PH to Launch 1st Trade Show for Int’l Sustainable Solutions and Technologies

The Philippines is launching a new event that will champion sustainable solutions and technology in a bid to promote sustainable consumption and production in the food industry. The Sustainability Solutions Expo: Food and Beverage (SSX:F&B) is slated at the World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM), Pasay City on May 21-23, 2020. It is organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, through the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (DTI-CITEM).

“SSX’s first edition will focus on the food industry to enable our local industries to adopt global practices and technologies that can make their production processes more sustainable and environment-friendly,” said Abdulgani Macatoman, DTI Undersecretary for Trade Promotion Group.

Macatoman said sustainability is becoming a global concern, especially in the Philippines where many industries and communities are experiencing vulnerability on the effects of climate change.

“Efforts are being done to minimize the environmental footprint and waste that goes along food production. National agencies, local government units (LGUs) and businesses are pushing for various greening efforts. The use of new technologies to provide clean and sustainable energy is also being practiced by companies in various industries,” noted Macatoman.

“For our part, DTI is strengthening its drive to showcase these efforts to create a business environment in the Philippines that promotes sustainable consumption and production. SSX is one of our major initiatives towards this direction,” he added.

Macatoman also said the event aims to strengthen the value and supply chain linkages of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and other stakeholders in the Philippines in terms of sustainably produced goods and raw materials.

He added that the magnitude of the MSME sector, which makes up around 99.5 percent of the total businesses in the Philippines, will inevitably leave threats to the environment if their products continue to be manufactured and consumed in an unsustainable manner.

Through SSX, DTI-CITEM aims to match MSMEs with international and local technology solutions providers that specialize on Sustainable Packaging (plastic alternatives and packaging solutions); Sustainable Farming and Manufacturing (Food processing equipment and machineries, post-harvest, recycling, material recovery, green engineering technology, waste management, renewable energy); Sustainable Logistics (refrigeration facilities and cold chain) and digital technology solutions.

“With the presence of MSMEs and technology solution providers, this event serves as a fresh start for the Philippine food industry to scope where it is now and where it should be going in view of the global efforts to foster sustainable means of consumption and production,” said DTI-CITEM Executive Director Pauline Suaco-Juan.

Stakeholders from the food and allied services sector will also share their green practices and showcase their sustainably sourced products. This includes producers of organic, Natural and Healthy products, Halal-, Kosher-, Fair Trade-certified products, owners of local farm and fresh produce, eco-friendly food products and ingredients and raw materials, and farm-tourism sites.

Climate change, a serious issue for Filipinos

A recent global survey showed that among 28 countries, the Philippines has the highest percentage of people who believe that climate change will greatly affect human lives.

Published in 2019, a survey conducted by YouGov, a British market research and data analytics company, showed that 75 percent of Filipino respondents believe that climate change will leave “a great deal of impact” while 19 percent believe that it will bring “a fair amount of impact” on human beings. The Philippines is beset by an average of 20 typhoons in a year, which may explain why most Filipinos believe that climate change is real and has far-reaching consequences, the report also noted. Flooding during typhoon occurrence is further aggravated by the blockage of garbage in drainages and waterways.

The Philippines is also the world’s third-largest source of plastic leaking into the ocean and has among the highest trash collection rates in Southeast Asia based on the 2015 report on plastic pollution by Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.

About 60 billion sachets and 17.5 billion plastic bags are discarded yearly in the Philippines with less than 20 percent being recycled or reused, according to the United Nations Environment Program report in 2018.

“Adopting eco-friendly packaging options, proper waste disposal and material recovery methods, sustainable energy management and other greening practices would go a long way in combating environmental degradation and minimizing the effect of climate changes,” Macatoman said. “These are just some of the sustainable solutions and technologies that will be highlighted in SSX.”