Double A at Asian Paper 2016: Utilising the unused resources is the way forward
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Bangkok, Thailand, 7 June 2016 - Mr. Thirawit Leetavorn (3rd from left), Double A’s Senior Executive Vice President shared the stage with industry leaders at the Addressing Sustainable Forestry, Realising Dollars and Value of Sustainability session of the Asian Paper Bangkok 2016.
Mr. Leetavorn talked about how Double A values the unused resources such as the margins between paddy fields where it plants the trees that basically supply the company with sustainable fiber.
“It goes back to the origins of Double A when we looked at entering the industry. How do you go about sourcing the trees in a sustainable manner? We could go down and buy large patch of land and turn the farm lands into forest, but we decided why not engage the majority of the population which is involved in the rice farming sector to grow the trees for us? We combined our ideals of promoting community and sustainability together,” shared Mr. Leetavorn.
The trees that Double A plant on the ridges between rice fields generate additional income to the farmers. Most of the farmers use this income to make sure their children go to school and pay down some of their debts. Double A is able to sustain its production with this sustainable source all while helping the farmers earn additional income.
Paper from KHAN-NA is expandable
According to Mr Leetavorn, rice farming is one common thing between Southeast Asian countries. There are a lot of empty land between paddy fields which provide Double A the opportunity to expand its KHAN-NA program. From rice paddies, Double A is moving to local villages in Thailand. In 2014, the company started the Village Fund program where it goes to villages and talks to the villagers about growing the trees in their unused land. If the villagers agree to grow the trees, Double A sets up a fund based on how many trees they will grow. “Paper from KHAN-NA is indeed expandable and those are the two areas we look at to expand,” added Mr. Leetavorn.