Image via WikipediaAdvocating 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,” shares 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.”
Greener Operations
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 fishes.
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 Businessuses 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.
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/292505/green-make
