IRPC Public Company Limited

2018

Top Community Care Companies In Asia

IRPC Public Company Limited

Top Community Care Companies In Asia

2018

IRPC Public Company Limited

Fantastic Plastic

How plastic polymers are changing lives in rural Thailand.

IRPC Public Company Limited (IRPC) is a petro-chemical company based in Rayong, Thailand. It provides petroleum and petrochemical products to Thailand and other Asian countries, and generates/distributes power, industrial water, and air systems. Formerly known as Thai Petrochemical Industry Public Company Limited, it has changed its name to IRPC Public Company Limited since October 2006.

IRPC has a dedicated department on Sustainability Management to strategise and manage the corporate sustainability of economic, social, environmental, and corporate governance. As a good corporate citizen, IRPC is actively committed to supporting community services and developing sustainable quality of life, to which employees are encouraged to contribute their time and expertise. In 2017, 1,859 employees participated in CSR activities, which amounted to a total of 17,447 hours.

IRPC determines the criteria in selection CSR projects with a consultant; and applies the best practice (in line with standards) to create the balance between its beneficial impact to society, community, stakeholders and company.

IRPC has led many CSR projects in specific areas such as educational development, livelihood enhancement, environmental conservation, and product development for the health and safety of their customers. The Health Promotion Fund was established in 2011 to provide communities surrounding IRPC Eco Industrial Zone free health care services. In 2017, the Pan Nam Jai Clinic served 4,238 patients and a Mobile Clinic unit attends to patients with musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and respiratory tract disorders.

In 2017, a total of 310 scholarships were awarded to youths from primary to university levels, in Rayong province. A school was set up for senior citizens at Rayong province, to provide them up to date, and mentally stimulated with courses and learning activities to give them purpose and keep them physically and mentally active.

IRPC partners with the Prostheses Foundation of HRH The Princess Mother in helping the disabled regain mobility and livelihood, by developing and supplying a special plastic polymer for the production of prosthetic limbs. IRPC contributes and average of 20-25 tons of this raw material annually. This initiative has benefited many disabled from all races and religions and restored their quality of life. From 2011, 13,374 pieces of prostheses have been produced for 11,487 patients from 115 tons of polymer. Another achievement by IRPC is the production of plastics polymers that can be used to make transparent prosthetic limbs, which allows doctors to observe patients for any side effects more effectively. In the pipeline, IRPC will be applying the newly developed UHMW-PE polymer, a durable and lightweight material to create knee replacement for children and prostheses components.

The Lam Sai Yong Model is another community project by IRPC that addresses the problem of water scarcity during the drought season, and the challenges faced by the farming community. Phase I of this project was initiated in 2014, with the collaboration with the Foundation for Education and Public Welfare. Five reservoirs were dredged in Northeastern Thailand, supplying running tap water to households. This initiative helped increase water storage by 100,000 m3, increased crop yield and created additional income at the average of 30,000 baht (910 USD) per year per household.

Phase II of the Lam Sai Yong project commenced in 2016 with IRPC’s volunteer civil and electrical engineers conducting a field survey to connect a new plastic pipeline (an IRPC product) from the region to a new reservoir located 1.2 km away. A solar-powered water pump was also installed for the community, which help increase the availability of water from three to ten communities throughout the sub-district. The project was successfully completed in January 2017.

In the year 2017, IRPC had been cooperated with the Governor of Sisaket Province, located in Northeastern Thailand, in selecting the areas for implementing the Project Phase III which was completed and delivered to the community in August 2018. Such project will enable IRPC in summarizing the knowledge and budget management in the implementation of the drought resilient program of the private sector following such model successfully. It will be publicized to the public or the community as a model to cooperate with private companies in solving the drought problem of the country.