The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has given the Green, Healthy, Smart, and Sustainable Ecozone Award to Lopez-led First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) for its “notable commitment to promoting healthy industrialization and sustainably-designed, smart, and green economic zone.”
FPIP was one of only two ecozones to receive the award – the first to be given by PEZA to honor outstanding registered economic zone locators.
PEZA opened the new Green, Healthy, Smart and Sustainable Ecozone Award category for the year 2020 ceremonies as a way to encourage ecozone developers to, among other things, “design ecozone towards sustainability and a decarbonized future;” and “adopt clean and green technologies/methodologies” that would make ecozone operations “more efficient and environment-friendly.”
To earn the award, FPIP met 10 rigorous qualifying criteria, such as compliance with requirements under Renewable Energy (RE) Act of 2008; the Clean Air Act; the Philippine Green Building Code; and the Energy Efficiency Conservation Act.
The criteria also included putting in place various systems -- solid and liquid waste disposal system; recycling system; energy management system and RE development; water use and re-use System – on top of projects designed to minimize the impact of climate change.
A 520-hectare ecozone in Santo Tomas and Tanauan in Batangas, FPIP was established by the Lopez Group through First Philippine Holdings Corporation, together with Sumitomo Corporation of Japan, as a way of helping create jobs for Filipinos by developing a world-class location for manufacturers and traders from around the world.
To date, FPIP and its locators provide employment for over 60,000 Filipinos.
Five FPIP locators also received their respective recognitions and awards from PEZA.
Brother Industries (Philippines), Inc., was honored as an Outstanding Employer, and for its Outstanding Environmental Performance, as well as Covid-19 Response; B/E Aerospace, was cited as Outstanding Exporter; Canon Business Machines (Philippines), Inc., received the Galing Pinas! Special Citation for Local Purchases on top of its Outstanding Environmental Performance Award; Ibiden (Philippines), Inc., was elevated to the Hall of Fame for winning three times the Outstanding Community Project Award; and Philippine Manufacturing Co. of Murata, Inc., was conferred a Covid-19 Response Award.