Category: News & Announcements

For our second week in this awareness series about Sustainable Procurement, as part of our efforts to advocate sustainable tourism practices here in the Philippines, we’ll be highlighting the impacts of problematic Single-Use Plastics, or SUPs, and how to procure more sustainable alternatives to these materials. Some of the impacts of SUPs on our environment are the following:  In light of these factors, here are some recommended criteria that businesses can consider on their next purchase of sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics.  However, in order to truly enhance the market for these alternatives, here are a few opportunities that the sector can maximize:  Legislation from local government units is the primary enabler Cost is the utmost priority for establishments More customers are starting to demand the use of more sustainable alternatives to SUPs from hospitality establishments With better regulatory framework and incentives coming from the government, a shift in both demand and supply can be expected  Hotel establishments can also look to these tips for managers, procurers, staff and guests in reducing SUPs, from the TVC project’s Campaign to Phase Out Single Use Plastics, available in English, Tagalog, and Ilonggo.  For a more practical guide in using more sustainable alternatives, you can also refer to the report, Addressing Pollution from Single-Use Plastic Products: A Life Cycle Approach, which was recently published by the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative earlier this year.  The report aims to educate tourism stakeholders and provide evidence-based guidance for decision-making to address pollution from single-use plastic products. Key messages and recommendations are presented for the following single-use plastic products: bottles, cups, bags, take-away food packaging and tableware.  You can learn more about recommended sustainability criteria for selected product groups in the report Local Market Readiness Analysis for Sustainable Procurement of Selected Products in the Philippine Hospitality Sector, written by Strategia Development Research Institute, Inc. and commissioned by PCEPSDI in 2019.  Stay tuned for more posts about this topic on our Facebook page here. 

Introduction to SP September 16, 2021 The Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) project aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase resource efficiency in the tourism sector of the Philippines. This means encouraging not only hotels and accommodation establishments and the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) industry to shift to more sustainable practices, but also their clients, suppliers, and other business partners as well. One of the ways that these tourism stakeholders can be more sustainable is to adopt sustainable procurement. Starting September 15, 2021, the TVC project will be conducting an online awareness series called “Adopting Sustainable Procurement in the Tourism Sector”, where infographics, articles, and reports on sustainable procurement will be shared to stakeholders. The objective of this initiative is to provide recommendations and case studies of existing businesses that integrated this concept in their operations, feature the environmental impacts of three selected product categories, and advise how tourism businesses can purchase more sustainable alternatives, based on the studies that the project has developed. These materials will especially be helpful for Purchasing, Engineering, F&B departments, or for the Management, should they be interested in greening their business value chain. So what exactly is Sustainable Procurement? Sustainable procurement, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (2017), is defined as “the process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves ‘value for money’ on a whole life basis”, in terms of generating benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society and the economy, whilst limiting damage to the environment. A lot of things can be done to foster the wider adoption of sustainable procurement practices in the tourism sector. Some of these are:  Working together with all relevant stakeholders along the tourism value chain  Empowering travelers to drive change Capacity building initiatives towards corporate buyers and staff to accelerate the adoption of sustainable procurement practices Certifications and consumer information tools  You can learn more about sustainable procurement in the report Transforming Tourism through Sustainable Procurement published by UNEP (2019).  You can also access materials of our awareness series through our Facebook pages – Transforming Tourism Value Chains – Philippines and the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc (PCEPSDI). 

According to a report by UN Environment, eight million tonnes of plastic are being washed to the world’s oceans every year and have affected not just marine biodiversity, but also communities and wildlife. The COVID-19 pandemic has also aggravated the plastic pollution due to an increase in the use and disposal of single-use items such as medical face masks, plastic gloves, hand sanitizer bottles, and food packaging. Eighty percent of tourist destinations are located in coastal areas, which makes the tourism sector even more susceptible to the tides of plastic pollution.   Tips on How to Travel Safely without Single-Use Plastics   In light of these factors, the Department of Tourism (DOT), through its sustainability campaign Save Our Spots, has collaborated with the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), through the Transforming Tourism Value Chains project, in cooperation with UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in creating an awareness campaign to reduce single-use plastics in the tourism sector while keeping in mind health and safety protocols. The key messages of the campaign are aligned with the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI), which seeks to unite the tourism sector behind a common vision to address the root causes of plastic pollution. The GTPI enables businesses, governments and other tourism stakeholders to take concerted action, leading by example in the shift towards circularity in the use of plastics.   Tips on How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics in Hotels   The campaign, funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety under their International Climate Initiative, is designed for three key audiences in mind: (1) hotel managers and procurement officers, (2) hotel staff, and (3) tourists and guests. It seeks to encourage the mindset that reduction of unnecessary plastic packaging is possible, while ensuring the health and safety of hotel staff and guests, by developing robust sanitization procedures, promoting digital and contactless transactions, and inviting guests to be part of the change. Other organizations that took part in the campaign are: Clean our Oceans Project (CoOp), Reef World Foundation, Philippine Hotel Owners Association, Inc., and World Wide Fund for Nature – Philippines (WWF-Philippines).   Group Photo of the Responsible Tourism through Plastic Upcycling and Waste Management online training To further encourage the hospitality sector to take action on plastic pollution amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a training webinar entitled “Responsible Tourism through Plastic Upcycling and Waste Management” was also hosted on December 15, 2020. Almost 70 participants from different sectors – government, academe, and private sector – attended the training webinar. Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat from the Department of Tourism also showed her support by welcoming the participants and delivering the opening remarks, stating that “with so many of our sights being close to the water, we must restart and revive our campaign to save our Spots and protect them from plastic pollution.” Speakers from CoOp and WWF-Philippines then enlightened participants about existing plastic waste management issues in the country, and how these pose a threat to the country’s marine biodiversity and conservation. They also showed how the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting such issues, and introduced ways on how tourism businesses can operate more responsibly and minimize unnecessary usage of disposable plastic packaging during the pandemic.  For more information about this campaign and the training webinar, or any interest in partnering with the TVC project, kindly email TVC’s Project Officer Kiko Velhagen at tvc4relcd@gmail.com or kiko.velhagen@pcepsdi.org.ph.    __________________________________________________ Co-organizers of the training webinar:  Ms. Anna Varona Founder, Clean Our Oceans Project  cleanouroceansproject@gmail.com Ms. Pauline Ramo Department of Tourism – Branding and Marketing Communications   pmramo@tourism.gov.ph

