On the SME & Climate Tech stage at EARTH JUMP 2026, the discussion was not only about Sustainability, Climate Tech, Circular Economy, or Wellness Economy, but also the stories of three real entrepreneurs who started from ordinary problems in their businesses and gradually transformed those into new economic opportunities. All three perspectives shared a common point: sustainability does not arise from following trends but from looking deeply into what one’s business already possesses, recognizing the value of waste, the value of backend systems, the value of customer experiences, and most importantly, the value of people. Because a truly successful green business is not just about being eco-friendly; it is about designing sustainability that is practical, usable, marketable, and transferable.

▪️ From Fish Balls to Natural Calcium: When Waste Becomes the Starting Point of Innovation, by Dr. Kayur Choklamlerd, CEO of You Fishball Co., Ltd. and owner of the UNC product.

Ms. You's story began with her family’s fish ball business in Yaowarat. However, what she shared on stage was not just the success of a restaurant but the lessons of an entrepreneur who had to endure patience, failures, and recognize the value that others might overlook. The family’s teaching was, “If you want to do business, you must learn to endure.” Because behind a business that seems to thrive every day are pressures, uncertainties, and the efforts of many generations.

A significant turning point occurred when Ms. You questioned why, if nature created a whole fish, humans only utilized part of it. In the fish ball production process, only about 30-40% of the fish is used, while the remaining parts become waste, a cost, and a burden to manage. However, when a Japanese company requested to buy fish skins to produce collagen, Ms. You began to see that what was once considered “waste” might not be trash but a resource whose value had yet to be unlocked. She then expanded her research into extracting calcium from fish bones in collaboration with marine bio-experts. From 100 kilograms of fish bones, only about 700 grams of calcium can be extracted. This is the essence of innovation from Ms. You's perspective, as innovation is not always about producing the most at the lowest cost but about seeing the “diamond” in what others perceive as a stone.

For Ms. You, sustainability means creating products that are valuable to health, consumers, and the environment while passing on this way of thinking from generation to generation. The most sustainable business is not one that survives for 10, 20, or 50 years but one that remains valuable enough for future generations to “want to preserve it themselves.”

▪️ From Plastic Bottles to a World-Class Recycling Factory ♻️: When Failure Becomes a Business Asset, by Pholtharphat Puththong, founder and CEO of Puththong Fiber Co., Ltd.

Mr. Pholtharphat's story began with a simple question: After we finish drinking from plastic bottles, where do those bottles go? The vast number of plastic bottles can become waste in forests, rivers, seas, or landfills. However, if they enter the correct system, they can be transformed back into raw materials. Over 13 years ago, he started as a hardware store owner before turning to recycling, thinking it was a business that didn’t require stock, allowing for immediate cash flow. But the reality was not as simple as he thought. In the beginning, he viewed the process too simplistically: buy plastic bottles, chop, grind, wash, pack, and sell. It wasn’t long before he realized that costs were disappearing, the production system had significant waste, and his knowledge was insufficient. The word “bankrupt” became a major lesson.

Having gone through this failure pushed him to reassess the entire business, from production processes, training, site visits, to changing the mindset from gambling to data-driven business practices with standards. A crucial turning point was accessing funding from KBank, which acted as a “lifeline” that allowed the business to continue, expand production capacity, and elevate to international standards such as GRS and FDA in the United States.

From a business that was nearly failing, revenue increased from tens of millions to hundreds of millions within just one year. For Puththong Fiber, plastic bottles are the starting point for new raw materials that can be transformed into clothing, pillows, mattresses, blankets, or other products in a circular economy. Because whether plastic is a villain or a hero does not depend on the plastic itself but on how humans choose to manage it.

This is the heart of the Circular Economy, which requires a system, standards, funding, markets, and entrepreneurs ready to transform what was once worthless back into resources.

▪️ From a Small Hotel by the River to a Life Experiment Space that is Eco-Friendly ?: By Vich Witthayathakorn, co-founder of Neera Retreat Hotel.

For a service business that is delicate, the hotel must answer the question: “How do we ensure that guests feel comfortable, at ease, and want to return?” Mr. San, one of the co-founders of Neera Retreat Hotel, shared that this small hotel by the Tha Chin River in Nakhon Pathom started with the question: If we were to create a hotel, could it be more than just a place to stay?

Neera was born from three siblings who combined their skills, family experiences, and the influence of their mother, who was excellent at waste separation, with the idea of a hotel that allows guests to pause, connect with themselves, and experiment with a more eco-friendly lifestyle. The name “Neera” means “drop of water,” and the hotel aims to be like a small drop that creates ripples in society.

However, in the first year, good intentions did not mean that customers would immediately understand. Neera faced questions and resistance, such as why waste separation was necessary, why some items were not provided like in other hotels, or why certain things had to be requested instead of being placed in the room from the start. The lesson learned was that good sustainability is not just about having good intentions but must be designed for people to understand, access, and start doing easily.

Thus, Neera does not use coercion but chooses to create experiences for guests to “try,” such as trying to separate waste, use fewer items, carry water bottles, order food in appropriate quantities, or question the items used in daily life. Sustainability is naturally integrated into the Customer Journey from check-in, room, dining, to check-out without making guests feel forced or required to be perfect from day one.

Examples include using upcycled materials in rooms, reducing single-use plastics, and not placing certain items in rooms unless necessary, but still providing them upon request, such as toothbrushes or tablet toothpaste that help reduce plastic tube usage. In the dining area, Neera has designed menus with two sizes: **Size S and Size L** to allow customers to choose the appropriate amount, reduce food waste, and still enjoy a shared dining experience.

These may seem like small details, but when combined, they represent a service business design that makes sustainability not a burden but a tangible experience.

✨ True sustainability must be designed to encourage people to start. When looking at all three stories together, it is clear that sustainability does not have a one-size-fits-all formula.

▪️ For Dr. Kayur, sustainability means transforming food waste into health innovations.

▪️ For Mr. Pholtharphat, sustainability means creating a standardized recycling system and genuinely reintegrating plastic waste into the economy.

▪️ For Mr. Vich, sustainability means designing experiences that make it easier for people to live eco-friendly lives without feeling forced.

Therefore, sustainability should not be seen as an additional burden on businesses but should be designed as part of the business model, an opportunity to reduce costs, add value, create differentiation, and make brands more meaningful. Because ultimately, the most powerful sustainability starts from a small question within our own business: How can today’s waste become tomorrow’s new value?