Waste (Metric Tonnes)

FY2021

A. Total waste generated

137,236

73,789

101,923

84,258

B. Total waste recycled/ reused

37,277

33,056

20,441

28,497

C. Total waste disposed

97,653

39,780

79,176

55,761

i. Waste Landfilled

93,768

38,902

74,322

53,748

2,501

342

2,139

826

1,384

536

120

47

0

0

2,595

1,140

0

0

0

0

Food loss & Waste (Metric Tonnes)

FY2019

FY2020

Target for FY2022

Total weight of all food loss & waste

18,610

13,268 

20,165 

Total weight of food loss & waste volume

used for alternative purpose

1,992 

2,020 

2,207

Total discarded 

16,618 

11,248 

17,958

Food loss & waste intensity (Per revenue)

0.19 

0.14 

0.22

Food waste  inventory assessment

• Through the increase prioritization of food loss and waste in recent years, BJC is committed to implement programs to measure food loss and waste, in line with the BJC Food Loss and Food Waste Management Policy, developed by the centralized Sustainability and Risk Management Department, applicable to all relevant employees. At present, food loss and waste, are measured through Big C’s monthly inventory assessment of shrinkage and loss.

Production level

Mapping Food Waste Flows at BJF

• At present food loss and waste from snack production assessed at Berli Jucker Foods Limited (BJF), through waste flow analysis tool, which allows BJF to measure and identify food waste hotspots. Assessment results enabled BJF to developed appropriate initiatives to reduce food waste from the processing stage.

The yellow label

• Big C is responsible for the management of surplus food products that are approaching to their expiration dates but can still be consumed safely and nutritiously. These products include ready-to-eat meals and bakery goods. Products with yellow labels have been marked down in price in an attempt to draw the attention of consumers and to raise the possibility of selling any remaining surplus food products.

Value-added dishes                                                         

• Fresh foods such as meat, vegetables, and fruits are brought to Big C's kitchens for the purpose of processing and/or cooking food for sale in the store. This process not only adds value to the product but also extends the shelf life of food and reduces the number of food surplus. 

Animal feed                                                                      

• Food waste is the most significant type of waste within the consumer supply chain, generated from manufacturing processes, damaged products and unsold product. To remediate this waste, while ensuring the health and safety of consumers,Berli Jucker Food (BJF) and Thai Glass Industries (TGI) sell food loss and waste from their respective manufacturing processes and canteens to suppliers for use in animal feed production.

Fertilizer from food waste

• BJC's headquarters is working on a project to convert food waste from employees' food courts and other office areas into fertilizer, which will be used for planting in the headquarters and community.
• TBC and BJF also implemented a project to process API Sludge from water treatment into high quality organic fertilizers utilized in on-side gardens.

Biodiesel from waste cooking oil

• In 2022, Berli Jucker Food (BJF) collects used cooking oil from their potato chip frying process to sell to suppliers for use as source to produce biodiesel.

BJC Big C X Thai SOS (Scholars of Sustenance Foundation)     

• Following the success of the collaboration with the Thai Scholar of Sustenance Thailand (Thai SOS) from previous years, in 2022, BJC continued to collaborate with Thai SOS to donate unsold food and food related products for needed communities and schools nationwide. Today, 21 Big C branch actively participated in the initiative, enabling the collection and donation of over 33,485 kg of unsold food, resulted in the reduction of 84,717 kg co2e GHG emissions in 2022. Customers can also participate in the collaboration through sharing food-related idea, such as recipes to utilize unsold food products to create delicious menu for communities.

Food Waste Management Collaboration                        

• To support the Circular Economy, BJC has prioritized initiating projects that promote the responsible consumption and production of food, food-related products, and food-related services in order to reduce food loss and waste across the value chain. In 2022, BJC collaborated with external experts to launch a Food Waste Management Project, aiming to reduce the amount of food-related waste going to landfills, with the intention of applying it to all Big C stores across the nation. In preparation for the initiative, BJC has revisited and revised Big C stores' existing food waste management processes. The revision included further classification to separate food waste into fresh-cut and cooked foods, enabling for an accurate daily weight measurement of food waste.

