Environment Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga has called on industries, such as those engaged in agriculture and manufacturing, to integrate sustainability in all aspects of their business as their contribution to environmental protection.

During her speech at the launching of the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production (PAP4SCP) on Feb. 13, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) chief said that the country's inadequate solid waste management system has been challenged by the parallel effects of being an international hub for manufacturing and production, as well as increased consumption.

The Philippines’ current production systems, according to Loyzaga, have become “not sustainable.”

“We are consuming and disposing more quickly and far more than our environment can support, putting our future at risk,” she said.

Loyzaga said companies must work together on integrating sustainability into all aspects of the supply chain, noting that “all have a stewardship role in terms of protecting our environment and natural resources, and this responsibility is not solely the DENR’s.”

“The sustainable production and consumption policies we design must therefore be trans-disciplinal, time-sensitive, and spatially targeted in order for them to be transformational,” the DENR chief said.

Sustainable production entails creating commodities with a little environmental impact as well as goods and services that cater to the requirements of the present without endangering the usage of future generations, she pointed out.

Loyzaga stated that the sustainable production model must strike a balance between economic growth, social equity and responsibility, and environmental protection.

Developed by the National Economic and Development Authority with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, the PAP4SCP will serve as a “guiding framework at the national level to lead sustainable behaviors and practices across sectors and at all levels of government.”