​​​​​A decade of providing shelter through recycling

​​The project takes used cartons and recycles them into corrugated roofing sheets for the Princess Pa Foundation (part of the Thai Red Cross Society) to use when constructing homes and shelters for victims of floods and natural disasters – the first time cartons have been recycled in this way in Thailand.  To date, around 225 million used cartons have been recycled and more than 65,000 roof sheets have been installed in over 20 provinces.

 The project was inspired by earlier recycling campaigns, which delivered classroom sets and notebooks made from cartons to schools across Thailand. It was clear from the response that there was potential for a more ambitious public participation recycling project – and so Green Roof was born. First launched in 2010, initially for a three-year period, it has proved so successful that it has been extended again and again.

 Tetra Pak initiated the campaign and established partnerships with all the organisations involved. As well as the Princess Pa Foundation, we work with hypermarket chain Big C Supercenter, one of Thailand's biggest retailers, which promotes the campaign in store and provides carton drop-off points for consumers at all its outlets. Other partners include the TV 360 media company, the Beverage Carton Recycling Center by Fiber Pattana, and the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

 The campaign has more than 57,000 followers on Facebook, and there is a network of around 2,500 Green Roof volunteers nationwide who take part in collecting used cartons and promoting carton recycling in their communities, schools and offices.

The project is now in its fourth stage, which began in July 2019 and will last until June 2022, and continues to grow and develop. New collection points are being opened to manage the ever-growing amount of donated cartons, and new roadshows are planned to generate even greater awareness.