Adopting Sustainable Procurement in the Tourism Sector | Options for Air-conditioning and Cooling Equipment

For our third 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 air-conditioning and cooling equipment, and how to procure more sustainable alternatives to these materials. Some of the impacts of cooling equipment 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 options to air-conditioning and cooling equipment: However, in order to truly enhance the market for these alternatives, here are a few opportunities that the sector can maximize:  Economic incentives such as competitive pricing compared to conventional options, and lower monthly utility costs Further education about sustainable options with government and consumer campaigns  Green labels have more influence compared to other product groups, resulting in more educating and awareness raising  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. 

Adopting Sustainable Procurement in the Tourism Sector: Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics

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. 

Adopting Sustainable Procurement in the Tourism Sector: An Online Awareness Series  

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). 

Roadmap Workshop 2: Environmental Hotspots and Long-listing Solutions in the Packaging Sector

The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, INC. (PCEPSDI), through its Sustainable Packaging Towards Marine Litter Reduction Project, held a Training Webinar entitled “Development of a Private Sector Roadmap for Sustainable Packaging Workshop 2: Environmental Hotspots and Longlisting Solutions in the Packaging Sector” on September 15, 2021. The webinar aims for different private and public sectors in the Philippines to develop their roadmap for sustainable packaging, as well as to identify Environmental hotspots found throughout the main value chain stages – sourcing raw materials, manufacturing/production, distribution & sales, use/consumption, and end of life (waste) – will then be identified and prioritized by participants in this second workshop. Right after, the results will be used to create a long list of solutions for sustainable packaging, which will be categorized into themes such as Management, Technology, Policy, and Financial. During the webinar proper, Ms. Erica Nicole Gomez, the project officer of the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, INC. (PCEPSDI), provided the Opening Remarks by reintroducing PCEPSDI as well as the National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP) and highlighted some of what PCEPSDI and how NELP-GCP can help consumers choose environmentally-preferable products, and how the development of the sustainable packaging criteria is done. The Project Consultant of Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), Mr. Kiko E. Velhagen headed the draft Value Chain for Packaging. The draft was consisting of three major concepts, the value chain; which is the sequence of activities or parties that provide or receive value in the form of products and services, environmental hotspot; is a process or activity which accounts for a significant proportion of the environmental impact in the value chain and the systematic solution which is a strategic theme for a group of actions and interventions with the same overarching goal. The overall aim of this project is to provide guidelines on sustainable packaging towards reducing marine litter.  Ms. Paulith Ann Aguilar, the Research Assistant of Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), provides examples of tested solutions that work. Author: Engr. Augusto Luis Labos

Cultivating Green Consumerism through Sustainable Practices in a Fast-Paced Society

