Firms embrace more sustainable practices

MANILA, Philippines — Some of the country’s conglomerates are embracing more sustainable practices including a major reduction in the use of plastics. 

Gokongwei-owned Universal Robina Corp. (URC) for instance said while companies cannot totally do away with the use of plastics, URC for its part is moving to reduce the use of plastics. 

It’s a bold move for the Gokongwei group whose JG Summit Petrochemical Corp. is a major producer of petrochemicals which are needed to make plastic products.

“We can’t stop using plastics, but there are certain steps we can do to reduce…We have to really look at the whole value chain if the alternatives are really environment friendly…We have to make the use of plastics more sustainable. That’s what we’re working on,” URC chairman Lance Gokongwei said in an interview last year on the company’s recycling efforts.

In all, Gokongwei said the focus would be something to do on recycling.

URC president and CEO Irwin Lee also said solving the plastic challenge would be an immense task.

But Lee said URC is investing on the recycling challenge. 

 “Solving this plastic challenge will be an immense task,” he said during a sustainability summit last year.

He said URC is embracing sustainability as it faces the future.

Companies under the Lucio Tan (LT) Group have also committed to develop cleaner and renewable energy projects including the revival of a wastewater facility. 

Lucio K. Tan Jr., the son and namesake of taipan Lucio Tan, said the different companies would be advocating technologies that are environmentally-responsible and would help ease the impact of climate change. 

 “Our thrust is to participate and develop clean and renewable energy projects for our sustainability...reduce our carbon footprint to underscore our commitment to help mitigate the effects of climate change. I believe this is incumbent upon us as a responsible corporate entity, where we can invest in technologies that will unravel economic opportunities for the group and our employees,” said the younger Tan, president and chief executive officer of Tanduay Distillers Inc.