HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL

True Sustainability entails an ESG agenda where Environment, Social and Governance agendas all play vital roles. Here in our country, Sustainability has evolved to become a catch-all phrase that many companies ‘pledge allegiance’ to, and wave the flag for, even when their Sustainability initiatives are centered on only one of the agendas. In itself, that’s still encouraging, but it does demonstrate how so much still has to be done to further the cause. So it’s good to recognize when companies championing Sustainability embark on initiatives that take ESG a step further - as a stepping stone to resilience and future-proofing their operations, and introducing new technology to the country-at-large.

You take help where you can get it, recognize how other countries may have advanced or better technical solutions, and see how working together can bring about effective synergies. Such is the case with the news I read the other week about SM Prime entering into a joint venture with the Yokohama-based, Japanese company GUUN Co. Ltd. With SM Prime holding 70 percent of the equity of the joint venture company; the memorandum of understanding signed by SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans Sy and GUUN CEO Shinji Fujieda, promises “to explore waste management, and the recycling of waste paper and plastics into ‘fluff fuel’ for alternative energy.”

The big idea it would seem is to learn from Japanese best practices, and develop infrastructure for systematic waste management and resource recovery. The hope is that this will directly result in reducing landfill impact on both SM Prime and non-SM properties, and will complement the material recovery facility operations of the local government units (LGU’s).

As I understand it, ‘fluff fuel’ is produced from non-recyclable and hard to recycle waste, through a system of sorting, curating and formulating to meet particular chemical limits. The fuel is an alternative to solid fossil fuels - and can be used for cement kilns and industrial boilers and dryers in power plants, and in textile and paper mills. It has a history of effective use for controlling land filled waste in Japan, offering two distinct benefits: a second life for solid waste as productive fuels, and offering job opportunities for waste pickers to become waste sorters in the ‘fluff fuel’ facilities.

In the mix of plastics, paper and textiles that can be converted to ‘fluff fuel’, we find used coffee cups and lids, pizza boxes and cardboard containers with plastic linings, disposable wooden or plastic utensils including used chopsticks, sanitary plastic sleeves and envelopes. This covers many types of unsegregated waste, and if you think about it, is a great solution to how Filipinos are presently inefficient in handling waste, and/or practicing segregation.

For SM’s Hans Sy, the positive impact for LGU’s was a strong deciding factor on embarking on this JV, “It is exciting for SM Prime to partner with GUUN Japan, with a joint mission to bridge the gap between society and the environment in the Philippines through investing in their pioneering solid waste technology, which will eventually benefit all the communities that SM Prime serves.”

In consonance with the mission to create positive impact, GUUN’s Shinji Fujieda echoed the sentiment of Mr. Sy: “At GUUN, we are ready to make every effort to contribute significantly to the Philippines and evolve the resource circulation system. The partnership with SM Prime leaves us with no doubt that we can succeed.”

Recognition of the importance of such partnerships in advancing sustainable waste management practices came from Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga, “The DENR continues to collaborate with development partners and the private sector in tackling the challenges of solid waste management. Implementing industrial-scale, appropriate transition technologies for segregation and processing is a crucial step toward achieving a circular economy. Partnerships like the one between SM Prime and GUUN play a vital role in shaping a sustainable future.”
Me, I’ve always had a rather cynical outlook on garbage and solid waste collection in this country. We advocate waste management and segregation; but I’ve often wondered about how, after they’re collected, if the separation/segregation is even maintained - or does it all end up in one landfill, in a dumping site? Right? I mean, who is watching, checking?

At least this JV holds the promise of transforming certain types of solid waste into alternative fuels, and it doesn’t take away the roles of the collectors, even finding new job opportunities for the waste pickers to be sorters at the facilities that will crop up. This should be met with relief for those who operate within the ecosystem of garbage collection. Their LGU contracts, the jobs created, aren’t being imperilled; and they can possibly even be enhanced. Coupled with the news two weeks ago of how much plastic waste ends up in our oceans and waterways, it’s alternative solutions such as these that sound like music to my ‘hoping to be sustainable’ ears.