To ignite the transition toward a circular economy and sustainably reduce marine litter problems, the Marine Litter Prevention through Reduction, Sustainable Design and Recycling of Plastic Packaging (MA-RE-DESIGN) project, in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology at Chulalongkorn University, organised an academic seminar entitled ‘Green Innovators and the Transformation Journey: Adapting to Eco-Design Packaging’ on 12 June 2025, as part of Asia’s leading processing, manufacturing and packaging technology trade show, ProPak Asia 2025, at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC).

The seminar created an inspiring space for over 125 entrepreneurs, designers and sustainable packaging enthusiasts to learn through real-world experiences from the global stage. The event was honoured by international experts including Sarah Julie Otto from the Oeko-Institut in Germany and Chen Chin-Shan from the Plastics Industry Development Center in Taiwan. The seminar sparked conversations and brainstorming sessions among experts from government, industry, SMEs and start-ups to collectively analyse the success factors, barriers and opportunities in driving eco-design packaging to concrete implementation in Thailand.

‘Green Innovators and the Transformation Journey: Adapting to Eco-Design Packaging’ held on 12 June 2025 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC)

Following the first day, the MA-RE-DESIGN project organised an additional seminar on 13 June 2025, under the theme ‘Materials Innovation for a Sustainable Future’ at the Pathumwan Princess Hotel, Bangkok. This session focused on knowledge exchange in sustainable materials science between students and researchers from Chulalongkorn University and experts from industry and international specialists, with over 55 participants. The event featured distinguished speakers including Chen Chin-Shan from Taiwan, Associate Professor Tatiya Trongsatitkul, winner of the Excellent Eco-design Award from the Eco-design Sparking Innovation Award 2025, and Dr Thawatchai Tungkavet from Dow Thailand Group.

Chen Chin-Shan from the Plastics Industry Development Center, Taiwan, presenting ‘Materials Innovation for a Sustainable Future’ for students and researchers from Chulalongkorn University

The two-day seminar opened new perspectives on the role of sustainable materials innovations such as biopolymers, circular materials and recycled materials. These innovations are crucial for reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact in an era of limited resources. Participants learned through case studies from both domestic and international examples, including Thai research work focusing on carbon reduction, efficient resource utilisation and packaging design that truly addresses recycling and reusability. These approaches are in line with Thailand’s Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management 2018-2030, which aims to bring targeted plastic waste back into the circular economy.