SCG: a role model of sustainability

CEO Kan Trakulhoon & fellow executives celebrate recognition for their sustainability efforts

SCG was one of the first companies in Thailand to implement a vision of sustainable development in 2006, when it researched sustainable development practices of international organisations in order to establish its own framework.

This framework focuses on how SCG benefits the overall economy, and takes into account how profits are generated and dispersed. It also examines the company’s social impacts, including community investment and donations, labour standards and practices, human resources management and healthcare. Issues involving the environment are also highlighted, including energy, climate change, water management, waste management, ecological balance, biodiversity, and environmentally friendly products.

SCG’s president and CEO Kan Trakulhoon said SCG’s policies and strategies followed the concept of sustainable development.

“SCG is fully committed to being a good corporate citizen. Our aim is to develop the highest standard of work in every country where we operate in to ensure progress and gain international recognition,” he added.

SCG has regularly innovated new products and services, including eco-friendly production processes and socially responsible business practices.

The ultimate goal in the journey toward sustainable development is to create social sustainable and satisfaction. For example, SCG established the SCG Sharing the Dream Scholarship project, which gives opportunities to those who are talented and ethical, but are deprived of a standard education. This project has been expanded to the ASEAN region, with models and criteria suitable to each host country. About 5,000 scholarships are awarded annually throughout Thailand and other ASEAN countries.

Under SCG’s sustainable development principles, the group focuses on a wide range of areas such as alternative fuels and clean energy, management of industrial waste, establishing safety standards both internally and with partners, and engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities that strengthen the group’s relationship with consumers and communities.

SCG is also involved in several associations at the national level that promote social and environmental responsibility and allow organisations to share their experiences with sustainable development. For example, SCG joined the Thailand Business Council for Sustainable Development in 1993.

In 2010, SCG initiated the Thailand Sustainable Development Symposium to support the exchange of new ideas and expertise. From 2012, the symposium has been raised to the regional level and it is currently known as the ASEAN Sustainable Development Symposium, a platform for world-class organisations to share sustainable development experience.

SCG also joined the CSR Club in 2009, embracing “corporate social responsibility.” This is a gathering of 27 listed companies on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, and is supported by the Thai Listed Companies Association, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand, and the Stock Exchange of Thailand, in order to encourage and coordinate CSR efforts among member companies.

At the international level, since 2000 SCG has been a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and also joined two WBCSD’s programmes: the Cement Sustainable Initiative which researches sustainable practices in the cement industry, and the Sustainable Forest Products Industry that works to improve the management of forest resources.

Also as part of its commitment to sustainable development, SCG has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indeces (DJSI), a global tracker of sustainability-driven companies worldwide. SCG has been ranked Gold Class for six consecutive years and was awarded Sector Leader in Building Material and Fixtures on DJSI by Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) for three consecutive years (2011, 2012 and 2013).