Bayer enlist more young people as green envoys

The programme is part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme, where the German-based firm, with its core business in health care, nutrition and high-tech materials, has for the past decade pursued a green campaign.

This year's theme will focus on living together, said Nat Lohsuwan, Bayer Thai general manager for corporate communications.

It aims to improve knowledge about conservation among young people and get them to support the movement.

Students aged 15 to 20 can apply and compete to become envoys.

The five winners will join Bayer envoys from other countries to study for a week in Germany learning how to keep the environment green.

Chaveng Chao, director of Bayer Thai and chairman of the environmental envoy programme, said Bayer had striven to make its products as environmentally safe as possible.

It has developed the Bayer Eco Check as a tool to test new products to make sure they pass all standards including technology, environment, social, business and health.

Like other global firms, Bayer has set aside a budget of around 2.5 to 3 per cent of its annual sales to support CSR schemes.

The young envoys programme costs Bt2.5 million a year.

"We don't think our CSR activities needs to be linked to our business activities," said Chaveng, who says Bayer is keen to strengthen awareness about protecting the environment.

Fifty past envoys were reunited on April 26-27 to study how farmers at the Buffalo Conservation Village in Suphan Buri practise sustainable agriculture programmes.

The two-day event tried to strengthen an existing network of young environmentalists and provide a platform for them to share views and experiences as well as participate in the June 5 function.

Chaveng said the Suphan Buri event taught envoys about the value of rice cultivation and why farmers are regarded as the backbone of the nation.

Among the envoys was Sarawut Tongnoonui, a student at Thaksin University. He used money gained from the programme to train other students to protect the environment.

Another envoy, Krida Uakridathikarn from Thammasat University's faculty of medicine, said the outing helped him appreciate why using buffaloes can lower farmers' dependence on machinery that runs on petrol.

"If demand for fuel is lessened, demand for generators will also drop.

"It will keep inflation down and help lower food prices," he said.

Meanwhile, Weerayut Phosri, a student from Mahamakut Buddhist University, said exhaust fumes from farm machinery could have a negative impact on farms and their surroundings.

Students used the event to discuss environmental issues and formulate ideas on how to tackle them, he added.