Nestlé Virtual Talk Live: “Every Little Act Matters”
Nowadays, environmental problems, whether global warming or climate change, are closer to everyone than ever. Human’s daily behaviors more of less affect the environment. Nestlé believes in small actions that can lead to a big environmental impact for a better world for the next generation. Therefore, we held a virtual talk under the campaign “Every Little Act Matters” on May 11, 2022. The goals were to spark ideas and create inspirations for behavioral changes in consumers with earth-friendly tips that suit each different role and lifestyle. Under the topic “If the world was one big home, how would we take care of it?” and with Thanawat “DJ Nui” Prasitsomporn as moderator, eco-friendly celebrities Alex Rendell and Jarinporn “Toey” Joonkiat, owner of "3 Wheels Uncle" Facebook Page Prem Pruktayanon, and Nestlé representative Jiraphat Thansandose exchanged environmental experiences and earth-friendly ideas.
From Small Inspirations to Big Impact for a Better World
Global warming aggravates flooding, as well as forest drought. The latter led to wildfires, a major cause of PM 2.5, which greatly affected the health and livelihood of people in Chiang Mai province, Prem Pruktayanon gave glaring examples of everyday problems.
Another example is what sea turtles are facing. Ice melt increases sea level, which prevents the creatures from coming ashore to lay their eggs. In addition, a temperature change of just one degree Celsius in the sea can cause coral bleaching, Jarinporn “Toey” Joonkiat pointed out more ecological issues.
Green-at-heart actor Alex Rendell spoke of the moment he became more eco-conscious and felt he needed to change, “Many trivial experiences built up to the tipping point for me to go green. I felt like together we could create small, beneficial changes. So, I looked into it and realized what a tremendous impact that would make to our planet. In this one big home, we may think our actions do not mean much. But every decision counts. Every use of resources -- be it water, travel, or foods – can make an impact.”
Green-at-heart actor Alex Rendell spoke of the moment he became more eco-conscious and felt he needed to change, “Many trivial experiences built up to the tipping point for me to go green. I felt like together we could create small, beneficial changes. So, I looked into it and realized what a tremendous impact that would make to our planet. In this one big home, we may think our actions do not mean much. But every decision counts. Every use of resources -- be it water, travel, or foods – can make an impact.”
Jiraphat Thansandose, Head of Packaging Development Department at Nestlé Indochina, said of his work, “As a conglomerate, Nestlé can create a tremendous impact for a better planet. This has become our mission. Our actions are: 1) reduce packaging waste, 2) lessen impact on climate, and 3) sustainably strengthen the food supply chain, from growing, cultivation, production, transportation of goods, to use of environmentally friendly packaging. Before assuming this role, I conducted site visits to study management of packaging waste at the end of the line. To date, we have created paper packaging, as well as shifted from tin to recyclable aluminum cans, and from plastic to paper straws. This is because we care about our packaging’s journey, from production to reuse. The aims are to mitigate environmental effects and fulfil our net zero emission goal by 2050.”
Easy Earth-friendly Ideas for Daily Life: It Starts with You!
Building on the transition to sustainable packaging, other important steps all of us can take are to separate and recycle waste. The processes must be implemented together for tangible results. Eco-friendly influencer and owner of "3 Wheels Uncle" Facebook Page Prem Pruktayanon shared his knowledge on the journey of trash in Thailand, “On the country’s waste management, if trash is not sorted first in a household, many types of trash will get mixed up in the waste collection process. This makes it harder to separate them and some may end up in a landfill or in nature.”
For the many who are still probably not sure where to start their waste separation journey, Prem recommended that they identify “waste receivers” like waste management organizations or local waste pickers. When we send the sorted trash to them, we will be encouraged to do more, leading to increasing recyclable resources. According to Prem, it all comes down to whether we will separate waste. If not, it will end up in a landfill. He also suggested using the “Green2Get” application to help identify the types of trash via scanning and link consumers up with recyclers. Knowing who to send the trash to facilitates waste separation among the public.
Waste reduction is also another way we can all contribute. Toey recounted how she had to donate a lot of clothes when moving house. That led her to cut down on shopping and consider the necessity of every purchase. She also chose items that would last, not just fast fashion. This is an easy tip that anyone can pick up right away.
Alex offered his green ideas, “I started from gradually reducing the effects I have on the environment. I choose products with sustainability marks and separate wet from dry waste to facilitate recycling.”
“I aim to reduce the size of garbage bags at home. From visiting waste facilities, I learned that food leftover makes trash go bad. Therefore, I separate wet (food scraps) from dry waste. When washing dishes, I put food packaging in the sink too to rinse it before sorting and delivering it to proper places,” Jiraphat added on earth-friendly ideas individuals could apply.
For the inspiration to conserve the planet, Alex said, “It has to start with ourselves. If millions of others follow suit, the resulting positive impact will be tremendous. I want us to adopt a sustainable mindset and keep on going green, because ultimately our descendants will benefit from a better world.”
Interestingly, Prem added, “This planet is our only home. We can get rid of trash in our houses, but the world cannot throw trash out into space. Waste does not go away. The same goes for resources: we can order stuff in the house if it runs out, but the world cannot order resources from other planets. Therefore, we should protect our world as much as we can. Everyone should believe they can help out. The world is our home. Every little act matters.”
“Some think environmental problems are not serious. However, global warming affects us and future generations, our kids, who will inherit the planet. We should do something for them. Since this is one big home, taking care of the world is everyone’s, not just someone’s, responsibility,” DJ Nui said.
Nestlé’s environmental stewardship goes beyond doing no harm. We aim to protect and revitalize existing natural resources for a better world for the next generation. Join us by adopting minor behavioral changes in your daily life to take care of our one big home, so that everybody can live here sustainably today and in the future. Let’s help save the planet together with “Every Little Act Matters.”