Water Risk in our Supply Chain
ThaiBev has also established a Sustainable Agriculture Guideline to ensure that suppliers can optimize water consumption during their agricultural processes. Our suppliers are encouraged to measure their water consumption, identify opportunities to reduce their water usage, conduct water risk assessments of their operating sites using internationally recognized tools, and implement mitigation plans in areas with significant water stress levels.

ThaiBev focuses on agricultural commodity category, which exposed to high water-related risk. Among the key agricultural commodities, sugar and broken rice are 100% sourced from suppliers located in high water-stresses areas. Therefore, ThaiBev focuses on working with suppliers of these two commodities in implementing stakeholder conflict management measures. ThaiBev encourages supplier collaboration with local communities, farmers, and third-party organizations to ensure sustainable water use. ThaiBev's Critical Suppliers of sugar and broken rice manage water-stress risks related to stakeholder conflict in line with BonSucro and FSA standards respectively.

Community Water Management Project in accordance with the Royal Initiative of Muang Mae Haad Community, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
ThaiBev, in collaboration with the Hydro-Informatics Institute (HII), launched the “Community Water Management Project in accordance with the Royal Initiative of Muang Mae Haad Community, Chiang Mai Province”. This initiative was designed to address the significant challenges of water scarcity, particularly during the dry season, by improving water access and supporting agricultural productivity.

The primary goals were to expand water storage through reservoir enlargement and infrastructure upgrades, ensuring a reliable water supply for consumption and agriculture. Additionally, the project aimed to rehabilitate irrigation systems, such as the Muang Mae Haad irrigation canal, which had deteriorated and required restoration to enhance water delivery to agricultural areas.

The project has significantly improved water management, resulting in an annual increase in reserved water volume of more than 270,000 cubic meters. The restored irrigation system provides consistent irrigation and enhance crop yields. Furthermore, the improved infrastructure strengthens the community’s resilience to droughts and other seasonal changes, ensuring long-term sustainability and support for local livelihoods. This project will serve as a model for public–private collaboration focused on enhancing long-term water security.

Solar Energy Irrigation for Local Farmers, Myanmar
and rice production in the model village of San Phel. Located in the eastern region of Bago, this village serves as the primary source of raw materials for GRG’s products. The farmers in this region face water scarcities, particularly during the summer season, as they struggle to afford the costs of accessing irrigation facilities.

The project aims to give access to a daily supply of irrigation water for paddy fields. The project has enabled farmers to cultivate three rice crops annually during the summer, rainy, and winter seasons, with an impressive 50% reduction in costs compared to diesel generator-powered alternatives.

GRG has expanded its efforts by implementing an RO Purified Water System and Treatment Plant, which is powered by solar energy. This is designed to operate during the rainy season when irrigation water is not required for agricultural purposes.

Rice Husk Pellet Ash from Boiler for Road Paving & Biofertilizer, Myanmar
Grand Royal Group has used rice husk pellet ash from the biomass boiler as a component in road paving in the four surrounding villages, which are home to 5,663 people. A total of 5,207 tonnes of the ash were reused, rather than being disposed of in a landfill.
The rice husk pellet ash is further utilized by combining it with biogenic sludge from wastewater treatment to produce biofertilizer for vegetables in Bio-Farm in Production facility. All vegetables grown in the Bio-Farm are distributed to factory employees and supplied to the factory canteen.

Distributing Soil Conditioner to Local Farmers, Thailand
ThaiBev distributes distillery slop, effluent from the biogas production process in spirits production facilities in Thailand, as a soil conditioner to local farmers, because it contains essential nutrients for plant growth, particularly for sugarcane. Research has found that distillery slop increases sugarcane yields without causing negative environmental impacts. It can reduce farmers’ outgoings on chemical fertilizers and result in an increased yield of approximately 10,000–15,000 Baht per rai.

In 2024, ThaiBev expanded its distribution of distillery slop to farmers in Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani provinces to more than 518,000 cubic meters, covering over 22,000 rai (3,520 hectares) of sugarcane fields, rice paddy fields, and corn fields.

Biodiversity Commitment
In fiscal year 2021, ThaiBev launched the net positive impact to biodiversity commitment and no gross deforestation commitment. ThaiBev recognizes the importance of biodiversity conservation in minimizing the impacts of climate change, and guaranteeing the stable production of agricultural commodities vital to ThaiBev’s manufacturing process.

Cardrona Distillery and the Karearea Project
The Cardrona Distillery, ThaiBev’s New Zealand subsidiary, has partnered with Real NZ to support the Karearea Project, a community-led conservation effort initiated by Cardrona Alpine Resort. In collaboration with Parker Conservation, local Iwi, the Department of Conservation, and other stakeholders, the project focuses on protecting the Karearea (New Zealand Falcon) New Zealand’s only native falcon and most endangered bird of prey. With a population of just 5,000-8,000 individuals, the falcon is classified as “Threatened, Nationally Vulnerable”, underscoring the urgency of this initiative.

