The Danish Environmental Days in Thailand on 24 -25 April and the National Danish Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur at the Water & Drainage 2003 exhibition from 28 to 30 April were both very successful events for the majority of the participating companies.
In Thailand, where the tour started, 200 Thai guests attended the two day event in which 20 Danish companies participated. The sector seminars held over the two days covered water and wastewater, waste management, energy and cleaner technology for industries.
Ten of the Danish companies in the delegation continued afterwards to Kuala Lumpur, where a National Danish Pavilion was arranged at the international exhibition Water & Drainage 2003 held from 28 to 30 April at the PWTC. The exhibition was the first of its kind and covered typical Danish strong expertise areas like water supply, waste water treatment, sewage and drainage. Special seminars related to the subjects covered by the exhibition were also held here with all local arrangements and invitations handled by Commercial Counsellor Susanne Linnet Nissen.
“In Thailand, some of the subjects covered by the seminars were obviously of major interest,” says Susanne Toftegaard Hansen of Green City Denmark A/S who lead the delegation, while Tine Hylleberg, Commercial and Economic Counsellor at the Royal Danish Embassy had been in charge of all local arrangements.
“After the energy seminar, many questions were asked regarding biomass solutions as well as Danish energy saving solutions,” she says.
The Embassies had selected potential business partners for one-on-one contact meetings for the Danish companies during their visits to the two countries. While most of these were initial meetings, at least one of the Danish companies participating in the Bangkok event, Sloth Møller A/S seemed to have found a Thai partner for a future cooperation. The company, Intercotton Weaving, managed to have a second meeting with Sloth Møller during the event about the Danish company’s solutions for cleaner technology for textile industry.
Both Malaysia and Thailand have experienced growing energy consumption and increased environmental problems in recent years due to economic growth and urbanisation. And both countries are very conscious about the effects. Energy efficiency and renewable energy chapters are included in Malaysia’s current 5-year plan, and Thailand has already adopted plans to save energy.
Also Green City Denmark itself had a successful visit. The organisations has entered an agreement with Berli Jucker Public Co., Ltd. to represent Green City Denmark in Thailand and Susanne Toftegaard Hansen says she expects this to give a boost to the efforts of Green City Denmark to promote Danish environmental technology in Thailand.
The delegation had been very well prepared starting with an Asian Market Place event during the DanMiljo 2002 environmental exhibition last year. Before the delegations arrival in April, press releases and promption of the events had also resulted in good media attention both in Thailand and Malaysia
To follow up on the initiative, selected delegations will now be invited to visit Denmark. These return delegations will include visits to some of the participating Danish companies, selected demonstration plants, and Danish authorities.
The Commercial Section of the Royal Danish Embassy, Bangkok, has produced a report on the environmental sector, which is fully accessible from the website of the embassy,
