Green and Bare It

Philippine Daily Inquirer

GOING green doesn’t mean being in the red. More and more companies involved in manufacturing, energy, retail and construction are now embracing environmentally safe and energy-saving practices that also reduce their production and operational costs.

In a recently released international survey, the business sector in the Philippines emerged as the most perceptibly environment-friendly sector.

According to the 2009 Grant Thornton International Business Report, the business sector in the country got a score of +78 percent which, observers said, was a result of efforts among several firms to actively pursue projects that promote cleaner and greener surroundings.

The Philippines, thus, makes for a rightful venue for the first International Conference on Green Industry in Asia on September 9 to 11, at the Philippine International Convention Center. This is organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Escap) and hosted by the Philippines through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

In this meeting, delegations from 25 Asia Pacific countries, headed by environment and trade ministers, as well as senior officials, are expected to come up with a Manila declaration to encourage industries and businesses to adopt eco-friendly systems.

DENR Secretary Joselito Atienza Jr. is optimistic that the event will serve as an opportunity for the Philippines to highlight its potential toward green growth. “Climate change is one of the biggest problems we face today. The shift to a low carbon economy will change how industries operate, the products we use and our lifestyles. Business and consumers can benefit from significant savings and resource efficiency measures,” Atienza said.

“We are pursuing the shift to renewable energy. We also have ample water supply. We have considerable geothermal resources and our wind condition is suitable for windmills. In fact, we are the only country in Southeast Asia with windmills that earn carbon credits. Indeed, we are blessed that we have the natural resources to do these and be able to show our neighboring countries such potential is a very worthy accomplishment,” he added.

The following is an initial list of companies with notable green initiatives, as compiled by the DENR Environmental Management Bureau.

1. Nestlé Philippines, Inc.
The company optimizes the use of water in its operations and eliminates unnecessary consumption. These efforts have cut down Nestlé’s water consumption by 16.76 percent since 1997 or an average of 65,600 cubic meters of water every year. One of the green measures that Nestlé has employed is the reuse of water for various parts of its operation particularly in its Lipa and Cabuyao factories. Water used for sealing, cooling and even treated waste water is collected, pumped and recirculated for irrigation of plants and grass as well as other uses instead of being discharged as waste.

2. Coca-Cola Bottlers Plant, Tacloban (CCBPI)
CCBPI is implementing a program to phase out refrigerants with ozone-depleting substances through the purchase of refrigerators, coolers, fountains and vending equipment that use environment-friendly refrigerants. The program also includes energy-efficient initiatives such as use of natural light (skylight) in its warehouses. The plant has also switched or retrofitted its boiler from using bunker fuel to Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (LSFO).

3. Hideco Sugar Milling Company, Leyte
Hideco uses bagasse, a by-product derived from sugar cane, as fuel for its boilers to generate steam. The steam generated is then used to drive turbines of cane milling plant equipment and also turbo-generators to produce electricity for the sugar processing plant. •