The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, INC. (PCEPSDI), through its Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Project held an Awareness Seminar on September 8, 2021, entitled “Cultivating Green Consumerism through Sustainable Practices in a Fast-Paced Society”. The Awareness Seminar aims to continuously promote the advancement of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in the country, increase the awareness level of the participants on the significance of green purchasing and enlighten the consumers regarding the environmental initiatives of SM Supermalls by providing convenience and accessibility to products and services all over the country. During the seminar proper, Ms. Erica Nicole Gomez, Sustainable Packaging Project Officer of the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, INC. (PCEPSDI) led the participants regarding the purpose of the seminar through her opening remarks. Ms. Gomez stressed out that there is indeed a necessity of engaging the people through multiple initiatives such as events, webinars, and activities to promote green practices and to be equipped with more sustainable tools and approaches in the country beyond understanding the What, How and Why’s of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Project. As the first speaker, Mr. June Alvarez, the President and Executive Director of the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc., and the country’s representative to the Global Eco-labelling Network (GEN) presented the Philippine Environment, Ecosystems and the Environmental Issues and Concerns in our country to equip the participants with more understanding why we need to employ and incorporate Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in our business operations and lifestyle. Mr. Alvarez stressed how important the Laws of Ecology are, which is essential for us to understand and analyze the phenomena in our environment. He implies that “everything must go somewhere else as if we burn garbage, it doesn’t end with it but goes and affects others”.  He reminded the participants of how blessed our country is in terms of the biotic and abiotic factors in our ecosystems. However, humans become a threat to the environment as it disrupts the global cycles through anthropogenic activities. As we face different phenomena in our country, Mr. Alvarez discusses how we can respond to the given environmental concerns by sharing a sustainable lifestyle that we can go through in our little ways. Mr. Alvarez ended his Green Consumerism and Green Productivity for Achieving a Sustainable Lifestyle presentation by introducing the tools and practices of the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) project and its goal which is about the use of services and related products which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and the effect on the environment. He left the quote that “SCP is not necessarily consuming less. It is about doing more and better with less”. To introduce the National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP), Ms. Jouelle Hannah Nerveza, the Programme Officer of the National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP) focused on discussing topics such as Green Purchasing, Green Products, and Checking the Label as the second speaker of the awareness seminar.  To promote Green Purchasing, Ms. Nervesa persuaded the participants to consider the environment as a basis of their decision before purchasing products and services. She also informed the public that we should start patronizing Green Products rather than Conventional products for the reason that Green Products produce low pollution, are resource-saving, and are recyclable compared to conventional products that have no environmental benefits. To end her presentation, she stressed out that checking the products labeling is a significant approach to value green purchasing and the use of ecolabelling is a vital communication tool to raise consumers’ market-driven consciousness.  MS. Jouelle Hannah M. Nerveza, Programme Officer, National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP). As the third speaker of the awareness seminar, Ms. Paulith Aguilar, Researcher of the Sustainable Packaging towards Marine Litter Reduction Project under Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI) bestowed informative discussion about how sustainable packaging can reduce marine litter. Her discussion was mainly focused on the status of the marine environment, the relevance of greening the packaging industry in the Philippines and providing opportunities for engagement through the Sustainable Packaging Towards Marine Litter Reduction Project. To engage the participants in the Eco-friendly initiatives of SM Investment Corporations, Ms. Marimar E. Baticulon, the Sustainability Manager of SM Investments Corporation focuses on discussing “The SM Ecosystem for our Communities and the Environment”. Ms. Baticulon shares to the public the SM Green Movement as one of their Eco-friendly initiatives which aim is to make sustainable living easy by building an ecosystem of sustainable businesses. She stressed out that going green is advocating for green living and the customers have a big part of it because they have the power to change our environment. Furthermore, part of SM Investment Corporations initiatives in Going Green, are promoting green products and services and adopting green practices in their operations such as embracing sewage treatment plants to recycle wastewater for future consumption. SM Supermalls also encourage their customers to engage in their Trash to Cash Project and their newly established project the SM Sustainability School as part of their advocacy for green living. Ms. Marimar E. Baticulon, Sustainability Manager, SM Investments Corporation. As the last speaker of the awareness seminar, Ms. Maureen Grace V. Lebria the Programmes & Projects Director under the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI) shared different ways on greening the Food Service and Tourism sectors, approaches on how we can contribute to reducing negative environmental impacts and provided information regarding the sustainable initiatives of some food services and tourism sectors. According to Ms. Lebria, greening the Food Service and Tourism sectors both benefit the consumers and the businesses. This approach will improve health and therefore prevent others from getting sick, increase the safety of the consumers and uphold climate and social justice. Moreover, the benefits it may bring to businesses may increase their competitive advantages, meet the rising consumer …

Roundtable Discussion on the Solid Waste Management and Promotion of Sustainable Packaging in Iloilo and Bacolod City