► The Project comprises of the two phases outlined below.

Phase 1: Collaboration

• BJC cooperated with partners with experience in food waste management, such as academic institutions and social enterprises, in the first phase of the project. There have been discussions on the management and utilization of supermarket food waste at Big C stores.
• Conducted workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions on food waste management and identified new business models. 
• Participating departments and business units are anticipated, with the objective of identifying the most effective and efficient food waste management solutions to implement.

Phase 2: Utilization

• Separated food waste is stored in an acceptable manner until collection and transport.
• Partners such as academic institutions and their respective network of farmers collect food waste from certain Big C stores in order to transform it into nutrient-rich animal feed and soil conditioners.
• The quantity of food waste diverted from landfills, where it generates damaging GHG emissions, is a measure of the environmental implications of food waste sent to landfills.

Total Weight

 (Metric tonnes) 

 Recycled and/or Certified Material 

(% of Total weight)

Taget 2022

 (% of Total weight) 

Total weight of all plastic packaging

Percentage of recyclable plastic packaging 

Percentage of recycled content within plastic packaging 

Hygiene Refill Station Store

• First Implemented in October 2021 at the Big C Hypermarket (Mega Bangna), the ‘Hygiene Refill Station Store’ is a collaboration between Big C and IP One Trading Ltd. The initiative aims to change consumer behavior and consumption of single-use plastics and to increase the use of reusable packaging fostering and contributing toward the nation’s transition to a circular economy by encouraging consumers to refill their used Hygiene fabric softener bottles in store, instead of buying new bottles. Doing so reduces the use of single use plastics, as plastic bottles are reused by consumers.
• In 2022, following the success of the Sustainable Packaging Initiatives refill station at the Big C Hypermarket (Mega Bangna), BJC has since expanded the refill station to a total of 13 stations across 9 stores including, Saphan Kwai, Petchkasem, Rangsit 1, On Nut, Rama 4, Tiwanon, Bang Yai, Ladprao 2, and Big C Mega Bangna. This resulted in an increase of 4,653 new customers, a 137% increase from FY2021, with the one refill station.

Refill Box by Cellox 

• The ‘Refill Box’ by CPC was first initiated in 2021, a 170 grams (140 sheets) refillable tissue box, designed to be a sustainable alternative to the traditional tissue box, where customers dispose the whole box after used. Instead, the refill box is refillable through the removable sides, allowing customers to refill tissues without the need to dispose the paper box, increasing the use of reusable packaging and therefore minimizing paper waste and costs for customers. In 2022, refill box generated a total of 12-million-baht, accounting for 1.64% of all sales, a 12 million increase from previous years.

• In 2022, Berli Jucker Logistics (BJL) replaced the use of unsustainable packaging materials such as Styrofoam boxes, foam sheets and plastic bags for ice chips in temperature-controlled drug transportation with reusable recyclable materials such as Cooler boxes, plastic partitions and gel packs.

Anti-fungal coating development project of parrot brand to be 100% recyclable packaging

• In 2022, Rubia Industries Ltd. (RIL) changed the shrink film used for the Parrot bathing cream's packaging from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) to POF (Polyolefin) to make it more environmentally friendly. POF is different from other types of plastics like PVC, free from toxic chemicals, and entirely recyclable. This allows it to be reused or repurposed, reducing the amount of waste that needs to be buried in landfills. Moreover, RIL also used alternative materials in the packaging of their Parrot bathing cream, DMP liquid soap, and Parrot cold powder by incorporating substances that can replace plastic. This change enables the bottles to be recycled, As a result, RIL reducing PVC plastic usage by approximately 5 tons per year and overall plastic usage by around 40 tons per year.

Goodbye Plastic Bag

• Following Big C’s announcement to stop giving out single-use plastic bags from January 1, 2020, the ‘Goodbye Plastic Bag’ project is utilized with the aim to transition the Thai consumers behavior away from single-used plastics and instead encourage consumer to bring their own reusable bags from home, fostering a more sustainable economy. Consumers without a reusable bag can,

1. Redeem 2,000 Big card points for a reusable bag for free in-store
2. Big card customers who refuse to accept single-use bags will be awarded with 200 points
3. Big C has designated a ‘Green Lane’ for customers refusing single-use plastic bags, increasing shopping efficiency at checkouts.

