On 25 August 2022, Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Director – General of the Department of Information and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, moderated the APEC SOM3 Informal Media Roundtable on “Revitalising Sustainable Economic Growth through BCG” with international, national and local media, private and public sector representatives in Chiang Mai.

Mr. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Director – General of the Department of International Economic Affairs and Thailand’s APEC Senior Official, shared updates and progress, as well as insights on Thailand’s deliverables for its APEC host year, including the significance of the “Bangkok Goals on BCG Economy” for the APEC region, within the context of the unique challenges currently faced in this post-COVID-19.

Mr. Phoomson Pradaphon, BSE Assistant Manager, Siam Cement Group (SCG), illustrated the practical benefits of BCG Economy Model implementation with a concrete example of a project where SCG partnered with local communities on promoting circular practices based on the reduction of the burning of forests and agricultural waste. While Mr. Nakarin Yano, Founder and Designer of YANO, a small business owner working with communities in the textile business, shared his experiences in empowering local craftspeople towards sustainable fair trade, including environmentally-friendly practices inspired by the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Akhmad Bayhaqi, Senior Analyst, APEC Secretariat, underlined the importance of supply chain practices in achieving the BCG Economy, and mainstreaming BCG into the operations of large corporations.

Through a lively exchange of views, the Roundtable highlighted the critical role of the private sector in implementation beyond the adoption of the Bangkok Goals. From the perspective of small businesses, this would be possible only if the public sector raises awareness of BCG implementation methods, practices and guidelines for small businesses. Noting the climate change crisis, all agreed that business and community mindsets must switch to viewing BCG as an investment for a more resilient and sustainable future.