This program complements the Environmental Partnership's cleanup efforts, which were launched in 2023. The goal is to reduce the amount of waste entering the Chao Phraya River side channels and establish a stable waste treatment infrastructure around the Thai capital.
“Education is the key to life,” says Sebastian Rudolph, Chairman of the Board of the Ferry Porsche Foundation. “Through this program, students engage seriously with the environmental impact of carelessly disposed waste. They also learn about the value of recyclable materials, which contribute to a sustainable and clean future. This will help strengthen environmental awareness.
learn from practice
What is the approach of this educational strategy? Learn from practice. Shortly after the project began, school classes took part in a cleanup campaign along the Pasir Charoen Canal. The canal flows into the Chao Phraya River, which flows into the Gulf of Thailand 35 kilometers west of Bangkok. Approximately 385 tons of waste enters the ocean through rivers every year.
Back in the classroom, students set up their own recycling system for their school. In this playful way, young people learn about the waste cycle and the dangers of discarded plastic. This not only encourages entrepreneurship but also makes the school environment a cleaner place. TerraCycle Global Foundation, a local non-governmental organization, will support this process for a year and mentor student teams and teachers.
Currently participating: Bentley Environmental Foundation
Since last year, the Ferry Porsche Foundation has been working with the Audi Environmental Foundation and Everwave on sustainable structures for waste prevention and recycling in Bangkok. The trio will be strengthened this year by the newly established Bentley Environmental Foundation. Through their initiative, the project partners hope to draw attention to the fact that rivers act as “plastic highways”. This means that carelessly discarded waste is blown into the water and eventually ends up in the open sea.
In addition to programs for schools, the Environmental Partnership continues to support the use of the smart waste collection boat CollectiX and the construction of new waste separation facilities. Everwave uses drones, cameras, and artificial intelligence to track and collect concentrated trash. The goal is to remove up to 20 tons of trash from the water every month. TerraCycle Global Foundation employees separate and process the waste.
“Last year, 66,000 kilograms of waste were removed from the water,” reports Everwave CEO Clemens Feigl. In addition, four full-time jobs were created locally and six barriers were installed on the canal to stop the flow of trash. Feigl: “If all goes well, in 10 to 20 years the Chao Phraya River and its ditches will be clean.”
About Everwave
Everwave is committed to cleaning the environment. Waste collection vessels prevent waste from flowing into the ocean. Artificial intelligence assists in these cleaning missions by detecting and analyzing waste. The collected material will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner, while at the same time increasing public awareness of environmental issues. The startup is active in Bosnia, Thailand, and Cambodia, promoting clean water in these and other countries. To date, Everwave has already collected over 1.4 million kg of waste from rivers.
About the Audi Environmental Foundation
The Audi Environmental Foundation GmbH actively supports new technologies and scientific methods for a more livable future. The Foundation's goal is to contribute to environmental protection and to create and promote sustainable ways of acting. The Foundation particularly focuses on the promotion and development of environmentally friendly technologies, environmental education measures and the protection of natural life resources of people, animals and plants. The company was founded in 2009 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AUDI AG as part of its commitment to social and environmental issues.
About Bentley Environmental Foundation
Founded in 2023, the Bentley Environmental Foundation is committed to one of humanity's most important challenges: protecting and restoring the planet for future generations. The Foundation works with globally recognized non-governmental organizations and charities to create environmental change through collaborative and transformative environmental projects.
About the Ferry Porsche Foundation
Founded in 2018, the Ferry Porsche Foundation promotes and initiates charitable projects in the fields of social welfare, environment, education and science, culture and sport. The foundation aims above all to support young people at Dr. Ing's company locations through social initiatives. hc F. Porsche AG. Named after Ferry Porsche, who founded the Porsche sports car brand in 1948.