Resize - Packaging Design Project

• Berli Jucker Foods (BJF) initiated the Packaging Resizing Project, aimed at reducing the width of the packaging pouches for their snacks. This reduction helps to minimize the usage of Metalized Foil and Single-use plastic packaging, which are materials that are difficult to biodegrade. As a result, BJF has successfully reduced the amount of hard-to-biodegrade materials by 8.5%, equivalent to 86 tons per year. This initiative showcases BJF's commitment to sustainability and minimizing their environmental footprint.

Redesign - Packaging with Carry Handle 

• In 2022, BJC Cellox (CPC) initiated "Handle bag project" to reduce the usage of single-use plastic handle bag. The project involved attaching paper handles to the sides of the tissue paper packaging, allowing customers to carry the products home without the need for single-use plastic (handle bag). As a result, eliminates the necessity of using plastic bags for the handle bag, contributing to a significant reduction in single-use plastic (handle bag) waste.

Bag for Life

• As a collaboration between Big C and the King Corporation Group Co., Ltd., the “Bag for Life” initiative continued to be utilized to increase the use of recycled materials as a packaging solution throughout 2022. The Bag of Life plastic bags are produced from 80% recycle plastic pellets, with a thickness of 80 micros, strengthening the bag for reuse and recycle. The bags are available for sale at Big C at 3.5 baht for medium-size bags, and 5 baht for large-size bags. Since 2021, the initiative has saved over 10 million single-use plastic bags.

Plastic bag from recycled plastic

• Berli Jucker Foods (BJF) has a concept to transform its packaging materials to utilize recycled materials in order to reduce waste in the industrial sector and maximize resource efficiency. They have made a switch from using virgin plastic, specifically PP (Polypropylene) bags, to recycled PP bags. This change resulted in a significant amount of recycled PP bags being used between January and November of 2022, totaling 281.08 tons. This accounts for approximately 50% of the total plastic usage during that period.

Use HDPE to Soap packaging

• In 2022, Rubia Industries Ltd. (RIL) incorporated Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic as a component in the packaging bottles of their Parrot Hyaluronic bathing cream. This initiative allowed to reduce the amount of virgin HDPE plastic usage by approximately 1.6 tons per year. Additionally, RIL utilized packaging boxes made from 100% recycled paper, enabling them to increase the usage of recycled paper material by up to 1,000 tons per year.

• Glass Thailand (GTH) implemented use of plastic pallets for packaging and transporting goods. These plastic pallets are of two types: 100% recycled PP (Polypropylene) and recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE), utilizing these recycled plastic pallets, demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and reducing environmental impact in the packaging and logistics processes.

P’ Mee Biggie Chuan Recycle (Brother Bear Biggie invites Recycling)

• More than 190 large-scale Big C branches nationwide are open as drop points for depositing recycled materials, plastic bottles and aluminum cans, which to be passed into the right processing process. For 2022, In collaboration with Resources management for Sustainability (3R) Foundation and Prostheses Foundation of HRH the Princess Mother;
• 2,046 kilograms of plastic bottles collected, accounted for 2,119.1 kilograms of carbon dioxide.
• 117.3 kilograms of aluminum collected, accounted for 1,070.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

Green Roof with Tetra Pak                                                                 

• In 2022, Big C provided additional beverage cartons collection points, spanning across 146 branches nationwide, enabling the collection of over 37,610 kg cartons, recycled into 1,880 sheets of corrugated roofing sheets (green roof sheets). This is the collaboration project between BigC, Friends in Need, and Tetra Pak since 2010, the Green Roof project is a critical project to shelter communities affected by natural disasters, through the collection, reuse and recycle of beverage cartons, processed into corrugated roofing sheets, which are donated to the “Phuen Pung Dai” Princess Pa Foundation (part of the Thai Red Cross Society) to build shelters and homes for victims of natural disasters, throughout Thailand.