On August 24 and 26, 2021, the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, INC. (PCEPSDI), through its Sustainable Packaging Towards Marine Litter Reduction Project, held a Roundtable Discussion on the Solid Waste Management and Promotion of Sustainable Packaging in Iloilo and Bacolod City. The discussion aims to bring about the existing policies of the national and local government of Iloilo and Bacolod City, to determine the challenges, gaps, opportunities, and priorities on the packaging and solid waste management in the locality, and to involve the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), the local government unit of Iloilo and Bacolod City and other relevant stakeholders in the wide-ranging discussion. Ms. Kim Castillo, the Project Assistant of the Sustainable Packaging under Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), delivers the Sustainable Consumption and Production Tools and Practices towards Policy Improvement on Waste Management for the Reduction of Marine Litter. Ms. Castillo’s presentation emphasized the main projects of PCEPSDI to enlighten the consciousness of the different private and public sectors regarding the goal of the company She stressed out that shifting from Linear Economy to Circular Economy is a key solution to marine litter. With that, the project aims to develop eco labelling criteria and certify products for sustainable packaging, establish a private sector roadmap to instruct strategic plans, propose solutions and recognize stakeholders that can be involved towards the implementation of shifting to more sustainable packaging and to promote sustainable packaging through environmental education campaigns.  Aside from that, Ms. Castillo also underlined other main projects of PCEPSDI such as the Development of Voluntary Guidelines on Sustainable Packaging Towards Reduction of Marine litter and Promoting Packaging from Alternative Materials through Market-based Approach, the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), the Ecolabelling, Green Procurement, and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). To promote and advocate the projects of PCEPSDI, regular seminars on ecolabelling and SCP Practices, Sectoral Sustainability initiatives, Pilot projects, and Kalikasan GP3 Expo-Conference are being able to exercise. To present the National Policies on Packaging and Solid Waste Management, Mr. Jepp Farrales of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) highlighted the Republic Act No. 9003 or The Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000 and the sections it encompasses. Under the provisions of RA 7160 known as the Local Government Code, the Local Government Unit is the main responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the obligations of the RA 9003 within their respective districts. The city or the municipality level is accountable for the collection of non-recyclable waste while biodegradable, compostable, and reusable waste are under the provision of the barangay unit. Mr. Faralles stressed that the major problem with solid waste management is not the system but the behavior of the people. To inform the participants, he gave a brief enlightening presentation on the different types of waste that we generate in normal activities. Compostable waste refers to biodegradable waste consist of food, garden, and animal waste; Recyclable waste pertains to materials retrieved from the waste stream and is free from contamination that can still be transformed into appropriate beneficial use; Special waste refers to household waste which poses potential hazards such as paints, batteries, thinner, etc.; and the waste that is non-compostable and non-recyclable like sanitary napkins and diapers defines Residual waste. The participants were given a chance to raise issues in their respective cities during the roundtable discussion in where both private and public are can address the issues present in the city The Roundtable Discussion was warmly ended by Ms. Erica Nicole D. Gomez, Project Officer of Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), by delivering the overall synthesis of the Roundtable Discussion. Ms. Gomez insisted that there is a need to have a collective action with government, policymakers, non-government organizations, businesses, and consumers to have a significant advancement in the Solid Waste Management System. She assured that every perspective will be incorporated with the future project of PCEPSDI, and the information gathered will contribute to the formulation of the Policy Recommendation Guidelines of the project. She promised that every concept, information, and knowledge shared by the participants would be respected and considered in future action steps since this will be beneficial as it will become a basis for the Policy Dialogue that the PCEPSDI will conduct with policymakers and experts.  Author: Engr. Augusto Luis Labos

Transforming Tourism Value Chains – Newsletter Feb – May 2021

The Transforming Tourism Value Chains project is a 4-year global initiative that was launched in 2017 by theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It supports the countries in reducing greenhouse gasemissions and improving resource efficiency in key tourism sector value chains with high resource use, i.e.accommodation, food & beverage, and meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE). Transforming thesector to low carbon, resource efficient operations, requires an increase in sustainable consumption andproduction (SCP) practices by businesses and tourists through more coherent actions in countries.

