Union has now been named to the DJSI for six consecutive years. The Group was also named on the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the third straight year in 2018.

 

Over the past four decades, Thai Union has grown to become a US$4.1bn group with a global workforce of over 47,000 people. The firm’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.

 

Driving Thai business, meeting SDGs

 

The launch of the Thailand Responsible Business Network was presided over by Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha who gave the opening speech, pressing the partnership between public and private sectors to work responsibly together to drive the country’s economy while meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

The Thailand Responsible Business Network was founded by the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bank of Thailand, the UN Global Compact Network Thailand and other leading organisations in the country’s capital market, with the aim of driving change and development among listed companies and businesses in Thailand in three areas: low-carbon emissions, inclusivity and good governance.