The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, passed in July of the previous year, is a law which mandates companies to participate in waste management programs.
Simply put, certain companies who produce and use plastic are obligated to collect an equivalent volume back through diversion programs like recovery and recycling.
In support of this new law, snacks maker Mondelez Philippines has partnered with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) to recover and divert the equivalent of 100 percent of its plastic packaging footprint used for its food products sold in the market.
Mondelez Philippines and Plastic Credit Exchange are partnering in support of the EPR Law. Photo shows, from left: Mondelez Philippines past Corporate and Government Affairs Country Manager Atty. Joseph Fabul, Mondelez Philippines VP and Managing Director Aleli Arcilla, and Plastic Credit Exchange founder Nanette Medved Po.
Mondelez Philippines is the maker of beloved heritage snack brands like Oreo, Tang, Toblerone, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Eden Cheese, and Cheez Whiz. The company’s purpose is to empower people to snack right with a mission to lead the future of snacking by offering the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. Snacking made right means focusing where the company can make a bigger difference and deliver greater long-term and positive impact.
The company’s strategy and goals in addressing these key focus areas are central to supporting growth around the world, including reducing the company’s environmental footprint. To this end, the company aims to use less packaging, better packaging, and support waste collection systems.
In 2022, ahead of the implementation of the EPR law, the company was able to collect 243,000 kilos of plastic waste, which is equivalent to the weight of two blue whales.
100 percent plastic waste collection
Under the EPR Law, identified companies are required to collect back 20 percent of their plastic output by the end of 2023. To support the passing of the law and to reduce its impact on the planet, Mondelez Philippines is partnering with PCX for the recovery and diversion of 100 percent of the equivalent of its yearly plastic packaging output.
This means that for 2023, the company aims to ensure that 100 percent of the amount of plastic packaging used for their products and sold in the market are part of resource recovery programs. This commitment comes ahead of the requirements of the EPR law and is something the company will uphold moving forward.
“We fully support and laud the passing of the Extended Producer Responsibility act,” said Aleli Arcilla, Mondelez Philippines managing director. “We share the belief of our lawmakers that optimal EPR laws are a practical and efficient contribution for waste management systems. We intend to go above and beyond compliance as early as this year by ensuring we are 100 percent plastic neutral by the end of 2023. We thank our partner PCX for providing us with the capability to carry out our commitments and transform them into concrete actions.”
Waste diversion: How it happens
PCX partners with organizations who collect and divert post-consumer plastic waste within a credible, traceable, transparent, environmentally sound, and socially responsible framework. The organization is geared toward promoting various solution sets that aim to remove plastic away from nature, and effective reduction and disposal of plastic waste in the Philippines.
By working with waste collectors, recyclers, and diverters in the country, the organization is able to help companies like Mondelez Philippines achieve their sustainability goals and ensure fewer plastic ends up in oceans, waterways, and landfills.
Most importantly, PCX is able to channel investment to grow and strengthen the circular plastic economy in the country. A circular plastic economy means that plastic is not treated as waste, but rather is viewed as a resource that can be reused and repurposed. This model aims to eventually eliminate plastic waste and pollution.
“It is wonderful to welcome Mondelez Philippines to the PCX community of passionate and committed private sector partners who together aim to deliver meaningful change to this urgent and important issue,” said Nanette Medved Po, founder of PCX.
“Through this commitment, we are showing support for the EPR Law and encouraging other companies and industries to do the same. Plastic waste reduction and collection is everyone’s responsibility. Let us work to create a cleaner and waste-free Philippines as our legacy to future generations,” added Atty. Joseph Fabul, former country manager for Corporate and Government Affairs of Mondelez Philippines,