President of Packaging
and Engineering Business
Berli Jucker Public Co., Ltd.
BJC Glass has been using cullet in our production process since 1951. A strategic
partnership with ThaiBev started in 2016 through a supplier and customer collaboration.
With existing ThaiBev infrastructure across Thailand, the 2 companies have formed
a partnership in the cullet supply chain, resulting in benefits to both parties. The partnership
has so far led to 334,000 tonnes of cullet being recycled, or an equivalent to 18% of annual
recycled cullet used by BJC Glass. BJC Glass is able to use up to 50% cullet in the smelting
process, compared to 25% typically used in European glass factories. Using cullet helps
to reduce energy consumption in the melting process, and avoids waste being sent to
landfills. Glass produced from cullet has no reduction in strength or other properties, so
it is a truly circular process. An estimated 0.24 kgCO2e per bottle is avoided per kg of
recycled cullet used in the production process. In wider sustainability, BJC Glass is able
to realize economic benefits such as reduced raw material price and streamlined supply
chain operations. In the social field, we see opportunities being provided through
additional income for communities in collecting and selling cullet to Thai Beverage
Recycle or BJC Glass. We also have established campaigns and promotional materials
to increase awareness around the opportunities and benefits to society of glass recycling.
As a supplier to ThaiBev, we also collaborate on initiatives such as lightweight packaging
design for glass bottles. Bottle weight reduction can reduce the carbon footprint of
ThaiBev products, as lightweight bottles save emissions in the production process and
logistic operations.