7 firms skip single-use plastics, over 1M disposable plastic waste avoided

MANILA, Philippines — It took seven companies just a month to avoid wasting over one million single-use plastics, an environment advocacy group said on Friday.

In a statement, Oceana said that the outstanding figures came as some private companies adopted their advocacy of doing away with single-use plastics, or containers that would not be used again and would turn into garbage.

According to the non-government organization, local businesses Akbayanihan, Back to Basics, Eco Shift, Katha, Lush, Balay Qubo, and The Bamboo Company avoided a total of 1,055,098 single-use plastic just from November to December 2020

Oceana itself monitored the stores to count the number of transactions that occurred — or the number of plastic-free products created and sold to customers.

“We are elated that our #DiNaSingle partners persevere in mainstreaming plastic-free alternatives and minimize packaging to reduce waste even without receiving incentives from the government,” Oceana vice president Gloria Estenzo Ramos said.

“They are displaying ethical leadership in showing that business can still run without adding to the pervasive plastic litter that the world and our oceans face. We are confident that more enterprises will follow suit for the care of our environment and our children’s future,” she added.

Oceana noted that it is a god way to celebrate January, the Zero Waste Month and at the same time 20th anniversary since the passage of Republic Act No. 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

While a lot of companies have not yet shifted or adopted this policy of not using single-use plastics, the group understands that there is still much work to do.

They also noted that a lot of responsibility sits on the Philippines’ shoulder, as it is one of the top five countries blamed for polluting seas with plastics.  It is ironic, Oceana pointed out, as the Philippines benefits a lot from seas being an archipelago beside the Pacific Ocean.

“We have abused our natural life support systems and recklessly trashed plastics everywhere as if it is our birthright. It is high time for the Government to step in and stop the plastics pollution at the source,” Oceana said.

“We are a mega-diverse country but so vulnerable to disasters and climate change. Yet these do not seem to be factored in the decision-making process,” it added.

EDV