“Uniting diverse industries in the pursuit of organic waste treatment for river preservation.” - Sustainability Committee.
On 29 November 2023, the Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines hosted the last Sustainability Committee Meeting for 2023 with the topic Organic Waste Treatment in River Preservation at AstraZeneca Office, Inoza Tower, BGC.
Representatives of various companies and organizations attended the event, namely, Avantgarde Infra Machine Technik Inc, BANTU Philippines, BDO Unibank, Inc, Colliers International (Philippines), Inc., Globe Telecom, KeystonePartners and Keystone WorldBridge Holdings, Odfjell Technology Philippines Corporation, Plastic Bank Philippines, PWC Philippines, Q2 HR Solutions Inc., Robinsons Land Corporation, UNHCR, and Universal Robina Corporation.
Esteemed speakers were John Rey Dañgilan, Jr., Head of Business Development and Marketing & Communications at Artelia Philippines, Inc., and Daniel Scheler, Project Manager Philippines at One Earth - One Ocean.
John Rey started his presentation with Artelia Philippines’ Organic Waste Treatment Facility project, a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders. He also introduced Artelia Philippines, the consulting and engineering arm, by highlighting their extensive experience and diverse client portfolio, including prominent names like Shell, Nestle, and Decathlon across different industries. The key focus was their role in designing and implementing sustainable solutions, particularly waste management. His presentation showcased their project, involving partnerships with entities such as Syctom in France and local groups like MMDA, LGU Pasay, and even SM Mall of Asia, which would provide the facility with waste. The emphasis was on reducing landfill-bound waste, particularly organic waste, through meticulous planning, feasibility studies, and community engagement. The project aimed not only to treat kitchen waste but also to expand to coconut husks, with plans for further waste treatment in subsequent phases, potentially extending to plastic waste. John Rey also highlighted the facility's operational details, equipment specifics, and the vision for replication in other LGUs, demonstrating a commitment to tackling waste management challenges beyond the immediate scope of the current project.
Daniel followed the presentation by sharing the mission and initiatives of One Earth One Ocean (OEOO) on addressing marine litter. Founded by Mr. Günther Bonin after witnessing a dense carpet of marine litter while sailing across the Atlantic, OEOO aims to conserve oceans through litter collection, education, and scientific research. The vision highlighted the development of a comprehensive fleet, including vessels like the sea cow, sea hamsters, and the upcoming sea elephant, each tailored to address different water depths and litter situations. Daniel stressed the need for ongoing private funding to sustain their global projects, emphasizing the organization's independence from government funding to ensure long-term impact. Education and scientific research were key pillars, with partnerships with schools and educational institutions, like Holcim and the Department of Education, to integrate marine litter awareness into curricula. His presentation also detailed the evolution of OEOO's vessels, their functions in marine litter collection, and their roles as science labs and educational platforms. The focus was not solely on collecting massive quantities of litter but on data collection, education, and impactful scientific research. Daniel highlighted ongoing projects in various countries, illustrating the organization's global reach and diverse collaborations, from river cleanups in Manila to initiatives in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Germany, and Denmark. He also emphasized community engagement, such as partnerships with local fishing communities and educational workshops for children, showcasing a multifaceted approach to combatting marine litter and fostering environmental awareness.
After the presentations, attendees participated in a speed networking and wrote their key takeaways:
Cooperation in research and data gathering
Employ people to clean up/recycle
Incentives to measure greater participation
Sustainable operations and awareness for the community
Focus on making a lasting impact on everyone to ensure that efforts will not be rendered fleeting
Separate government entity to achieve sustainability goals
The NordCham Sustainability Committee aims for more collaboration across industries and learning opportunities from experts in the field of sustainability. Since April 2022, the Sustainability Committee has hosted 18 meetings on varying sustainability topics with resource speakers and sharing of best practices, networking opportunities and partnerships, and collaboration with government units.
