HaadThip Strengthens Its Commitment to Sustainability: Commissions Cutting-Edge Glass Bottle Manufacturing Line at Punpin Plant, Celebrating 55 Years of Growth with Southern Communities

Surat Thani, November 28, 2027 – HaadThip Public Company Limited (HTC), the exclusive bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company in Thailand's 14 southern provinces, unveiled a state-of-the-art production facility at its Punpin plant in Surat Thani. The facility features a newly commissioned glass bottle production line built to Coca-Cola's global standards, integrating advanced, eco-friendly innovations. This milestone reinforces HaadThip's commitment to fostering business growth alongside sustainable development of the southern society for 55 years.

Founded in 1969, HaadThip has grown with a corporate philosophy focused on driving business success while fostering sustainable social development. Today, the company operates two bottling plants, Hat Yai and Punpin, employing over 2,000 people across 19 branches in 14 southern provinces.

Mr. John Benedetti, Senior Vice President – Supply Chain at HaadThip Public Company Limited, stated, "For 55 years, HaadThip has been the leader in the non-alcoholic beverage market in the south, continually enhancing our processes and production technologies with sustainability at the forefront. Our initiatives include optimizing water usage, adopting clean energy solutions, and most recently, launching a new glass bottle production line to promote sustainable packaging. This milestone underscores HaadThip’s unwavering commitment to building an environmentally responsible supply chain—delivering quality products, boosting the local economy, and minimizing our environmental impact to ensure a sustainable future for Southern Thailand."

Mr. Nuntivat Thamhatai, Vice President – Corporate Affairs and Communications at HaadThip Public Company Limited, remarked, "Southern Thailand is HaadThip's home. Beyond our commitment to sustainable business practices, we are dedicated to community development, growing alongside southern communities. We believe that true business success is intertwined with social and environmental responsibility. Every HaadThip employee takes pride in delivering refreshment and fostering the sustainable growth of our southern communities.”

World-Class Facility with Cutting-Edge Glass Bottle Line

The Punpin plant, spanning 315 rai (approximately 50.4 hectares), opened in 2013 to support business expansion and better serve consumers in the upper southern region. It now features six production lines built to Coca-Cola's global standards and has already been Halal-certified by the Central Islamic Council of Thailand.

The new state-of-the-art glass bottle line became operational in mid-November and is capable of producing up to 800 bottles per minute, handling both returnable and non-returnable glass bottles. Consequently, the glass bottle operations currently at the Hat Yai plant will be gradually moved to the Punpin plant, with the transition expected to be completed by the latter half of 2025. In addition to the new glass bottles, the crates have also been redesigned to enhance bottle protection and extend their lifespan, along with biodegradable paper labels.

This new glass bottle line is a key strategy for HaadThip, as returnable glass bottles hold significant growth potential, particularly in hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses in the south, where beverages are largely consumed on premise. This packaging type also offers HaadThip an advantage over its competitors and enhances long-term packaging cost management.

Sustainable Water Management

The Punpin plant is engineered for optimal water resource efficiency, incorporating processes that significantly reduce consumption and enable 100% recycling of water, which is then used exclusively in non-beverage production areas within the plant. Key features of this system include:

●     Reducing water usage in production: Targeting a reduction from the current 1.54 liters per production unit to 1.39 liters by 2030 through initiatives such as adjusting glass bottle rinsing nozzles, installing plate heat exchangers, and implementing an automatic car wash system using recycled water.

●     UF Recover Backwash Project: Implementing Ultrafiltration filters to enable the reuse of clean water, reducing water consumption by 44,513 cubic meters annually compared to the previous system in 2022, representing a 9% reduction in production water usage.

●     Stabilization Pond Wastewater Treatment System: A low-energy system covering 26 rai (4.16 hectares) utilizes anaerobic bacteria to decompose organic matter in wastewater, accommodating the plant's production capacity and meeting the Department of Industrial Works standards.

Addressing Climate Change

HaadThip is dedicated to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, focusing on reducing carbon emissions throughout the supply chain and efficiently utilizing clean energy. Key progress includes:

●     Increasing clean energy usage: Over 9,000 rooftop and floating solar panels have been installed at the Punpin plant, generating renewable energy equivalent to 19% of total energy consumption. This has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by around 3,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Further solar installations are planned, aiming to increase solar energy usage to 28% by the end of 2025.

●     Utilizing renewable energy: HaadThip currently uses 29 electric forklifts in the warehouse and 8 NGV-fueled transport vehicles. Besides, LPG-fueled boilers and a heat recovery system have been installed.

HaadThip conducts annual assessments of greenhouse gas emissions from its operations to improve performance and obtains Carbon Footprint certifications from the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. In 2024, the company sought certification for 83 product units.

Sustainable Packaging Initiatives

HaadThip is dedicated to sustainable packaging by leveraging technology to enhance packaging design, collecting used packaging for recycling, and collaborating with partners to promote circular packaging. Key initiatives include:

●     Developing packaging innovations to reduce volume and weight: Since 2019, HaadThip has reduced its usage of PET resin in packaging by 911 tons and aluminum by 404 tons, resulting in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by around 4,670 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The company aims to reduce plastic packaging weight by 800 tons by 2027. Recently, the weight of plastic used in carbonated soft drink bottle caps was reduced from 2.45 grams to 1.75 grams, a 28% decrease.

●     Increasing sustainable packaging: HaadThip is promoting the use of glass bottles to reduce plastic consumption and utilizing biodegradable paper labels. The company, in partnership with Coca-Cola Thailand, has also introduced 100% recycled PET (rPET) plastic (excluding labels and caps) in 1-liter bottles of Coca-Cola Original Taste and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.

●     Supporting packaging circularity: HaadThip collaborates with partners to collect used plastic bottles and aluminum cans for recycling and engages in campaigns like 'Coke Recycle Me with Trash Lucky' in Phuket and Songkhla. The company also organizes competitions showcasing products made from recycled materials and has partnered with Prince of Songkla University to promote handicrafts made from plastic bottle caps, raising awareness and encouraging consumer participation in waste reduction and separation.

HaadThip's tangible sustainability efforts have earned it a place on the Stock Exchange of Thailand's "SET ESG Ratings" list of sustainable stocks for the sixth consecutive year in 2026. It is one of only five listed companies with an AA rating in the Agriculture and Food Industry category. Additionally, the company also received a 5-star or "Excellent" corporate governance rating from the Thai Institute of Directors Association.

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