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BIODIVERSITY
The global loss of biodiversity is increasingly recognized as one of climate change’s most significant consequences. To ensure that ecosystems remain resilient and to minimize disruptions to the environmental balance that society relies on, ThaiBev is committed to creating net positive impact on biodiversity across its global operations.

As most of ThaiBev’s businesses are located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, the company is fully aware of the need to take preventative measures against resource and ecosystem imbalances that may impact on agricultural productivity.


Biodiversity

Biodiversity
Management Actions

Critical Biodiversity
Risk Screening for
Sabeco, Vietnam
Management Approach
ThaiBev recognizes both the urgent need for biodiversity conservation and the significant role that business and organizations play in addressing the global challenge. In alignment with the “30x30” commitment at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), ThaiBev is dedicated to protecting and conserving at least 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. The company is also determined to continue its sustainability mission, “Creating and Sharing the Value of Growth”, while aiming to promote biodiversity, through the following commitments:
  • To have a net positive impact on biodiversity at its priority production sites
  • To eliminate deforestation and enhance the protection and management of high-value natural ecosystems
These commitments extend to the entire supply chain. ThaiBev expects its suppliers and partners to refrain from having a negative impact on biodiversity and to avoid gross deforestation. The company has collaborated with external stakeholders such as suppliers, non-governmental organizations, and communities, and will continue to ensure that commitments are met.

As ThaiBev’s exposure to deforestation within its own direct operations is minimal, such efforts are focused on the supply chain and procurement processes, including expanding awareness regarding biodiversity. We have incorporated the mitigation hierarchy procedures (Avoid, Reduce, Regenerate, Restore, and Transform) to manage potential biodiversity risks related to production facilities.

The Sustainability and Risk Management Committee (SRMC) is assigned by the Board of Directors to review issues related to potential biodiversity risks quarterly. ThaiBev’s risk coordinators for Product Groups/Key Business Units work with the Corporate Risk Management Working Team to ensure that the mitigation hierarchy is applied and integrated into company-wide risk management, and that residual impacts are reduced as much as reasonably possible (see “ThaiBev’s Sustainability Development and Risk Management Structure” in the Annual Report 2023).

Any biodiversity-related risk considered material to the Product Groups/Business Units shall be reported to the SRMC for further consideration and action.
Target

Achievements
In FY2021, ThaiBev refined the assessment of biodiversity data into a Critical Habitat Assessment (CHA) for 40 locations (42 plants, 34 in Thailand, 2 in Myanmar, and 6 in the United Kingdom). This involved a closer examination of the species in accordance with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 6 (PS6) on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources (IFC 2012), consideration of inputs from extensive expert consultations, and the detail review of the additional site information to better characterize and assess the extent of site development and operation that may have or have impacts to critical biodiversity.

The summary of CHA is as follows:
  • 8 production sites in proximity to Protected Areas
  • 22 production sites in proximity to Key Biodiversity Areas
  • 1 production site in proximity to a Ramsar Convention Area
In FY2022, ThaiBev conducted a Residual Biodiversity Impact Assessment to further assess what are left to be the primary residual impacts to biodiversity associated with a subset of 31 ThaiBev sites (29 locations), located in Thailand (24 sites), Myanmar (1 site), and Scotland (6 sites). These 31 sites were deemed to have greater potential to impact biodiversity due to their proximity to habitats specially designated as important for biodiversity and/or that they occur with the range of species conservation status (nationally or internationally designated as Critically Endangered or Threatened).
From the summary of Residual Biodiversity Impact Assessment for 31 ThaiBev sites (29 locations), ThaiBev will prepare the Biodiversity Management Plans (BMP) for the major impact identified sites. The BMPs will identify actions, monitoring program, performance metrics and adaptive management plans for selected actions, as well as incorporate mitigation actions in hierarchy.
Residual Biodiversity Impact Assessment
In FY2022–2023, ThaiBev conducted a Residual Biodiversity Impact Assessment to further evaluate the primary residual impacts to biodiversity at these 31 sites. The assessment was broken down into two components: Obtain and review additional information on the 31 candidate sites: development history; physical footprint; environmental management systems; environmental compliance record; supply chain environmental due diligence; and any onsite and proximate off-site biodiversity or sustainability initiatives (undertaken by ThaiBev or others).