On October 28-29, 2020, the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), through the Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) project, has successfully conducted its second online training for tourism stakeholders entitled Low-Carbon Menus: Plant-based Culinary Training for the Hospitality Sector. As the TVC project continues to support the hospitality sector in enhancing sustainability performance, it also aligns with the Roadmap for Low-Carbon and Resource-Efficient Tourism in Philippines, which advocates four systemic solutions to advance sustainable tourism. These solutions are sustainable food value chains, sustainable events, waste reduction and management, and sustainable energy. The plant-based culinary training is designed under the TVC project to specifically support and implement sustainable food value chains by teaching stakeholders how to make their menu offerings healthier and more environmentally-friendly.  The training was hosted by PCEPSDI in collaboration with Humane Society International (HSI), an organization that works for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands-on programs. PCEPSDI and HSI designed the training as a campaign to encourage low-carbon menus through plant-based cooking and baking. Specifically, the training aimed to introduce to hotel and restaurant managers and event organizers the basic principles of meat reduction and animal welfare; to discuss how a plant-based diet can have a positive environmental impact, and how proper nutrition can be integrated in a plant-based diet; and to train hotel and restaurant chefs and food caterers how to create meat alternatives, and egg and dairy-free dishes. The training had two lecture presentations during the first day, and a series of cooking demos during the second day.  This training was supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), as represented by Mr. Albert Magalang, Chief Environmental Management Specialist, from the Climate Change Division, who gave the welcoming remarks for the two-day training. He notably mentioned the relevance of the training, saying that “… this training supports the plant-based program of DENR, … considering that reducing meat intake can mitigate overall greenhouse gas emissions”.  He also stated that there is a need to transform the way people produce and consume food which demands for more sustainable practices in the food industry and more climate-friendly dietary habits.    Shifting to plant-based diets leads to improved human health and environmental health, as shared by Mr. Jake Brandon Andal, RND in his discussion on meat reduction, animal welfare, and sustainability. Hotels and other tourism establishments, through their restaurants and catering, can then create much positive environmental impacts and health benefits in the way that food is served and consumed by guests and tourists. According to Dietary Guidelines (2010) as cited by Mr. Andal, “Vegetarian-style eating patterns have been associated with improved health outcomes, including lower levels of obesity, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, and lower total mortality”. With this, optimal health can be the key motivator for plant-based eating. Asst. Prof. Luz Felicidad Callanta, RND, MSN, reiterated the health benefits of such a diet, emphasizing that eating meals should be complete, balanced, and varied. She also gave tips for individual consumers on how to start a healthy plant-based eating style, and how to communicate being vegan to other people.  .    The cooking demos on Day 2 were led by HSI Plant-based Chefs, Chef Marie Isabelle Tomas, Owner of Antojitos, and Chef Alvic Ong, Lead Chef of iVegan Restaurant. They presented meat-free and dairy-free recipes that are both easy to follow and affordable, and can also be served in hotel and restaurant establishments. Going plant-based does not need to be difficult and impractical, so they wanted to impart their knowledge and advocacy to tourism stakeholders to shift to more low-carbon menus in their daily business offerings.  For more information about this training, or any interest in partnering with the TVC project, kindly email TVC’s Project Officer Kiko Velhagen at tvc4relcd@gmail.com or kiko.velhagen@pcepsdi.org.ph.  __________________________________________________ Plant-based Nutritionists and Chefs:  Mr. Jake Brandon Andal, RND Meat Reduction, Animal Welfare, and Sustainability Plant-Based Diet: Improve your Health, Save the Planet! Asst. Prof. Luz Felicidad Callanta, RND, MSN Nutrition in a Plant-Based Diet Chef Marie Isabelle Tomas Meat Alternatives Culinary Training Chef Alvic Ong Egg and Dairy-free Baking and Desserts

