Representatives from the country’s largest dairy-producing companies Alaska Milk Corporation, Nestlé Philippines, and Century Pacific Food Inc. came together to express their unequivocal commitment to prioritizing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance for the betterment of the environment.
“In business we may be competitors, but when it comes to the welfare of people and the planet, we are partners,” says Atty. Angela Esquivel, Corporate Affairs Director of Alaska Milk Corporation, during a partners gathering for Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) which was also attended by Greg Banzon, Chief Operating Officer and EVP of Century Pacific Food, Inc. and Joey Uy, Senior Vice President and Corporate Affairs Head of Nestlé Philippines. All three companies have been working with PCX to take responsibility for their plastic footprint to help ensure this is diverted away from nature.
Century Pacific Food, Inc. COO Greg Banzon shares his view, “Paulo Coelho once aptly said, ‘The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.’ It is in this spirit that CNPF takes action in actively pursuing sustainability initiatives, foremost of which is Plastic Neutrality. Our partnership with PCX is one of the key enablers to achieving this goal. Given the leadership positions our core brands hold in the large and growing categories we participate in, offsetting our plastic footprint is seen as having an impact and relevance on the environment. We hope more companies take on this challenge.”
Joey Uy, Nestlé’s Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs, states, “For its part, Nestlé Philippines, by working with PCX and other partners, has been able to recover 51 million kilograms of plastic waste between August 2020 and June 2022, equivalent to the volume of plastic it put out during that period. Participating in legislative deliberations from the start, we have strongly advocated a local EPR law on plastic waste, meanwhile voluntarily practicing EPR with plastic neutrality as a way of life. Our brands that are now plastic neutral are Bear Brand, Nescafé, Milo, and Maggi to name a few.”
Meanwhile, Alaska Milk Corporation’s Atty. Esquivel adds, “Through Alaska’s goal of attaining Net Zero Plastic Neutrality, we not only develop aspects of environmental awareness but also grow to understand that this is not a fight of our own. In terms of holistic welfare of the people and the environment, no company can claim to have a significant impact alone. We must redirect our ways to building on our individual brands’ strengths and use it to create a more notable and better impact. Because as a global community, we are individually capable and collectively unstoppable.”
Nanette Medved-Po, PCX Founder and Executive Chair; Maria Angela Esquivel, Corporate Affairs Director, Alaska Milk Corporation; Joey Uy, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs, Nestle Philippines; Greg Banzon, Chief Operating Officer & EVP, Century Pacific Food; Sebastian DiGrande, Chief Executive Officer, PCX Markets
PCX’s Founder and Executive Chairperson, Nanette Medved-Po shared her optimism for what lies ahead: “We are encouraged by the urgency in which the government decided to tackle this important issue, and we look forward to the day that our collective commitments will mean that the Philippines is no longer the third highest contributor to ocean plastic in the world.”
This statement comes as the EPR bill lapsed into law on July 22, 2022. Now officially RA 11898, EPR requires companies to be held environmentally responsible for the life cycle of their product, especially in its post-consumer stage. This will encourage the reduction, recovery, and diversion of plastic waste to prevent it from leaking into the environment.
EPR legislation was passed in the lower house on July 28, 2021, and was spearheaded by Congressman Rufus Rodriguez and Committee Secretary Dilbert Quetulio of the Committee on Ecology. It passed without opposition and was brought to the Senate where Senator Cynthia Villar championed the issue and submitted the bill to the Office of the President on June 23, 2022.
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