Mapping Out the Challenges and Impacts to Sustainable Packaging

The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, INC. (PCEPSDI), through its Sustainable Packaging Towards Marine Litter Reduction Project, held a Training Webinar entitled “Development of a Private Sector Roadmap for Sustainable Packaging Workshop 1: Mapping Out the Challenges and Impacts to Sustainable Packaging” on August 4, 2021. The webinar aims for different private and public sectors in the Philippines to develop their roadmap for sustainable packaging, to raise consciousness for the importance of monitoring the sustainability impact of sustainable packaging, to be aware of the socio-environmental impacts of the packaging industry, urging global efforts for circular economy against marine litter, highlight the importance of waste management system and introduce the working draft of the packaging value chain. During the webinar proper, Mr. Alvaro Zurita, the project team leader of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ Philippines), provided the Opening Remarks by asking, “where does waste come from?”. The consumer has a significant role in contributing to marine litter, and they have a big responsibility to alter their bad practice. He also said that sustainable waste management is a simple way to commence, but a person’s physical and mental aspects must arrive together to execute it. Two years ago, Mr. Zurita initiated a circular economy solution towards marine litter reduction with the Philippines, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan as partner countries in response to this problem. As the first speaker, Ms. Paulith Ann Aguilar, the Research Assistant of Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), provides the introduction of PCEPSDI, the National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP), and the Sustainable Packaging Project. This project aims to urge people to alter their behavioral patterns in consumption and production that may consequently precede the degradation of our environment through implementing principles of sustainable development.  Ms. Aguilar also highlights the Development of Voluntary Guidelines on Sustainable Packaging Towards Reduction of Marine litter and Promoting Packaging from Alternative Materials through Market-based Approach which aims to develop ecolabelling criteria and certify products for sustainable packaging, establish a private sector roadmap and promote sustainable packaging through an environmental education campaign. The Project Consultant of Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), Mr. Kiko E. Velhagen headed the draft Value Chain for Packaging. The draft was consisting of three major concepts, the value chain; which is the sequence of activities or parties that provide or receive value in the form of products and services, environmental hotspot; is a process or activity which accounts for a significant proportion of the environmental impact in the value chain and the systematic solution which is a strategic theme for a group of actions and interventions with the same overarching goal. The overall aim of this project is to provide guidelines on sustainable packaging towards reducing marine litter.  One of the critical outputs of the Sustainable Packaging Project is to develop a Market Readiness Study that can distinguish the challenges and opportunities of sustainable packaging. As another Project Consultant of the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), Dr. Maria Angela Zafra enlightened the participants concerning the Socio-environmental Impacts of the Packaging Industry. She features the Market Readiness Study, which aims to introduce the seven types of alternative packaging such as Biodegradable, Bio-based, Wood, and Paper-based on the sustainably managed forest, Compostable, Recyclable, Reusable, long-lasting, and with recycled content. Aside from that, Dr. Zafra told the participants concerning the opportunities and obstacles of the consumers in switching to sustainable packaging. The webinar training was enthusiastically ended by Ms. Andrea Janelle D. Go, Project Assistant of Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), by delivering the overall summary of the Roadmap Development Workshop Training. She wished the participants to have a meaningful and worthwhile discussion during this workshop. She assured that every idea, concept, and information shared by all participants would be valued and considered in future action steps. The project Sustainable Packaging Towards Marine Litter Reduction Project, implemented by PCEPSDI, is funded by the ‘Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter’ project of the European Union andthe German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). ‘Rethinking Plastics‘is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH andExpertise France. More information: https://beatplasticpollution.eu/rethinking-plastics/ This newsletter was produced with the financial support of the ‘Rethinking Plastics – Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter’ project. ‘Rethinking Plastics’ is funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ and Expertise France. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of PCEPSDI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the BMZ, GIZ or Expertise France. Main Author: Ms. Andrea M. Alejandro; Co-author: Mr. Augusto Luis A. Labos

