GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING THE INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS SECTOR TOWARDS A GREEN INDUSTRY

Abstract

The green industry is crucial in increasing the competitiveness and sustainability of the industrial sector in Thailand. Therefore, this study's objectives are to examine the preparation guidelines for the transition of the industrial business sector to a Green Industry and to improve a structural equation model using a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative research used in-depth interview techniques with nine experts and a focus group with 11 successful business leaders to evaluate the model. The quantitative section collected data from 500 executives or those responsible for environmental management in industrial businesses certified at Green Industry Level 4 (GI4) and Level 5 (GI5). The data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed through various statistical methods, such as descriptive, inferential, and multivariate analyses. The main guidelines of the study identified the four most important elements: 1) Organizational Support (= 4.53), insisting on increasing awareness and training of organizational personnel. 2) Environmental Management (= 4.50), concentrating on pollution reduction through appropriate control measures. 3) Data Insight (= 4.44), showing the importance of creating a central database for flexible information access. 4) Learning and Mind-set Change (= 4.43) was considered a very important aspect, specifically in allowing personnel to participate in product design according to environmentally friendly processes. The hypothesis test showed a significant difference in the overall aspects between various sizes of manufacturing enterprises at the 0.05 level. The analysis after improving the structural equation model showed that it was consistent with the empirical data and meets the evaluation criteria. The model's statistical indicators were as follows: a chi-square probability level of 0.058, a relative chi-square of 1.179, a goodness of fit index of 0.962, and a root mean square error of approximation of 0.0169.