Terms of Reference
for a service contract to conduct
“The Capacity Building and Training for Sustainable Waste Management in the Tourism and Hospitality Sector”
1. BACKGROUND
Thailand’s vibrant tourism sector contributes significantly to the national economy but also generates large volumes of solid and plastic waste, particularly from single-use plastic (SUP) items such as water bottles, food containers, and plastic bags. Two destinations—Koh Tao and the Trang coastal region—have been identified as critical areas due to their ecological sensitivity, high tourist traffic, and increasing volumes of tourism-related waste.
As part of the MA-RE-DESIGN project, WWF Thailand, in collaboration with WWF Germany, GIZ, and UNEP COBSEA, aims to reduce plastic leakage into the environment by promoting sustainable waste management systems such as source‑segregation, refill/return schemes, and community drop‑off & recycling partnerships as site‑appropriate sustainable waste‑management systems, particularly among tourism stakeholders. The Tourism Plastic Waste Baseline Study (ITS, 2024) revealed that Koh Tao generates approximately 439–525 tons of SUP waste per year, and Trang contributes 89–123 tons. While several good practices exist—such as plastic separation and refill initiatives—most tourism operators, staff, and tourists still face multiple barriers to significantly reduce plastic waste — including limited awareness of low-waste practices, lack of adequate infrastructure (e.g., island-based recycling or backhauling systems), and challenges in sourcing affordable, reliable alternatives to single-use plastic packaging.
This consultancy is designed to address those challenges by building capacity, raising awareness, and equipping stakeholders across the tourism sector to reduce SUP usage and adopt sustainable waste management practices.
2. OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of this assignment is to design and implement a practical and context-specific capacity building and training program aimed at:
- Strengthening the knowledge skills and motivation of tourism business owners, hospitality staff effectively reduce plastic waste at source, while also applying responsible handling and reuse practices for the remaining unavoidable waste,
- Promoting behavioral changes to reduce single-use plastic consumption,
- Facilitating the long-term integration of sustainable practices in the daily operations of tourism-related businesses,
- Supporting WWF’s goal of reducing marine litter and plastic leakage through stakeholder engagement.
3. SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The consultancy will consist of three main phases:
Phase 1: Design
The consultant will begin by validating the training needs using brief questionnaires and focus calls with local tourism associations and WWF field staff to understand the knowledge gaps, training needs, and practical challenges faced by three target groups in the projects pilot sites Koh Tao, Koh Libong, Koh Mook and Pak Meng: (1) tourism business owners (hotels, restaurants, tour operators) and (2) operational staff . The consultant will then develop three distinct training modules tailored to these groups. Each module should be grounded in adult learning principles, practical, and relevant to local conditions in Koh Tao and Trang. Given time limitations during the high season and high turn-over rates among staff, a blend of on-site and virtual modules (instructional videos) seems appropriate. Existing WWF tools (e.g. Plastic Waste Monitoring Tool) and local manuals will be adapted or drawn upon where appropriate.
For business owners:
- Format: Focus on on-site training, possibly virtual units, based on needs analysis
- Content: Basics on the impact of plastic waste on marine ecosystems and biodiversity; policy compliance, branding, operational cost savings, and guidance on practices to take (by type of business), such as SUP alternatives.
For staff modules specifically, the training should:
- Format: Focus on on-site training and virtual training
- Content:
- Provide basic knowledge on conservation and environmental issues,
- Explain how daily habits and operational routines impact waste generation,
- Offer clear, related examples of individual and group actions that contribute to waste reduction and hands-on guidance for waste sorting, safe storage, and customer communication,
- Reinforce that staff behavior not only affects the environment but also influences customer experience and the image of the business.
Phase 2: Implementation
The consultant will deliver customized training sessions:
- For business owners: covering topics such as policy compliance, branding, operational cost savings, and SUP alternatives.
- For staff: focusing on hands-on practices for waste sorting, safe storage, and customer communication, with emphasis on role-modeling sustainable behavior.
On-site Trainings will be delivered in person in both Koh Tao and Trang at least one for business owners and one for staff of each site.
In addition, at least one virtual session will be arranged for cross-site sharing. A Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop will also be conducted to empower local facilitators (e.g. tourism associations, municipality staff or NGOs) to sustain the initiative beyond the project period.
Phase 3: Reporting & Follow-up
After training delivery, the consultant will develop a follow-up and monitoring plan. This should include post-training surveys or assessments, simple M&E tools (e.g. observation checklists, self-report cards), and strategies to maintain engagement. A final report will synthesize results, lessons learned, challenges, and recommendations for future programming.
4. Deliverables
| No. | Deliverable | Description | Timeline |
| 1 | Inception Report | Training concept, methodology, timeline, and needs assessment approach and results | within 4th Week |
| 2 | Final Training Modules | Three sets of training materials in Thai and English with key elements translated into Burmese for Koh Tao: includes print and digital resources such as infographics and short videos | within 10th Week |
| 3 | Training Sessions & ToT Workshop | Completion of all in-person and online training sessions and delivery of at least one ToT workshop | within 24th Week |
| 4 | Final Report | Summary of training impact, pre/post analysis, M&E framework, and future recommendations | within 28th Week |
5. Required Qualifications
The selected consultant or organization must demonstrate:
- Proven experience in developing and conducting training programs on environmental issues, especially in tourism or hospitality contexts.
- Understanding of plastic waste management challenges in island and coastal areas of Thailand.
- Capacity to design behavior-change content that supports staff in understanding and acting on sustainability principles.
- Familiarity with behavior change communication, adult learning techniques, and participatory facilitation.
- Ability to produce materials in Thai and English and facilitate content translation into Burmese.
- Prior experience working with WWF or international NGO is an advantage.
6. Budget and Payment
The maximum budget available for this consultancy is EUR 28,000 (inclusive of VAT, travel, training materials, per diem, and other costs). Payment will be disbursed in three tranches:
- 30% upon contract signing and submission of the inception report,
- 40% upon successful delivery of all training sessions and workshops,
- 30% upon approval of the final report and supporting documents.
7. Proposal Submission
Interested candidates are requested to submit:
- A technical proposal detailing methodology, timeline, and relevant experience,
- A financial proposal with a breakdown of costs,
- CVs of the proposed team members,
- Two samples of relevant past work.
Deadline for submission: 15 October 2025
Submission contact: Proposals should be submitted in English language by email to: eknarina@wwf.or.th.
Questions regarding the assignment can be addressed to Mr. Eknarin Ariyavongvivat, WWF Thailand, under the same email.