SM Supermalls for PCEPSDI NELP-GCP

SM Supermalls exploring on how The Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (PCEPSDI) through the National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP), take initiative for the Ecolabelling of SM Supermalls tenants for their products and services. The National Ecolabelling Programme – Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP) is one of the country’s initiatives to exercise the fundamentals of sustainable development. It aims to change the behavioral patterns in consumption and production that tend to misuse, abuse, and degrade our environment. Through a multi-sectoral process, the NELP-GCP programme provides criteria for environmentally-preferable products which can be used as a guide for consumers and institutions for product selection. In this way, SM Supermalls are ensured that their tenants are responsible and doing action for the environmental impact of their products and services. NELP-GCP envisions that environment friendly products or services are being produced and distributed in the country. SM Supermalls is currently engaged with PCEPSDI for the Sustainable Packaging Project. The project aims to promote the use of sustainable packaging by developing and piloting the NELP-GCP criteria for sustainable packaging, developing the private sector roadmap on sustainable packaging towards marine waste reduction that can be initiated by SM Supermalls, and conducting educational and policy campaigns to raise awareness of relevant stakeholders such as retail store employees, policy makers, and general consumers. The meeting is attended by PCEPSDI team are Executive Director, For. June M. Alvarez, Programme Officer of NELP-GCP, Ms. Jouelle H. Nerveza, Project Officer, Ms. Erica Nicole Gomez, Project Assistant, Ms. Kim Castillo, Project Assitant, Ms. Andrea Janelle Go, Project Assistant, Project Coordinator, Ms. Anabelle Selibio, and  Research Assistant, Ms. Paulith H. Aguilar, and for SM Supermalls are the Vice President of Corporate Compliance, Engr. Liza Silero, Assistant Vice President of Sustainability, Corporate Resilience and CSR Marketing, Mr. Chito Bauzon, and Corporate Compliance Manager, Ms. Belinda Gonzales. Author: Engr. Augusto Luis Labos

European Development Days (EDD) 2021 x PCEPSDI

European Development Days (EDD) 2021 keynote speakers with PCEPSDI Executive Director, For. June M. Alvarez discussing holistic approaches to reduce plastic waste and protect seascapes and coastal areas. EDD is Europe’s leading forum on development since 2006. Organized by the European Commission, the European Development Days (EDD) bring the development community together each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenge. For. June M. Alvarez jump-started the Breakout Session 3 about Sustainable Production: Innovation in business models, design and production and Business Models, briefing about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), ecolabelling, and Sustainable Consumption and Procurement (SCP). PCEPSDI is currently implementing programmes that recognize and increasing awareness on sustainable packaging through the National Ecolabelling Programme-Green Choice Philippines (NELP-GCP) and, Green Public Procurement Programme and projects being implemented such as Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) Philippines that aims to reduce the Greenhouse Gas emissions and increase the resource efficiency of the tourism sector by engaging the key tourism sector, and Sustainable Packaging towards Marine Litter that aims to promote the use of sustainable packaging by developing and piloting the NELP-GCP criteria for sustainable packaging. Together with him in the breakout session 3 is PCEPSDI Project Officer, Ms. Erica Nicole D. Gomez, and Design Officer, Engr. Augusto Luis A. Labos in Breakout Session 4 about Monitoring: Leveraging data for marine litter prevention. Author: Engr. Augusto Luis Labos

TVC Newsletter – Philippines Edition September 2020 to January 2021

Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) project latest newsletter for the Philippines is now out! Get up to date with what we’ve been doing the past few months, how we’re supporting the tourism sector in its recovery, and what else we have in store for you this year! You will also find additional useful reports and toolkits that could help your tourism business further in achieving a green recovery. You can view and download the newsletter here: For more information about TVC’s project, 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. 

Beating Plastic Pollution from the Tourism Sector

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

Hospitality and Foodservice Sectors Look to Plant-based Menus for Health and Environment

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

Food Safety & Food Waste Management Training for the Hospitality Sector

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. 

Climate Action 2019

CLIMATE ACTION: A newsletter on the Foreign-Assisted Projects partnered with the Climate Change Commission Compendium of Tools and Models, Frameworks and Case Studies developed through Foreign-Assisted Projects Prepared by: Foreign-Assisted Program Management System (FAPMS)

The Sustainable Diner Summit 2020

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