Tetra Pak awards Care and Share Program winners

Tres hermanas: Corazon, Carmen and Fe at the latter’s house in Panay Street, which she sold to fund the hospital

MANILA, Philippines - The Colegio San Agustin Grade School Department wins first place in Tetra Pak Philippines’ Care & Share Program for 2010. The program focuses on collecting used Tetra Pak cartons from more than 100 partner schools. The program aims to teach students from these schools on how Tetra Pak cartons are recycled.

Lei Feliz-Cañizares, CAS environment coordinator for Care & Share Program, shares: “Through the program our pupils are exposed to a true example of sustainability. CSA has been involved with the program since 2006 and each since then we begin the annual drive with activities like showing videos how Tetra Pak cartons are made and then recycled, and by exhibiting products made from recycled Tetra Pak cartons.”

This raises the students’ awareness on recycling and its importance, which in turn encourages them to support the collection of used Tetra Pak cartons in their schools. The program then becomes part of each participating school’s contribution to protecting the environment. “And the children are very happy to be part of it,” Cañizares adds.

Tetra Pak is the world’s leading foodpackaging and processing solutions provider and it that has always placedthe environment as an integral part of its business operations. In 2010, Tetra Pak has already recycled globally more than 30 billion beverage cartons.

Tetra Pak packages are made from fibers harvested through sustainable sourcing from forests owned by various third-party entities worldwide. After these cartons are used and collected, they are brought to Tetra Pak’s local recycling plant partner andare recycled into useful paper products like paper for notebooks, paper bags, tissue paper, outer carton box, etc.

In the Philippines, Tetra Pak has been actively educating consumers about the recyclability of Tetra Pak cartons. CSA’s collection is part of the 145 tons of Tetra Pak cartons or more than 14 million Tetra Pak cartons which have been collected in 2010 through partnerships with environmental groups, waste consolidators and other schools.

Tetra Pak believes in educating kids on caring for the environment and the importance of social responsibility. “Through our Tetra Pak Care & Share Program we are able to encourage kids to contribute by collecting their used Tetra Pak cartons for recycling which helps provide livelihood to peopleat the paper recycling plant, plus if they win the program both their school and their adopted underprivileged school or foundation would benefit from the program.”, said Tess Raymundo, Communications & Environment Manager for Tetra Pak.

As a reward, Tetra Pak Philippines gives prizes to the top 4 schools with the most volume of cartons collected. Tetra Pak ensures that this goes forward by not only giving schools cash prizes but by also providing their adopted foundation or underprivileged school the same amount.

2010’s Care and Share Program winners are led by CSA, receiving P50,000 cash and the same amount for their adopted foundation, CSA-Gawad Kalinga. First runner-up is De La Salle Santiago Zobel, receiving P40,000 cash and the same amount for their adopted school, Balele Elementary School. Second runner-up is Immaculate Conception Academy, receiving P30,000 and the same amount for ICA’s Community and Development Center. Lastly, Lourdes School of Mandaluyong comes in as third runner-up, receiving P20,000 and the same amount for their adopted beneficiary, GawadKalinga Community Development Foundation FOA: GK SibolHilagaKapalaran.

All prizes were awarded at the Tetra Pak Philippines office on July 26, 2011 by Ms. Tess Raymundo, Tetra Pak Philippines’ Communications and Environment Manager.