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Bangkok – 25 February 2026: Marking the first-ever collaboration of three industry leaders, Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, or TKN, a manufacturer of seaweed snacks distributed domestically and internationally, SCG Chemicals, or SCGC, a leading integrated polymer and solutions provider for sustainability, and Dow Thailand Group, or Dow, a global leader in materials science, have jointly announced the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revolutionize the snack industry through the “Food-Grade Circular Packaging by Advanced Recycling Technology” project. This initiative aims to sustainably address plastic waste challenges under the concept of closed-loop recycling. This collaboration entails utilizing multi-layer packaging waste from the production processes of Taokaenoi, which was previously difficult to recycle. This waste will be processed using the advanced recycling technology of SCGC and converted back into circular feedstock. Following this, Dow will utilize the feedstock to produce new, clean, and food-grade plastic resins. These resins will then be safely used to manufacture food packaging for the Taokaenoi brand once again. It is anticipated that the packaging will be ready for commercial distribution by the end of 2026. Ms. Orrapat Peeradechapan, Chief Executive Officer of Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, said, “Taokaenoi is committed to creating happiness for consumers through high-quality snacks, alongside prioritizing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles by emphasizing sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. This collaboration represents a significant milestone that transforms the ‘challenge’ of hard-to-recycle packaging into an ‘opportunity’ to establish a practical circular economy. It is not merely about waste disposal, but rather about creating new value from used plastic. We do not only deliver great-tasting products, but we also aim to deliver a better world to consumers through eco-friendly packaging innovations that are clean, safe, and tangibly reduce environmental impacts. This will drive our business to grow alongside genuine sustainability.” Dr. Suracha Udomsak, Chief Operations and Innovation Officer of SCGC, said, “This collaboration reflects the capability of SCGC in utilizing advanced recycling technology to manage plastic packaging composed of multiple materials, which is difficult to recycle, and converting it back into circular feedstock. This feedstock can be used to produce new plastic resins (Certified Circular Polyolefin Resin), which possess properties and quality entirely equivalent to standard virgin plastic resins in all respects and are safe for direct food contact. As a result, the materials can be reused to manufacture food packaging for Taokaenoi. In addition, our process has achieved the globally recognized sustainability certification, ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification), throughout the entire supply chain, making SCGC the first company in ASEAN to achieve such certification. This partnership is considered a crucial step in driving SCGC’s goal of reintegrating used plastic into the circular economy system at a volume of 500,000 tons per year by 2030, through collaborations with business partners across the entire value chain.” Meanwhile, Mr. Vichan Tangkengsirisin, President of Dow Thailand, added, “As a materials science leader, Dow is proud to support this collaboration in Thailand by applying our technology to produce circular plastic resins from used flexible packaging feedstock with performance equivalent to fossil-based plastics. Dow Thailand Group’s polyethylene facility in Rayong is ISCC PLUS certified for its capability of converting advanced recycled feedstock into high quality, food grade circular resins. This initiative represents an important step toward closing the plastics loop in Thailand and advancing Dow’s sustainability ambition to transform the waste through collaboration with customers and value chain partners.” This collaboration serves as a model for the comprehensive management of used multi-layer plastic packaging. It reduces the accumulation of plastic waste in the country and decreases the consumption of new resources. This aligns with the sustainability goals of Taokaenoi, SCGC, and Dow, reinforcing the role of the business sector in tangibly driving the circular economy to build a sustainable future together.
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Japanese food and drink container makers bet on Southeast Asia

Japanese companies are stepping up their business in Southeast Asia to cash in on the region’s growth. This time they are pouring investment into food and beverage containers. Show Denko will invest 7 billion yen ($63.9million) to boost its aluminum can produciton capacity in Vietnam, while Hokkan Holdings has started manufacturing and selling beverage containers in Indonesia through a joint venture with a local maker.

The Southeast Asian food market is expanding. Annual processed food sales in six major countries are projected to surge to $92.1 billion in 2023, according to U.K. research company Euromonitor. That is about 30% more than in 2017. That means demand for cans and cup containers, which make for easy storage, is also picking up. Japanese materials makers are looking to benefit by establishing local production and sales footholds.

Showa Denko will build its third can-manufacturing plant in Vietnam in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau through its subsidiary, Showa Aluminum Can. The new plant will have an annual production capacity of 1.3 billion cans, and is scheduled to go online in July 2020. It will lift Showa Denko’s total manufacturing capacity in Vietnam to 3.1 billion units annually. The company will supply aluminum cans primarily to beer makers. Brewers are shifting to cans from bottles in Vietnam, largely because they are easy to carry and store in refrigerators.

Showa Denko will also add a new can lid production line to its existing plant in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Ninh. It will increase annual lid production capacity by 1.1 billion units to 3.3 billion units. The company will consider further expanding its facilities in Vietnam. Showa Denko’s current midterm management plan sees the overseas expansion of the aluminum can business as a key area of growth.

In Thailand, an aluminum can manufacturing plant built as a joint venture between Showa Denko and local beverage maker Carabao Group started operation in December 2018. The Thai plant has an annual production capacity of about 1 billion cans. It produces aluminum cans for the Thai partner company’s beverage products.

In Indonesia, Hokkan Holdings established a joint venture with beverage container maker Deltapack Industri, or DPI, in December 2018. The new company acquired DPI’s assets, such as factories and trademarks, for about 9.5 billion yen and started operation in April 2019. It makes plastic bottles and cup containers for sale to local beverage makers and other customers. Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous country with over 200 million people. Hokkan Holdings considers it an important market.

Toyo Seikan Group Holdings upgraded its office in Singapore to expand its container business in Asia, and it has sent several staff members there from its headquarters in Japan. The Singapore branch serves as Toyo Seikan’s base for market research and business development in the region.

Container demand looks set to grow only at a sluggish pace in Japan as the population shrinks and ages. Japanese manufacturers have to expand their presence in the promising Southeast Asian market to survive.

Source: Nikkei Asia Review