Green makes good business

MANILA, Philippines - Advocating green living is no doubt the cause of the times. Recognizing their responsibility to the environment, more organizations and individuals are doing their part to address climate change and promote sustainable living. Taking these efforts beyond the usual is Unilever Philippines, which not only joins public campaigns but also invests in making its own business operations eco-friendlier.

“We want to make sure that we’ll be able to grow our business without raising the impact of our operations on the environment, “ says Chito Macapagal, vice president for Corporate Affairs of Unilever Philippines. “Sustainability is the key here and by implementing such practices now, we achieve a two-fold mission – growing our business by bringing vitality to the lives of individuals and to the community.”

One notable effort is the company’s wastewater treatment facility in its manufacturing plant in Paco, Manila which has been in place since 1994. Wastewater from plant operations go through several processes – including a bath of germ-killing natural bacteria – to make sure that no toxic residue reaches the nearby 25-kilometer waterway which ultimately flows into the Pasig River. The whole system is so effective that the treated water also becomes the habitat of the company’s koi fish.

Unilever Philippines has also heavily invested in solid waste management. In 2003, it began Project Eliminate to minimize the need for an on-site landfill. Through conversion and recycling programs, the company completely cleared the dumpsite within two years and now uses the extra space as a parking lot.

Recently, the company won the Grandmaster award at the country’s first Zero Basura Olympics for another one of its solid waste management initiatives. The project makes use of “green” technology to convert waste sachets and other plastic packaging materials into powder material used in making bricks and pavers that are then donated to Gawad Kalinga to help build homes. Mothers from a select community also get livelihood from the program by creating bags, aprons and other items from the more presentable-looking waste packaging.

With the success of such projects, employees are egged on to remain steadfast in their support of the environment. At Unilever Philippines, what begins as a work policy eventually becomes a way to live, and the employees feel prouder for it.

“Our employees have pretty much been very engaged and their contributions are very tangible,” says Macapagal. “We are much, much prouder now than ever before because where we succeed is not just in doing corporate social responsibility but also doing what we call employee social responsibility. Imagine the company and the employees doing this thing together – it’s much more powerful.” 

Another employee program is called Trash Trade, which lets employees turn in their recyclable materials and collect some cash from scrap buyers in exchange. 

A significant part of the company’s CSR budget also comes from the employees. The group Integrated League of Unilever Volunteers (InLUV) is very active in participating in outreach programs and in spearheading sales from which the employees’ purchases go toward the company’s CSR fund. The total amount collected from the sales is matched by the company.

Encouraged by the employees’ green conscience, Unilever Philippines also signed up to be a partner of the 10 Million Movement which aims to encourage people to do one thing for the environment regularly and register it online. By turning the green advocacy from a cause worth promoting to a way of doing business, Unilever Philippines and its employees’ small everyday actions will continue to make a big difference in the community, adding true vitality to the lives of all of its consumers.