PHILIPPINES – Nestlé Philippines has entered into an agreement with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCEx) to collect soft plastic waste from Baseco in Tondo, Manila, Payatas in Quezon City, and Rodriguez in Rizal province, in a bid to reduce its plastic footprint in the environment.

The partnership will see Nestlé Philippines support PCEx in its collection of soft-plastic waste which will be co-processed and diverted from landfill sites.

Soft plastic waste includes packaging such as grocery bags, bread bags and plastic wrappers used for snack products such as biscuits or crisps/chips.

This latest initiative falls under Nestlé Philippines’ plastic waste collection, recycling, and recovery programme.

“With plastic waste continuing to accumulate in landfills and oceans, the need for tackling plastic pollution has never been so pressing. It is an urgent priority for us and an issue we take seriously,” Nestlé Philippines chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki, said.

“We are determined to look at every option to solve complex packaging challenges and embrace multiple solutions that can have an impact now. For our part, we at Nestlé envision a waste-free future in the face of these complex challenges. We are glad to be taking a concrete step, one among many, toward realizing that vision through our partnership with PCEx.”

Philippines-based non-profit organisation PCEx is an offshoot of Hope in a Bottle, a bottled water brand that commits 100% of its profits to the building of public-school classrooms in partnership with the country’s Department of Education.

“The journey of HOPE to sustainability – and therefore to the Plastic Credit Exchange – in a way, started with Nestlé,” Nanette Medved-Po, founder and president of PCEx, said.

“Years ago, their Philippine CEO reached out to me about projects that Nestlé was supporting – like eco-bricks. From there, HOPE began to explore environmentally sustainable and affordable ways for companies to be responsible for their plastic footprints.”

Just before the COVID-19 quarantine was imposed in the country, a partnership agreement to divert plastic waste laminates away from landfills in Cebu province by collecting and co-processing them in cement kilns was signed by Nestlé Philippines and CEMEX Holdings Philippines.

The agreement is one of the initiatives of Nestlé Philippines under a long-term plastic waste collection and recovery program.

CEO Kais Marzouki and CEMEX Holdings Philippines President and CEO Ignacio Mijares Elizondo signed the agreement.

“We welcome this new agreement and we thank CEMEX Holdings Philippines for making it possible for us to further intensify our actions to address plastic waste. We are happy to extend this initiative beyond the National Capital Region to Cebu in our efforts to reach various areas of the country,” said Mr. Marzouki.

Under the partnership, Nestlé Philippines, through its program partners and authorized transportation provider, will collect post-consumer soft plastics, and pre-process and transport these to the APO Cement Corporation’s plant in Tinaan, Naga City in Cebu. 

APO Cement, a subsidiary of CEMEX Holdings Philippines, will in turn co-process the post-consumer soft plastics. The waste plastic laminates will be sourced from different cities and municipalities in Cebu.

“We’re very excited to jumpstart our partnership with Nestlé, the largest food and beverage conglomerate in the world. We recognize and gladly support Nestlé’s commitment to tackling plastic waste,” Mr. Elizondo said.

“CEMEX and Nestlé have a shared vision to make a significant difference and contribute to the economic, social and environmental growth of the Philippines.  A green environment will always be at the center of CEMEX’s ‘Build A Nation Together’ CSR efforts. Our advocacies are dedicated to uplift lives, communities, and protect the environment.”

CEMEX is a leading global company in the construction materials industry that manufactures and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates in more than 50 countries. CEMEX operations in the Philippines started 23 years ago in 1997.

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