MVP plans JV for consultancy on business sustainability

The goal is for the joint venture to develop a master plan for sustainability development for business organisations based in the Asean Economic Community, said Dr Punyapon Tepprasit, chief executive officer of MVP Consultant, a five-year old Thai-based consulting agency.
An international branch of the joint venture will be set up in Singapore to be in charge of clients and developing business in international markets.
The plans tie in with the European Union’s strategic initiative, “EU Strategy 2020”, which promotes sustainable growth and environment-friendliness, he said.
“The sustainability-development [SD] concept is coming, and will be in use in accordance with the law. Businesses have to change and follow the SD concept. You’ll need to accept new change if you wish to survive under new rules,” Punyapon said.
“EU Strategy 2020” is aimed at building a more competitive low-carbon economy and environmental protection. It will allow Europe to achieve leadership in the development of new green technology and an efficient smart electricity grid.
The move will harness EU-scale networking and improve the business environment for SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] and enhance greater choice for consumers, he explained.
A large portion of Asean countries’ income is from exports, mainly to developed markets, especially in the automobile, electrical products, jewellery, and fruit and vegetable sectors, the CEO said, adding that major export markets included the EU, the US, Japan, China and Australia.
 Meanwhile, about 60 per cent of Thailand’s gross domestic product is from the export sector.
“We [the business community] need to draw up a new vision so that they will sustain their business in the long term, for the next century. To achieve this, three major elements must be at the core: social friendliness, business transparency, and a zero-discharge environment, with re-use and recycling,” Punyapon said.
The aviation industry will be among the first sectors impacted by “EU Strategy 2020”, as it is seen as a non-tariff barrier often standing in the way of imported goods from Asean and other export markets around the world.
Moreover, airlines which release carbon emissions into the environment will be charged for being major contributors to the greenhouse effect, with the funds raised going towards the management of greenhouse-gas problems, he added.
Punyapon said MVP Consultant was also dealing with a property company, which plans to develop an ecology industrial park on 1,000 rai (160 hectares) near Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Products will be made and distributed at the estate under strict sustainability criteria, so that they can be exported to all markets, he stressed.