Nestlé Philippines is pushing for the signing into law of the consolidated legislation on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic waste before President Duterte ends his term at the end of the month.
“EPR’s enactment into law will be a major step in building a waste-free future and a circular economy,” said Kais Marzouki, Nestle Philippines chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement.
The legislation defines EPR as the environmental policy approach and practice that requires producers to be environmentally responsible throughout the life cycle of a product, especially its post-consumer or end-of-life stage.
Coverage will encompass large enterprises.
Plastic packaging refers to products utilized to carry, protect or pack goods for transportation, distribution and sale.
These include: sachets, labels, laminates and other flexible plastic packaging products, whether single or multi-layered; rigid plastic packaging products; plastic bags for carrying or transporting of goods and provided or utilized at point of sale; and polystyrene.
“Even as we pursue economic, social and environmental sustainability, Nestlé has embarked on a journey of regeneration: to help protect, renew and restore the environment, improve the livelihoods of farmers, and enhance the resilience and well-being of communities and consumers. Putting into practice EPR on plastic waste will be a landmark development for sustainability and regeneration,” Marzouki said,
Nestle is the country’s first multinational fast-moving consumer goods company to achieve plastic neutrality – recovering plastic waste equivalent to what it puts out in the market – collecting 48 million kilograms of plastic waste from August 2020 to May 2022.
Nestlé PH has transitioned to paper straws for its locally manufactured ready-to-drink products, the country’s first F and B manufacturer to do so. Nestlé h globally aims to make its packaging 100 percent recyclable or reusable by 2025. Irma Isip