Last August 2020, the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), through the Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) project, hosted its first successful online training for tourism stakeholders, the Food Safety & Food Waste Management Training for the Hospitality Sector  dated on 24th-25th and 27th-28th. The TVC project, which is continuously welcoming and providing technical support to new partners from the hotel and MICE sectors, is guided by the Roadmap for Low-Carbon and Resource-Efficient Tourism in the Philippines. The Roadmap proposes four systemic solutions for sustainable tourism, namely: sustainable food value chains, sustainable events, waste reduction and management, and sustainable energy. This training, the first in a series, supports the implementation of sustainable food value chains in the industry by promoting widespread adoption of food waste monitoring and reduction, as well as reviewing cooking and storage practices in kitchens.    In partnership with and guidance from The Sustainable Diner project of the World Wide Fund for Nature – Philippines (WWF-PH), the training aimed to increase stakeholders’ familiarity with food safety and hygiene practices in the kitchen, which is especially relevant in today’s COVID-19 new normal, and at the same time for them to minimize food waste in daily operations. The two batches of training were attended by several food & beverage representatives from the hotel and MICE sectors, such as hygienists and safety officers, servers and executive chefs, and hotel and restaurant managers .  The training was supported by representatives from the Department of Tourism (DOT), with Assistant Secretary Rica Bueno, from the Tourism Regulation Coordination & Resource Generation, stating that “…as we open our borders and our doors to our local and foreign tourists once again, we want them to gain and restore that confidence that we are doing everything to contain the spread of this virus.” Director Virgilio Maguigad, from the Office of Tourism Standards and Regulation, also stated that “It [makes] good business sense for hotels and restaurants to be able to minimize food waste… [and] ensure that experiences for visitors and customers in the Philippines would be of the highest standards”.  Reducing risks of food borne illnesses and improving the nutritional status of consumers can contribute to achieving food security, a crucial issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Food Summit, “food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” The first day of the training sought to impart these principles of food safety. Ms. Iris Abrigo, the Sustainable Business Officer for The Sustainable Diner project, gave an overview of COVID-19 and its transmission, its impacts on food, and principles of proper food handling. “[As] the prime entity responsible to produce safe and quality food, we, as food business operators, are expected to deliver food that will not cause harm,” Ms. Abrigo states.  Group photo of Food Waste Management Training For the second day of the training, Ms. Alexa Jeanne Lasch, Sustainable Business Specialist from WWF’s The Sustainable Diner project, conducted the Food Waste segment by discussing agriculture and the foodservice industry’s environmental impacts, and the interrelationships between climate change, food waste and hunger. One-third of the world’s food production still goes to waste despite the increasing number of people experiencing involuntary hunger. In addition, the food waste rotting in landfills contributes to additional greenhouse gases that speed up climate change. “The number one priority is to reduce [food waste] at the source, then donate what is not preventable and divert everything that remains.” Ms. Lasch discusses how having a food waste management system and pursuing food waste reduction strategies can help minimize the waste being generated by establishments, and therefore their carbon footprint.  For more information about this training, or any interest in partnering with the TVC project, kindly email TVC’s Project Officer Mr. Kiko Velhagen at tvc4relcd@gmail.com or kiko.velhagen@pcepsdi.org.ph. 

The World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines) organised The Sustainable Diner Summit together with different partners (as PCEPSDI is one of the partner organisation) through The Sustainable Diner: A Key Ingredient for Sustainable Tourism last March 03, 2020 at Seda Vertis North, Quezon City. The theme of the event is Beyond Research: Sustainability in the Food Service Sector. Present from the event were from national agencies and local government units; the food and beverage industry; hospitality industry; the academe, etc.   Photo by: WWF-Philippines During the Sustainable Diner Summit, PCEPSDI’s Programme Director of the National Ecolabelling Programme-Green Choice Philippines, Engr. Maureen Grace Lebria, presented and emphasised that sustainability is a process. She stated that some products are more preferable than others because of its minimised effects to the environment. She also stated that it is also crucial that the consumers guide to these products and services should proven to be good for the environment and Green Choice Seal can help achieve these goals.   Photo by: WWF-Philippines On the other hand, PCEPSDI’s Board of Trustee, Dr. Alvin Culaba, also participated at the said event. He discussed the tool that are helpful for the industries to measure the environmental impacts, which is the Life Cycle Analysis or LCA. It is an information tool for guiding the consumers’ decision using environmental performance indicators and product declarations. He also stated during his presentation that “Casual restaurants are encouraged to shift to serving vegetable dishes and create awareness campaigns to encourage diners to consume higher portions of vegetables than meat.” Read more of the details here: https://www.bworldonline.com/saving-the-planet-one-dish-at-a-time/?fbclid=IwAR0_CuFl3LQ4cfjWPt4gsYCG5dJWH6lElLoHAdclTnGsv179wpr8iM_Gsgc