Suntory Beverage & Food (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has expanded its “Poa Rak Nam” Community Forest Restoration Project into its third year by broadening activities into urban green spaces at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok. The initiative brought together government agencies, private partners, and community members to support urban water resource management, climate resilience, and public well-being in alignment with the environmental policies of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
Cross-Sector Partnership for Urban Ecosystem Restoration
The expansion at Benjakitti Park gathered more than 80 on-site participants, including over 60 Suntory executives and employee volunteers alongside representatives from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), its Environment Department, the Environmental Education Centre (EEC), and students and teachers from the Khlong Toei community. As part of its social contribution efforts, Suntory also provided a drinking water cooler to Soonruamnamjai School under the Khlong Toei District Office to improve clean water access and hygiene for local students and staff.
“The ‘Poa Rak Nam’ Community Forest Restoration Project reflects Suntory’s core values of ‘Growing for Good’ and ‘Giving Back to Society,’ which reflect our commitment to operating responsibly and creating positive impact for the environment and communities,” said Mr. Omer Malik, Chief Executive Officer, Thailand and Indochina, Suntory Beverage & Food (Thailand) Co., Ltd. “Building on two years of community forest restoration, Suntory has expanded the project into ‘urban green spaces’ to create a broader positive impact and demonstrate that the conservation of forests, water, and the environment must be addressed holistically across the ecosystem. For Suntory, true success is not measured by the number of trees planted, but by fostering collaboration, inspiration, and continued engagement in caring for forests, water, and the environment for future generations.”
Miss Sasiwan Wongsiriprasert, Director of Arboriculture and Urban Landscape Division, Green Area Management Office, Environment Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), highlighted the value of public-private cooperation: “As part of the Environment Department of BMA, we place great importance on developing and restoring green spaces alongside strengthening urban ecosystems to enhance people’s quality of life and build resilience to climate change. The third year of the ‘Poa Rak Nam’ Community Forest Restoration Project clearly demonstrates how the public sector, private sector, and local communities can work together to protect and enhance urban green spaces for the long-term benefit of the environment and the public.”
Hands-On Learning Modules and Program Background
Educational activities during the event were developed in partnership with the Environmental Education Centre (EEC) through three distinct practical modules: “Understanding the Value of Water,” which focused on the conservation of water resources; “Nurturing Soil, Caring for Trees,” which centered on soil quality and arboricultural care; and “Growing Seedlings, Creating Green Spaces,” which supported urban ecosystem health and soil conservation.
“Hands-on learning is key to building environmental awareness and understanding of water resources,” stated Mr. Alexander Simon Rendell, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Education Centre (EEC). “These activities allow participants to understand the interconnectedness of water, soil, trees, and green spaces, while fostering environmental responsibility through hands-on experience. The initiative aims to inspire youth and volunteers to apply the knowledge they gain in their daily lives and organizations, and to extend its impact across society in a sustainable way.”
Originally launched in 2024, the Poa Rak Nam initiative initially operated near Suntory’s manufacturing facilities in Chonburi Province to restore upstream community forests. Over its first two years, nearly 200 participants—including employees, students, educators, and local officials—engaged in forest restoration work before the program expanded to address urban wetlands and metropolitan green spaces in 2026.
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