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Published on September 14, 2007

Dubbed "Make Chiang Mai a Better Place to Live", the initiative aims to tackle core issues affecting the province by implementing a '3R' policy - reduce, reuse and recycle.

Major areas of focus include reducing the consumption of energy and plastic, reducing pollution and creating awareness among locals of environmental and social issues.

The campaign began two years ago, with the installation of energy efficient lighting and cooling systems at the store's Mae Jo branch, followed successively by all new Rimping branches.

Using energy saving lighting systems, the supermarket chain has lowered its light energy consumption by 25 to 30 per cent, while innovative roof designs allow constant air flow to control interior temperatures and decrease the need for air conditioning.

In the last few weeks, the campaign has stepped up its efforts to reduce the consumption of plastic bags and containers, company president Phairoj Phatsorpinyosakul said.

"We are one of the distributors of plastic bags, so we must take responsibility for that," he said.

Rimping has also set up an incentive programme. For each transaction when no new bags are used, it offers to donate 50 satang to any of three non-profit groups working with under-privileged children.

"We were recently approached by members of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, who have expressed interest in getting involved in this project. With their assistance, in the future we may organise activities or outings that these children would not normally have the opportunity to attend," said Phairoj.

The chain has also introduced biodegradable packaging made from tapioca to replace less eco-friendly containers. "Some of our suppliers are still using polystyrene and plastic packaging, but we are encouraging them to change over to biodegradable containers. We hope to replace all plastic containers in the near future," Phairoj said.

Cindy Tilney

Citylife, Chiang Mai