CONSTRUCTION solutions provider Republic Cement and Building Materials, Inc. has inked an agreement with hygiene product maker Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, Inc. to reduce the amount of plastic waste, which ends up in landfills and waterways.
“We are excited to be a part of their journey and we are confident that through our shared commitment towards sustainability, we will be able to help support Colgate achieve their goals in the Philippines,” Republic Cement President and Chief Executive Officer Nabil Francis said in a press release on Wednesday.
Under the memorandum of agreement, which was signed on Dec. 18, 2020, both firms have committed to using Republic Cement’s resource recovery arm ecoloop to co-process plastic waste from Colgate-Palmolive.
Co-processing aims to recover the thermal and mineral properties of qualified waste materials for manufacturing cement.
Arvind Sachdev, Colgate-Palmolive Philippines president and general manager, said the firm aims to create a healthier and sustainable future by “developing recyclable, reusable and compostable products; changing behavior through waste management education, and by collecting and recycling plastic to help eliminate waste.”
Republic Cement said it holds a license from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to use and dispose of qualified waste through cement kiln co-processing, where waste materials are processed at high temperatures.
“This breaks down complex materials into simpler compounds and the energy or mineral content of wastes are completely recovered and utilized in the process of producing cement. Emissions from the process are filtered and monitored in compliance with DENR standards,” it said.
In December, Republic Cement said its ecoloop was planning to co-process a minimum of 10 million plastic sachets or bags per day by 2021 in a bid to alleviate the country’s waste problem.
Republic Cement is owned by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. and Irish building materials company CRH plc. — Angelica Y. Yang