Speyburn Fish Ladder
The Speyburn-Glenlivet Distillery Company Limited, a ThaiBev subsidiary in Scotland, collaborated with Scottish charity, the Spey Foundation, on their second environmental project to increase fish populations along the River Spey. A new fish pass has been successfully constructed in the Granty Burn to overcome in-river obstacles that prevent salmon and sea trout from spawning and to improve the river’s biodiversity. This project follows the installation of the Mackalea Burn fish pass, also funded by Speyburn. The pass in the Granty Burn was created by extending an intake pipe for the distillery’s cooling pond upstream and building a temporary dam to divert water flow. Its design will open up high-quality breeding grounds to encourage spawning under all flow conditions.

Train-the-Trainer Program, Thailand
As part of its mission to strengthen Thai entrepreneurs, TSCN introduced the Train-the-Trainer Program in collaboration with its co-founders. This initiative aims to equip member representatives with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement effective sustainability practices within their organizations. By focusing on GHG emissions tracking, reduction strategies, and sustainability management, the program supports Thai entrepreneurs in advancing toward Net Zero. In this way, TSCN empowers businesses to be leaders in sustainability and contributes to Thailand’s broader climate objectives.

Green Transportation: Reducing Transportation Distance
ThaiBev works with its suppliers and partners to reduce transport distances of agricultural crops where possible by cross-mapping the locations of its own production facilities with that of its suppliers to determine the shortest route.

“Tod Mai Ting” and “Mai Tod Sum” Campaign, Used Cooking Oil Value Creation, Thailand
Used cooking oil from ThaiBev’s Food Product Group operations in Thailand is eligible to be repurposed into biofuel, so we actively seek out business partners who are willing to purchase our used cooking oil for this purpose. This results in value generation for both sides while also helping to mitigate climate change. In 2024, the Food Product Group announced a collaboration with BSGF - a joint venture under Bangchak Oil Refinery and Retail Gas Station Group - to drive best practice for managing used cooking oil by collecting the oil and reusing it as a raw material for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which can reduce carbon emissions by approximately 80% compared to traditional aviation fuel.

ThaiBev Business Partner Award
These annual awards aim to promote supplier development, private sector competitiveness, sustainable business practices, and innovation. The contenders for the awards are ThaiBev’s strategic business partners, including critical suppliers, suppliers with strong business relationships, and high-volume suppliers. The awards are divided into three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum (business partners who receive a Gold Award for three consecutive years). In 2023, ThaiBev added a requirement to track the carbon footprint of the agricultural raw materials they supply to ThaiBev as well as provides recommendations for suppliers who have not yet tracked their own emissions. To further strengthen this endeavor, ThaiBev aims to have more visibility to its scope 3 GHG emissions and increase the proportion of primary data source acquired from suppliers in order to co-develop reduction plan.

ThaiBev invites agricultural raw material suppliers to participate in ThaiBev Business Partner Award program every year with the aim to increase awareness of sustainable agricultural practice. The program is an incentive for suppliers to implement sustainable agricultural initiatives and operate in line with sustainability standards, such as, BonSucro, RSPO, Rainforest Alliance, SEDEX, etc.

The majority of ThaiBev’s agricultural commodity tier 1 suppliers are either manufacturers or distributors. Instead, the local farmers are considered to be ThaiBev non-tier 1 suppliers who cultivate and supply agricultural commodities to the tier 1 suppliers. Understanding the challenges local farmers face in adopting sustainable agriculture practice, we encourage our tier 1 suppliers to implement similar farmer support programs to ensure that the farmers have sufficient knowledge and resources.

ThaiBev Sustainable Agriculture and Responsible Sourcing in Thailand
ThaiBev is committed to advancing sustainable agriculture by collaborating with key agricultural commodity suppliers to educate local farmers. In Thailand, these efforts focus on malt, hops, sugar, broken rice, tea leaves, and palm oil. Through alignment with internationally recognized standards such as Bonsucro, RSPO, SAI Platform, SEDEX/ SMETA, and Rainforest Alliance. ThaiBev promotes farming practices that enhance resource efficiency, protect ecosystems, and comply with global sustainability benchmarks.

Additionally, ThaiBev also supports these suppliers in promoting sustainable farming practices among non-Tier 1 farmers in Thailand. These initiatives include nutrient management, pest control for ecosystem preservation, water conservation, soil health improvement, leveraging smart farming approach using automation tools such as GPS-guided tractors, drones, and IoT (Internet of Things) irrigation. Such initiatives empower farmers to boost productivity while minimizing environmental impact, reducing GHG emission. This comprehensive approach strengthens local economies, and supports ThaiBev’s sustainability objectives and Thailand’s national environmental goals.

To further support sustainable development, ThaiBev also provides basic ESG training to key commodity suppliers. The training equips suppliers with the knowledge and tools to calculate and manage their own environmental data, including GHG emissions, water use, and waste management. This foundational knowledge enables suppliers to identify pathways toward Net Zero, implement effective water stewardship in their regions, and adopt responsible waste management practices

Learn more about Water Management of Sugar supplier here