NESTLÉ Philippines, Inc. and Republic Cement and Building Materials, Inc. have entered into an agreement to co-process post-consumer plastic waste in the latter’s cement kilns.
The partnership comes amid concerns about the amount of plastics ending up in waterways and in the ocean, Republic Cement said in a statement on Thursday. The partners said their “major initiative” aims to help address the environmental issue.
“Nestlé is aiming for plastic neutrality, which is essentially recovering plastics equal to what we produce. Aside from our current collection and recycling initiatives, we believe this effort will help us gather and co-process bigger volumes of post-consumer waste. We target to divert more post-consumer waste from landfills and the ocean. This partnership will contribute positively in helping clean-up the Philippines,” said Kais Marzouki, chairman and chief executive of Nestlé Philippines.
Cement kiln co-processing takes raw materials such as calcium carbonate and silica, and feeds them into a kiln along with fuel. The process, which is used to create cement, includes burning the materials to such a high temperature that any complex part is broken into simpler compounds. The end result of the process is cement.
Any emissions from the process are filtered and monitored by the minute to abide by local standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“There’s still a lack of knowledge on the importance of co-processing. We look forward to helping address the issue of post-consumer waste and look forward to the successful implementation of this project,” said Renato C. Sunico, president of Republic Cement.
Co-processing, an alternative waste management solution that can use waste as fuel, is seen as more advantageous to landfilling given that energy and minerals coming from waste are almost completely utilized.
In April 2018, multinational firm Nestlé announced a commitment that 100% of its packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025. Its vision is that none of its waste ends up in landfill or as litter.
Republic Cement, a company led by CHR plc and the Aboitiz group, has five cement plants and one grinding station in the Philippines. It has more than 60 years cement manufacturing experience. — Victor V. Saulon
