EcoLife initiative takes great leap forward

Social enterprise Kidkid utilises an app to promote environmental activities while earning revenue, writes Lamonphet Apisitniran

- Lamonphet Apisitniran

Foreign guests staying at resorts on Koh Samui are helping to combat climate change while enjoying a fun ride on an elephant.

While greeting elephants or enjoying a ride on a pachyderm has little to do with efforts at reducing carbon dioxide emissions, EcoLife has linked these activities to its campaign to slow climate change.

Social enterprise Kidkid uses the EcoLife mobile application to promote environmental activities and earn revenue simultaneously, following a sustainable marketing trend.

The more garbage tourists can pick up on the island, the more reward points they earn. They can redeem the points for tickets for an elephant ride.

"This is one of the cutest environmental activities in the world. I've never seen this before in Thailand," said actress Siraphun "Noon" Wattanajinda, a co-founder of Kidkid.

EcoLife not only supports government attempts to nudge people towards eco-friendly lifestyles, but also ensures business development can co-exist with environmental protection.

SUSTAINABLE MARKETING

Instead of embarking on a business driven by the desire to maximise profits, Ms Siraphun, together with her husband Pipat "Top" Apiruktanakorn, the chief executive and co-founder of Kidkid, opted for a different path, combining earning profits with taking care of the environment.

Kidkid was established in 2012, with sustainable marketing at the core of its business direction.

The approach is based on a mission to combine sustainability with marketing strategies, covering entire business operations from product development to communication.

Sustainability means avoiding acting in such a way that could negatively affect future generations of people, both environmentally and socially, according to Kidkid.