Predict residual biodiversity impacts resulting from site development and operational activities. Each predicted impact is then described in terms of its relevant characteristics (e.g. type, extent, duration, likelihood of occurrence). The next step is to assign each potential impact a “magnitude” and receptor “sensitivity”. Magnitude essentially describes the intensity of the change that is predicted to occur in the resource/receptor as a result of the potential impact. The magnitude designations are: Negligible; Small; Medium; and Large. For the sensitivity/vulnerability/importance of the impacted resource/receptor, the designations used are: Low; Medium; and High.

Impact significance is then designated a matrix that applies universally to all resources/receptors, and to all impacts on these resources/receptors.
Summary of Residual Biodiversity Impact Assessment for 31 ThaiBev sites (29 locations)
S/N Site Name Proximity to High Biodiversity Area Total potentially-qualifying species Triggered Species Likelihood of Occurrence Impact Magnitude Resources Sensitivity Impact Significance
Thailand
1 Beer Thip Brewery (1991) Very High None None Very Unlikely Medium Low Minor
2 Cosmos Brewery (Thailand) Very High None None Very Unlikely Small Low Negligible
3 Fuengfuanant Low 4
  • White-edged whipray, Fluvitrygon signifier (EN)
  • The giant freshwater whipray, Urogymnus polylepis (VU)
  • Somphongs’s rasbora, Trigonostigma somphongsi (CR)
  • Ceratoglanis pachynema (CR)
Very Unlikely Medium High Major
4 Kanchanasingkorn Very High 1
  • Roughback whipray, Fluvitrygon kittipongi (EN)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
5 Luckchai Liquor Trading Very High None None Very Unlikely Medium Medium Moderate
6 Mongkolsamai Very High 1
  • Roughback whipray, Fluvitrygon kittipongi (EN)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
7 Nateechai Low 2
  • Roughnoise cowtail ray, Pastinachus solocirostris (EN)
  • Pendlebury’s roundleaf bat, Hipposideros pendleburyi (VU)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
8 Oishi Trading (Ban Bueng) Low 1
  • Chonburi snake skink, Isopachys roulei (LC, restricted to Thailand)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
9 Oishi Trading (Navanakorn) Very High 1
  • Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (VU, endemic to Thailand)
Very Unlikely Medium Low Minor
10 Oishi Trading (Wang Muang) High 2
  • Rufous limestone-babbler, Turdinus calcicole (VU, endemic to central Thailand)
Very Unlikely Small High Moderate
11 Red Bull Distillery (1988) Very High None None Very Unlikely Medium Low Minor
12 Sangsom (Kanchanaburi) Very High 1
  • Roughback whipray, Fluvitrygon kittipongi (EN)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
13 Sangsom (Nakhon Pathom) Very High 1
  • Striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (EN)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
14 SermSuk (Chonburi) and Sermsuk Beverest Moderate 2
  • Spoon-billed sandpiper, Calidris pygmaea (CR)
  • Spotted greenshank, Tringa guttifer (EN)
Very Unlikely Medium High Major
15 SermSuk (Nakhon Sawan) Very High 1
  • Striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (EN)
Very Unlikely Medium Medium Moderate
16 SermSuk (Pathum Thani) Very High 1
  • Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (VU, endemic to Thailand)
Very Unlikely Medium Low Minor
17 SermSuk (Surat Thani) Low 1
  • Pendlebury’s roundleaf bat, Hipposideros pendleburyi (VU)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
18 S.S. Karnsura Low 6
  • Lacunopsis munensis (VU)
  • Pachydrobia bertini (VU)
  • Mekhongthelphusa kengsaphu (VU)
  • Datnioides undecimradiatus (VU)
  • Mekong stingray, Hemitrygon laosensis (EN)
  • Mekong herring, Tenualosa thibaudeaui (VU, endemic to Mekong basin)
Very Unlikely Medium Medium Moderate
19 Surabangyikhan Very High 1
  • Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (VU, endemic to Thailand)
Very Unlikely Medium Low Minor
20 Thanapakdi Low 1
  • Fire bar danio, Devario maetaengensis (DD, considered restricted to the upper Chao Phraya basin, Mae Ping subdrainage)
  • Cryptophaea saukra (CR)
  • Petaliaeschna flavipes (VU)
Very Unlikely Medium High Major
21 United Winery & Distillery and United Products Very High 1
  • Striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (EN)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
22 Wrangyer Beverage (2008) Very High 1
  • Striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (EN)
Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
Myanmar
23 Yangon Bottling & Distillery High 1
  • Voris’s mud snake, Gyiophis vorisi (EN)
Possible Medium Medium Moderate
Scotland
24 Airdrie Distillery High None None Very Unlikely Medium Low Minor
25 Balblair Distillery High None None Possible Medium Medium Moderate
26 Balmenach Distillery Very High None None Possible Small Medium Minor
27 Pulteney High None None Very Unlikely Small Medium Minor
28 Knockdhu Distillery High None None Possible Large Low Moderate
29 Speyburn Distillery High None None Very Unlikely Medium Medium Moderate
The matrix showed that three of the 31 sites have major impact significance on biodiversity. In 2023, biodiversity management plans have been implemented at two of these sites, Fuengfuanant and Thanapakdi, while the third site, Sermsuk Chon Buri and Sermsuk Beverest, is located in an industrial estate which has been notified to work on a biodiversity management plan.
Biodiversity Management Plan
To develop biodiversity management plans for Fuengfuanant and Thanapakdi plants, site inspections and local stakeholder consultations have been implemented to further identify and optimize any practical biodiversity offset opportunities. The target groups of stakeholders for consultation include:
  • Local/regional government agencies with in-depth knowledge and authority over/interest in conservation and environmental sustainability activities (such as the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)
  • Local civil society organizations and NGOs who may be involved in implementing relevant conservation/ sustainability work in proximity to the area (e.g. World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International)
  • The local community who may have an interest in and influence on conservation activities
The results of the site inspections and local stakeholder consultations enabled critical habitat assessments to screen species and to identify the local threats to those species.
Fuengfuanant Site, Prachin Buri Province
Among the four qualifying species at Fuengfuanant, site inspection and stakeholder consultation confirmed that two of the species (Giant freshwater whipray and Club-barbel sheatfish) are present in the area while the other two (White-edge whipray and Somphong’s rasbora) are absent.

