Other Release

Bangkok – Thailand – 12 January 2020 – Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global chemical producer, together with 101 True Digital Park, Bangkok Hospital, BITEC, Esplanade Cineplex Ngamwongwan-Khae Rai, Major Cineplex, Michelin Thailand, Panyapiwat Institute of Management, Trash Lucky and Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, are supporting the production of PPE coveralls made from recycled PET yarns. The project is called the "Separate PET Bottles to Help Dentists", led by Less Plastics Thailand. With the collaboration of these nine partners, PET bottles have been collected for recycling and conversion to high-quality recycled PET yarns by Thailand’s sole source of medical-grade rPET yarns at IVL's Nakhon Pathom recycling plant. These yarns were used to produce 2,100 PPE coveralls handed over to the Dental Council of Thailand in support of dental students, who are driving this environmental project at their universities.

This collaboration has been extended from the “Separate PET Bottles to Help Doctors” Program, which has been successfully conducted since August 2020. It was the Thailand’s first ever PPE coverall made from yarn recycled from post-consumer PET bottles, with 100% collected domestically. 16,500 Level 2 and Level 3 PPE coveralls have been donated to more than 200 hospitals across the country to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic together.

Ms. Samornmit Lamsam, the founder of Less Plastic Thailand, an environmental conservation network, said, "There has been a great response to the 'Separate PET Bottles to Help Doctors' project, carried out over the past half-year. We witnessed the benefits of recycling PET bottles and realized that there are other groups of medical personnel who require PPE as they conduct their duties, not just doctors. Therefore, the project has been extended to help the dentists through the Dental Council of Thailand, which received cooperation from partners, from the collection of post-consumer PET bottles to the completion of the PPE coveralls handed over to dental students."

Mr. Yash Lohia, Chief Sustainability Officer at Indorama Ventures, said, "IVL is delighted to see such strong leadership among our partner organizations. With more advocates and focus on separating PET bottles from day-to-day packaging, we were able to utilize our extensive know-how of the PET recycling business to develop yarn for PPE coveralls made of 100% IVL rPET yarns for the first time in Thailand, without the need to import from abroad. As the sole manufacturer of yarns for PPE made from recycled PET bottles in Thailand, we are proud to acknowledge that they are being used for the benefit of the medical profession across the country. This reflects the benefits of plastic as a hygienic and recyclable material, which brings more value to society and maximizes our resource consumption to follow a truly circular economy."

The “Separate PET Bottles to Help Dentists” project handed over PPE coveralls to the Dental Council of Thailand in December 2020. The Level 2 PPE coveralls are made of 100% recycled polyester yarns and have a double layer for better protection. They are also coated to be water-repellent and have hydrostatic pressure properties with a resistance to infiltration by blood and viruses. This type of coverall will be used during the treatment of low-risk and medium-risk patients. The Level 2 PPE coveralls have been tailored by a producer certified by Thailand's Food and Drug Administration. They are reusable and washable up to 20 times. One coverall is made from around 18 standard 600 milliliter PET bottles.