SUSTAINABILITY has recently become the latest buzzword among organizations – be it from the government side or from the private sector.

Such idea which is becoming mainstream nowadays is a welcome development but producing actual changes pushing for sustainability is really not a walk in the park and requires efforts and sacrifices across all sectors.

Leading the charge for changes

 For the government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the default torch bearer in championing for sustainability efforts in the country.

The DENR under the leadership of Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, currently has a strong roster of projects and activities to pursue sustainability efforts while also balancing the welfare of the public and profitability of businesses.

For this year alone, among DENR’s key programs is to address major environmental concerns in five of the country’s prime tourist destinations namely: El Nido and Coron in Palawan; Panglao in Bohol; Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro; and Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte.

The DENR wants to resolve issues including concerns on water quality as well as solid waste and plastic pollution from the said areas.

This year, the agency also partnered with the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration in gathering air quality data in Metro Manila to be used in crafting programs to mitigate air quality issues that affect public health and address climate change.

DENR also reported last June the success of the landmark Expanded Producers’ Responsibility (EPR) Act as registered businesses have met their target of diverting plastics by 20 percent in the first year of implementing as 624,547 tons of unaudited footprint for plastics in 2023 was reported and 20 percent or 124,986 tons of plastic packaging were reported to have been diverted.

The agency said a 37 percent increase was recorded in the number of businesses that registered under the EPR program, from 667 in 2023 to 917 companies as of May 6, 2024.

 The EPR Act first came into force in 2022 which requires businesses to conduct proper waste management of plastic packaging products such as sachets, rigid plastic packaging products, plastic bags and polystyrene.

Loyzaga said then that such development shows that private enterprises have achieved significant strides toward the “shared goal of building a circular economy where waste is minimized, resources are protected and the delicate balance of our planet is restored.”

She said that with such positive development, the country may hit the target of recovering and diverting 80 percent of plastic packaging by 2028.

Under the EPR Act, the targets for the recovery of plastic product footprint are: 20 percent for 2023; 40 percent for 2024; 50 percent for 2025; 60 percent for 2026; 70 percent for 2027; and 80 percent for 2028.

“(The) shared goal of building a circular economy where waste is minimized, resources are protected and the delicate balance of our planet is restored.”
– Sec. Loyzaga

The DENR said the EPR Act helps the country to move away from the linear economy model of take-make-dispose by advancing a circular economy which is deemed sustainable as it enhances the efficient use of materials and redirects processes from the end of the supply chain back to the beginning.

Just this month, the DENR also proudly announced that the Philippines surpassed its International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) records for the activity conducted in 250 coastal sites across the country.

DENR said that from 35,000 volunteers last year, it recorded 74,075 volunteers from 1,913 government, academe and private sector organizations.

Volunteers collected a total of 352,479 kilograms trash and debris, ranging from plastics to other waste materials during the cleanup.

DENR said data gathered during the cleanup will also be compiled to better understand the types of waste affecting the country’s waters to guide future conservation, waste recovery and resource utilization strategies while the collected trash that can be recycled will be brought to the nearest local materials recovery facility.

The Philippines started participating in the ICC around 1994 and in 2003, the Philippine government institutionalized the event by issuing Presidential Proclamation 470 setting ICC in the country every third Saturday of September.

The other side of the scale

Apart from sustainability, the term net zero is also becoming a commonly used term among business entities that serves like a badge to convey their care for the environment.

Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of emitted greenhouse gas against the amount that is being removed from the atmosphere.

At present, the Philippines doesn’t have a binding plan to achieve net zero apart from the target to slash economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent for the period 2020 to 2030 under the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target.

Because of the said scenario, the local private sector is left on their own without much pressure in applying efforts to achieve net zero.

Despite the said situation, a group of business leaders, academe and non-government organizations have created the Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA) to collectively pursue activities to achieve net zero.

First formed in 2021, NZCA is currently composed of 34 partners including Arthaland, Drink Sustainability Communications, Energy Development Corp. (EDC), First Balfour, Knowles, Silliman University, Unilever Philippines, CEMEX, Converge ICT, Ecolab, INAEC Aviation, Menarco Development Corp., Monde Nissin, SGV & Co., EV Mobility, Mondelez, People360, BSI, ECC International, First Philippine Industrial Park, Holcim Philippines, Calibr8 Systems, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines Inc., Container Living PH, Control Union, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Inc., First Philec Inc., Fluor Daniel Inc. Philippines, GHD Pty. Ltd., Hocheng Philippines Corp., InterCharge Corp., OCS Philippines, SLB and Weave Solutions Inc.

NZCA members are urging the government to come up with a framework that will anchor all companies in the Philippines to attain the goal of net zero emissions.

Earlier, Samuel Manlosa, Holcim Philippines senior vice president and concurrent chief sustainability officer and head of geocycle, said that such efforts are currently only voluntary.

“A lot of what we do today is voluntary because we do not have a framework that is legally binding and compelling everybody to get to a certain level immediately. In fairness to government, we are working on it but given the complexities of the potential economic damage, repercussions at all levels, it cannot be rushed,” Manlosa said.

Manlosa said among policies the government may consider to help net zero efforts in the country is carbon pricing which may be done by collecting fees for activities that will result in large carbon emissions.

He also added that achieving net zero targets can only be successful if the entire value chain of all industries starting from suppliers to allied businesses and partners will also commit with the agenda.

However, the Holcim executive recognized that net zero efforts will also involve additional costs to businesses which results in slow adaptation.

“So, the slow adaptation doesn’t necessarily mean that companies are not honest.

It might mean that not all companies are there yet. The ones that are ahead are ahead but there’s probably a lot more that are behind,” Manlosa said.

“Especially for small businesses, what’s in it for you to be so far ahead then you damage your business in the end. If there is no business, whats the point of being sustainable?” Manlosa added.

Meanwhile, Allan Barcena, EDC assistant vice president and head of corporate social responsibility, recently said that companies are currently left to integrate net zero efforts on their own.

“If you look at the list of countries who have net zero commitments, most of our Asian neighbors do have a country commitment. In the Philippines, we don’t have. We don’t have a declaration about achieving net zero by 2050 but we have an NDC,” Barcena said.

“We have an NDC which is to cut our emissions by 75 percent… The qualification is availability of funds and technology. So, what the Philippines is saying is that if we do not have the funds and the technology, we cannot do that 75 percent reduction,” Barcena further said.

He said that a national policy to officially push net zero would be better as its presence will help in amplifying the positive effects of the effort across all sectors.

“It would have been better if as a country, you commit and then everything follows. Like your other sectors, energy, or agriculture, private sector, private companies, academe, they will all follow your commitment. But in the absence of that, then we have individual efforts,” Barcena said.

He added it is the same reason why businesses have formed the NZCA in order to “have a collective effort to take that journey even without a country commitment.”