MONDELEZ PHILIPPINES, formerly known as Kraft Foods Philippines, has been diligently pursuing its Go Green program since 2008. Its local arm, Mondelez Philippines, Inc. (MPI), maintains the effort not only for itself but also the 65,000 residents of BF Homes in Sucat, Paranaque, where the company's manufacturing site can be found.

"We have been a community partner of Paranaque for almost 50 years, since our plant opened in 1963," shared MPI Integrated Supply Chain Director Gautam Pal.

Through the Go Green program, MPI focuses on the efficient use of resources like water and electricity; hence, carbon emissions can also be reduced. Its simple reason behind the initiative is to "do well, by oing good." In the process, MPI considers social, economic, and environmental responsibility. The firm believes that these three factors complement one another for the benefit of both the present arid future generations.

For less electric consumption, Go Green takes natural lighting into account. Solatubes and other appliances that run on the sun's energy, and that have motion sensors for switching on and off, are used within MPI's business grounds.

To save on water, Mr. Pal said that MPI acquired a rainwater harvesting tank. A reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light system are now also in place for wastewater treatment. With those facilities, the company can use recycled water for its plant care, housekeeping, and other day­to­day tasks.

Solid waste management is another crucial part of the Go Green program. An area for the recycling and proper disposal of trash was also set up. Within their plant, MPI is also looking to install biomass boilers, which if done correctly, efficiently burn biodegradable sources of energy for the supply of power. Also, in partnership with the ABS­CBN Foundation's Bantay Langis program, oil that goes into MPI's production is treated and then sold for reuse.

At the same time, MPI continually reminds all its employees to observe habits like waste segregation, and turning light switches or faucet knobs off when not in use.

When Go Green began, its long­term objective was to lessen the firm's waste generation by 5% year on year by 2013. Today, MPI is happy to report that it has achieved that goal. The energy it has now been able to conserve is enough to bring light and electricity to the manufacturing site for as much as three months. To give everyone a better idea, that amount of unused power is also equal to 7.5 round trip flights from Manila to Southern Australia.

Meanwhile, the water that the company has saved over the five­year period is enough to fill up to eight Olympic­sized swimming pools, which typically hold 2,500,000 liters each. So if one does the math, it sums up to 20,000,000 liters of water in total savings.

MPI was most recently lauded by the Singapore­based Pinnacle Group at the 4th Global CSR Awards on April 19, 2012 at the Shangri La Hotel in Boracay, Aklan. The Global CSR Awards is an annual event to honor firms for their programs that show respect for individuals, communities, and the environment in their business operations. MPI also received the Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Awards for energy savings in 2012.

"Our actions don't just make sense for our business," said MPI General Manager Sudip Mall. "We also work to protect resources for future generations. I would like to add that it is truly remarkable the way our employees have relentlessly focused on driving our environmental initiatives, of which this [water recycling] facility is an Green, S5/10 Green, from S5/4 example. We are very proud of the award  bestowed upon us and this new phase of our program for the planet's betterment."

For his part, Mr. Pal said that the water treatment upgrades were made to benefit their surroundings. "By using less water, and using it smartly, we are able to contribute to our community's efforts to save our water resources."

A few months later that same year, MPI also won the Eco Switch award from the Green Philippines Islands of Sustainability (GPIoS) for starting the Go Green program. The award ceremony was held on Sept. 26 at the New World Hotel, Makati City.

GPIoS is a project under theEuropean Union's SWITCH­Asia Program, which aims to foster eco­sustainability within firms that do business in the Philippines.

Its list of affiliates comprises the Technical University of Ostrava in Czech Republic, Center for Appropriate .Technology in Austria, Austria Recycling (AREC), Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP),  Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and Philippine Business for Environment (PBE).

MPI knows, however, that Go Green's true success lies in its continuation. "While we are proud of our Go Green program, we know there is still a lot more we can do to be an active contributor to the planet's well­being. So we are continuously developing our processes," said Mr. Pal. "Being part of the GPIoS­ EcoSwitch project is one way we ensure the care of the environment not just for one day, but aspart of the way we do business.

Our manufacturing processes and our office environment are designed so that 'being green' is top of mind, always." Even though the first half of 2013 has already gone by, the company hopes to uphold its earth­friendly initiatives for as long as it operates.

Source: Business World; News; 15 July 2013