Sappe PCL Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Piyajit Ruckariyapong, received the first runner-up prize in the Gender-Responsive Marketplace category from the United Nations Woman 2022 Thailand Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards which is the sole awards ceremony in Asia-Pacific organized by UN Women in collaboration with the European Union (EU). The WEPs awards are given to businesses that promote gender equality and women empowerment. This emphasizes SAPPE’s commitment to promote gender equality throughout its value chain. The awards ceremony took place at the Centara Grand hotel at CentralWorld recently.
Ms. Piyajit said SAPPE runs business with determination that “We better people’s lives through our innovative spirit”. Being recognized by the UN Women 2022 Thailand WEPs Awards in Gender-Responsive Marketplace is not only great pride for SAPPE players but also reaffirms that our business operation fairly places importance to all stakeholders across the value chain without any discrimination.
SAPPE has been known as an owner of innovative beverages and the origin of the functional drink in Thailand. It produces a number of products particularly Sappe Beauti Drink, a familiar refreshment from the brand. Sappe Beauti Drink is among the very first brands from SAPPE which conveys a clear message of self-caring in all aspects in order to strengthen consumers’ health with efficient results. More importantly, the Beauti Drink is easily accessible with an affordable price. Apart from this, SAPPE also offers Mogu Mogu, fruit juice mixed with coconut jelly, which is exported to 98 countries worldwide. It gives global consumers opportunities to drink a quality beverage from a Thai brand which is made from local agricultural products. Currently, SAPPE has 12 brands in five categories with a strong will to invent and develop products for consumers, and to extensively distribute them to customers in order to be part of the efforts to lift living standards of people in all ages and genders around the world through our products.
“Apart from manufacturing quality products, marketing with sincere communication and delivering them to all equally, SAPPE also supports gender equality in the organization ranging from recruitment, employment, competency development promotion to livelihood in the workplace. We let the employees in all genders with different ideas to freely unleash their potential to jointly create innovations and feel happy to be part of the organization”, Ms. Piyajit said.
“Regarding procurement, we do it by prioritizing quality. We also help develop our suppliers and business partners to grow together. For communities and society, we cooperate with, support and assist all groups under good governance during normal circumstances and a crisis. We also transparently disclose our business operation through the annual report, company’s website, mass media and social media to allow the investors, shareholders and general public to obtain SAPPE’s information thoroughly.”
The WEPs Awards was initiated by UN Women under its WeEmpowerAsia programme which was launched early this year. Funded by the EU, the WeEmpowerAsia programme aims to increase the roles of women in particular those in countries in Asia such as China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. UN Women currently strives to promote gender equality in the business sector through the WEPs Awards, in partnership with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, International Federation of Business and Professional Women, Federation of Thai Capital Market Organizations, Global Compact Network Thailand, Federation of Thai SME and Thai E-Commerce Association. The awards are given to the companies and business leaders who foster the initiatives and push forward the practices that promote women empowerment and gender equality, plus attempts to bolster participations and roles of women in Thai business sectors under the WEPs’ seven guiding principles. Presently, more than 7000 signatories around the globe have committed to end gender inequality and promote women empowerment in the workplace in line with the principles. SAPPE is among 1,800 companies in Asia-Pacific that signed to adopt the women empowerment principles.
The Gender-Responsive Marketplace prize recognizes the companies that value gender equality throughout their supply chain, ranging from sourcing to disposal. This include promoting supplier diversity, gender-inclusive distribution, selling, and gender responsive marketing and advertising. It may include supporting women entrepreneurs through capability development, expanding market access opportunities, implementing the procurement program or policy which provides opportunities to the women operators, or the gender-responsive companies. This also include actions or programmes that promote gender equality and empower women through advertisement, and other sales and marketing activities.
