i-Tail Corporation and Thai Union Join Forces with Public and Private Sectors in Mangrove Cleanup on International Coastal Cleanup Day

Samut Sakhon – September 22, 2025 – i-Tail Corporation PCL and Thai Union Group PCL together organized a mangrove cleanup activity to mark International Coastal Cleanup Day at the Mahachai East Coast Natural Resources and Environment Conservation and Rehabilitation Learning and Practice Center in Khok Kham, Samut Sakhon, Thailand. This activity contributes to Thai Union’s wider SeaChange® 2030 goal of preventing 1,500 tons of ocean-bound plastic from entering waterways and oceans by 2030.

The activity brought together 200 participants, including employees from i-Tail Corporation PCL, Thai Union Group, and partners from Samut Sakhon City Development (Social Enterprise) Company Limited, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), the Khok Kham Subdistrict Administrative Organization, the Samut Sakhon Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office, the Samut Sakhon Provincial Cultural Office, and Wongpanit Ban Phaeo, a local recycling company. Volunteers from local communities, schools, and civic groups across Samut Sakhon also joined the effort. Together, participants collected 755 kilograms of waste, including plastic bottles and plastic bags, foam containers, glass bottles, and lightbulbs.

All waste was sorted and recorded by volunteers using the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) methodology, the global standard for marine debris data collection. Recyclable materials will be processed by Wongpanit Ban Phaeo, while non-recyclable waste will be converted into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) by relevant local authorities, with minimal impact on the environment.

“An estimated 200 million tons of plastic waste are already floating in our oceans, threatening marine life and coastal ecosystems,” said Jacques Boshoff, Strategic Foresight & Sustainability Director, i-Tail Corporation PCL. “But progress is possible – last year, under our Ocean Plastics Reduction commitment, Thai Union diverted 234 tons of plastic away from rivers and oceans. Today’s mangrove cleanup is another step forward, showing how employees, partners, and communities can make a tangible difference.”

This collaboration underscores i-Tail and Thai Union’s commitment to building a more resilient future and demonstrates how government, business, and civil society can work together to protect the ocean and marine ecosystems that sustain the economy and human well-being.