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BASF and World Vision Foundation improve learning environment with Ecobricks at school in Pluakdaeng, Thailand
- Joint project provides financial support and uses Ecobricks to revitalize school
- Ecobricks promote environmental protection and reuse of plastic waste
- Approximately 190 students will benefit each year
Bangkok, Thailand – September 18, 2019 – BASF and World Vision Foundation of Thailand (WVFT) have completed a joint renovation project for a school in a remote area of Rayong province. The project has renovated a playground and drainage system, and redecorated other facilities at Nikom Sang Tong Eng 10 School with the use of Ecobricks, reusable building blocks made from plastic bottles. This school revitalization project aims to foster a healthy, safe learning environment while raising public awareness of environmental protection in Thailand.
“BASF is dedicated to supporting the United Nations Strategic Development Goal #4, ‘Quality Education’. We provide support to schools, especially in rural areas, to enhance their education quality through our corporate citizenship activities every year,” said Petrus Ng, Managing Director of BASF (Thai) Ltd. “This collaboration with WVFT is particularly remarkable, as it helps tackle plastic pollution by turning plastic waste into Ecobricks, and also improves the learning conditions at the school.”
Nikom Sang Ton Eng 10 School, currently accommodating 192 children aged 4 to 14, is the first school in the eastern part of Thailand to use the Ecobrick concept to upgrade their facilities. Prior to the renovation, the school had been affected by flooding during the rainy season due to a lack of a proper drainage. Made from plastic bottles filled with non-biological waste, Ecobricks convert non-recyclable waste into cost-effective building materials. This innovative solution has been partly used to build water barriers, door facades, tables and chairs for the playground area, and cultivating frames for the vegetable plots.
“We, together with BASF volunteers, have engaged teachers, students, and the community by teaching them how to make Ecobricks. The project also aims to help the school to provide high-quality meals made with nutritious ingredients from the school garden. By teaching students how to grow mushrooms and other vegetables, and renovating the henhouse, the quality of student lunches will be greatly enhanced and the overall health standard within the school will improve,” said Dr. Bunjongsek Supsopha, Marketing and Fundraising Group Director, World Vision Foundation of Thailand.
“With great support from BASF and WVFT, we are happy to see our school can provide a safer and more comfortable learning environment for our students. We hope our students will continuously use their creativity to make a bigger impact on the society with Ecobricks in the future,” said Chatmon Inthasorn, Director of Nikom Sang Ton Eng 10 School.
About BASF in Thailand
BASF has been present in Thailand for more than 50 years. With 632 employees in Thailand as of December 31, 2018, BASF offers a wide range of products and solutions to support almost all the key industries in the country, including agriculture, automotive, personal and home care, health and nutrition, construction, and packaging. BASF maintains a head office in Bangkok and operates three production sites around the country, as well as an automotive coatings and performance materials technical lab in Samutprakarn. In 2018, BASF posted sales of €514 million to customers in Thailand. Further information is available on the Internet at www.basf.com/th/.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.