White-edge whipray, Fluvitrygon signifer (EN)

Somphong’s rasbora, Trigonostigma somphongsi (CR)

Giant freshwater whipray, Urogymnus polylepis (VU)

Club-barbel Sheatfish, Ceratoglanis pachynema (CR)

The management plan for Fuengfuanant will concentrate on maintaining the remaining population of the two species that are present.
Thanapakdi Site, Chiang Mai Province
According to the Critical Habitat Assessment, the Thanapakdi site had one qualifying species . As a result of site inspection and stakeholder consultation, it was confirmed that this species was absent in the study area. The management plan for Thanapakdi will concentrate on reducing invasive species and improving the habitat quality of the Ping River.
Key Projects
Community Forest Project with the Mae Fah Luang Foundation
ThaiBev has joined the Mae Fah Luang Foundation’s Community Forest Project, which aims to expand community forests across 300,000 rai (48,000 hectares) through the forest carbon-credit management mechanism for sustainable development, by integrating rural development with forest preservation. Phases 1 and 2 of the project cover 45 community forests, with a total area of 46,141 rai (7,382.56 hectares) in seven provinces, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Phayao, Kamphaeng Phet, Uthai Thani, and Krabi. Phase 3, in 2024, will cover 32,950 rai (5,272 hectares). Each phase of the project will take six years to complete.
Community Forest Project with the Forest in Our Hearts Foundation
ThaiBev collaborates with the Forest in Our Hearts Foundation to conserve the environment and endangered wildlife, and solve pollution problems, by restoring and maintaining forests, and by increasing green space in all areas of Thailand. With the aim of achieving sustainable economic, social and environmental development, the first project was initiated in Chiang Dao District of Chiang Mai Province after it was affected by wildfires in March 2020. A fertile area that’s home to Thailand’s only semi-alpine plant community, Chiang Dao’s mountain, Doi Luang, was designated as the fifth UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Thailand in 2021.

In 2023, with the support of ThaiBev, the Forest in Our Hearts Foundation collaborated with the community, especially young people, and government officials to participate in reforestation and seeding heritage activities in 24 community forests in Chiang Dao District, 10 community forests in Mae Taeng District (Chiang Mai Province), and 11 community forests in Ban Rai District and Lan Sak District (Uthai Thani Province), covering a total area of 750 rai (120 hectares). In addition, the Community Forest Project supported the construction of 60 weirs to slow down water in Pa Sak Biosphere Reserve.