How to turn plastic trash into free grocery items
MANILA, Philippines — When one says “plastic pollution,” images of sea turtles mistaking plastic for jellyfish easily enter the mind. Although increasing scientific studies show that more and more microplastics are found in some human organs — including "the lungs, spleen, kidneys, and even the placenta," said Jean-Francois Ghiglione, a researcher at the Laboratory of Microbial Oceanography.
Ocean Conservancy’s 2015 report, which listed the Philippines has the world’s third largest source of plastic leaking into the ocean, has retracted its findings last July 10.
Still, Ivy Piedad, Senior Manager for Marketing for supermarket chain Puregold, believed that the very busy supermarket industry is among the major contributors of plastic trash in the planet. In the United Kingdom alone, Greenpeace and Environmental Investigation Agency found that plastic packaging from retailers accounted for 70% of plastic waste.
As such, during the height of the pandemic, Puregold made it its mission not only to promote entrepreneurship but also to pivot to sustainability, Piedad announced at a recent press launch.
Thus, plans are underway for the supermarket chain to revive its pre-pandemic Collect and Convert program. First launched in 2019, the sachet collection drive in key Puregold stores has simple mechanics: every half kilo of sachets and plastics collected by customers can be exchanged with free grocery essentials.
According to Piedad, the program is expected to return by the third or fourth quarter of this year. Laundry bars, detergent powder and beverages are among the “grocery essentials” that customers can exchange with their plastic trash. “Para po ma-practice natin ang recycling and reducing ang pagtapon ng basura,” Piedad added.
The program’s revival is in addition to the chain’s monthly upsizing promotions wherein members who buy bigger packs are rewarded with more membership points. This initiative, said Piedad, is to discourage the use of sachets, which clog drainage systems and cause flooding.
The chain’s another way to reduce plastic use is through "Walang Plastik Mondays," wherein customers are encouraged to bring their own eco bags in all of the chain’s stores in Metro Manila. The supermarket will also give P1 cashback for every eco bag used by Perks and Tindahan Ni Aling Puring members, who can earn up to P5 in savings for every transaction.
Green programs like these have resulted in a decline of almost 40% in the company’s purchase of single-use plastic bags in 2021. Almost half of the chain’s 440 stores nationwide have either discontinued the use of single-use plastic bags or transitioned to more sustainable materials such as recycled carton boxes or eco bags, said Piedad.
To date, all of the company’s stores are geared toward conversion to 100% LED (light-emitting diode) main lighting to reduce energy consumption. Further, the company’s 135 wastewater treatment facilities are compliant with government regulations, as it also ventures into Rainwater Catchment, Gray Water reuse and other water saving and mitigating measures to lessen the company’s impact on water resources, Piedad shared.
Instead of many trucks delivering the inventories to many stores, Piedad said the company shifted to minimizing all operations by assigning warehouses to service a number of stores, an effort that resulted in reducing the company’s carbon dioxide emission for up to 36%.
All these, Piedad said, are for championing sustainable and mindful retailing.
“We are very much invested in doing business sustainably and help the younger generations look forward to their future,” Puregold President Vincent Co enthused in a statement.
“This is a community effort and we hope to work hand-in-hand with our customers in achieving our objective.”
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