It's part of a company's effort to become plastic-neutral
It is non-negotiable that we use and produce plastic day by day. Especially in this generation where people produced mostly plastic containers and ready-to-go drinks and food.
Plastic wastes are such a serious problem in global pollution and are the biggest threats to the health of the oceans that sustain humanity and endaring the lives of the people as well.
Nestle Philippines is a food company that produces and markets products under some of the country's well known brands such as Nescafe, Milo, and Nestea. In the Philippines alone, 2.7 million tons of plastic waste are generated each year and an estimated 20 percent of this ends up in the ocean, making the country among the largest contributors to marine plastic pollution in the world.
This is the main reason why Nestle, the world's largest food and beverage company is pursuing to become a neutral in plastic. As they used plastic in their products, they sought to recycle and help our oceans from plastic wastes.
Nestlé's vision is that none of their packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill, oceans, lakes and rivers. They are working hard to deliver on it and help achieve a waste-free future.
“Our vision at Nestlé is that none of our packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill, oceans, lakes and rivers. We are working hard to deliver on it and help achieve a waste-free future." said Christine Ponce-Garcia, sustainability lead of Nestlé PH.
To celebrate the World's Ocean Day, Nestle PH "Nestlé Cares," a global volunteer program in which employees initiate activities that benefit local communities and the planet and scuba divers from the company in collaboration with the marine conservation social enterprise Pure Oceans, gathered for a Clean Up Dive Activity in Mabini, Batangas.
During the activity, they also shared on how to sort the wastes from the trash that they collected that day. In addition, Nestle conducted seminars and modules reaching 20,000 public schools nationwide and millions of Grades one to 10 students.
According to Miggo Bautista, sustainability manager of Nestlé PH, “The theme of World Oceans Day this year is ‘Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean.’ Together, we can do more… The work begins among ourselves, members of the Nestlé family, with a passion for caring for the environment.”
At the end of the activity, the team gathered 80 kilos of plastic waste. Meanwhile, from August 2020 to May 2022, the company already collected close to 48 million kilos of plastic waste. (Contributed by Blessie Caballero, student from CMU)