On December 4, 2024, Mrs. Arunee Hiam, Deputy Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, led a TICA delegation to attend the Project Closing and Launching Ceremony for the Lao Green Label in Vientiane, Lao PDR, at the invitation of GIZ Thailand.

The ceremony drew a diverse audience of 50 participants, comprising representatives from the Lao PDR government and private sector, media, GIZ Thailand, and Thai agencies including TICA,the Pollution Control Department, and the Thailand Environment Institute.

Among the distinguished attendees were Mr. Samly Boutsady, Director-General of the Department of Industry, Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Lao PDR; Mr. Sounadeth Soukchaleun,Deputy Director-General of the Department of Planning and Finance, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Lao PDR; Dr. Ulf D. Jaeckel, Head of Division T III2 European and International Adaptation to Climate Change, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV); and Mr. Björn Surborg,Country Director of GIZ Lao PDR.

The Green Label initiative in the Lao PDR is a trilateral partnership between Thailand and Germany implemented through  GIZ, which aims to enhance policies and legal frameworks for sustainable production and consumption, with a particular focus on Green Public Procurement (GPP) and Eco-Labelling (EL) in five countries: Cambodia, Bhutan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and the Lao PDR. Additionally, the project seeks to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions within the manufacturing and consumption sectors of these nations.

The Green Label initiative in the Lao PDR has yielded significant results, including the development of a comprehensive Roadmap and Action Plan for Green Public Procurement 2022-2025, the creation of a detailed Guidance Note for Implementing Green Public Procurement, and the successful establishment of the Green Label program with two pilot products: energy-efficient LED light bulbs and environmentally friendly PVC pipes.

TICA has supported this trilateral SCP Outreach project in the Lao PDR through a training program in Thailand for Lao government officials, implemented by the Thailand Environment Institute.

Following the Green Label launch in Laos, Deputy Director-General Arunee Hiam and Mr. Samly Boutsady, Director-General of the Department of Industry, Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Lao PDR, discussed the resounding success of the SCP Outreach project in the Lao PDR and explored opportunities for future collaboration between Thailand and the Lao PDR, including a potential mutual recognition of green labels. This would streamline business processes and foster the proliferation of sustainable products in both nations.