26 August,2022 (Bangkok), Mr. Daniel Ross, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Sustainability at BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited (BTSG), stated at “Asia Pacific Business Forum (APBF) 2022: Toward an Asia-Pacific Green Deal for Business” that BTSG is determined to cooperate with all sectors in driving environmental action in line with Thailand’s participation in the Paris Agreement, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change initiative to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reach net zero by 2065.

Mr. Daniel said that “BTSG operates the world's first and only mass transit rail company certified as carbon neutral. Since its inauguration, BTS SkyTrain has has allowed mass transit in Thailand to avoid an equivalent of 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions . The company remains committed to improving its energy efficiency by finding alternative energy sources and having at least 10% of energy for its operations be from renewable sources,even carrying out a feasibility study on Solar PV Rooftops its Pink and Yellow Line Monorail depots. For the construction of our railway extensions and other projects , we prioritized environmentally friendly policies, such as reducing PM2.5 pollution from construction, and noise pollution .”

Mr. Daniel noted that “operating in accordance with sustainable development principles is challenging both in terms of time and cost, making it crucial to build cooperation among all sectors. The government sector faces the added challenge of having to set regulations and policies regarding green infrastructure and enhancing the role of entrepreneurs towards greater responsibility. Most important however, is public cooperation, people need to realize the importance of mitigating environmental impact and helping to reduce CO2 emissions.”

Mr. Daniel also presented four of his suggestions for national and international collaborations toward sustainability: 1) Increased support for Renewable Energy Supply & Utilisation in the region; 2)Incentives for operators to mitigat their environmental improve their businesses for greater eco-friendliness, e.g., benefits for organizations witheco-friendly policies or activities; 3) Exchanges of eco-friendly operation knowledge and technology at the regional level; and 4) Establishment of networks insupport of eco-friendly development partnerships and joint operations for sustainability.

The Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) has been held annually since 2004. This year, APBF 2022 was held on 26 August, 2022 at the ESCAP Hall of the, United Nations Conference Centre in, Bangkok, and online in cooperation with the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN), state agencies, business organizations, civil societies and over 300 academics from across the region. The forum facilitated exchanges on management, recommendations and innovative concepts aimed at environmentally-friendly and sustainable developments for business operations in the Asia-Pacific.