Going “Green” The Aboitiz way

CEBU, Philippines - Guided by its passion for a better world, the Aboitiz Group continues to pursue opportunities on how it could help enrich our planet through sustainable projects.

These projects are carefully selected and planned to ensure that these help improve Mother Earth's well-being, get stakeholders involved and strike a balance between people, planet and profit.

"Striking this balance can help us bequeath a robust business operating in a healthy planet for future generations," said Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. President & CEO Erramon Aboitiz.

Of these "green" projects, three stand out-Visayan Electric Company's (VECO) crates, Hedcor's water lilies, and Aboitiz Foundation Inc.'s Green Fashion Revolution-primarily because of the nature of the projects and their impact on stakeholders.

Dual purpose

In 2011, VECO found better use of tons of wooden crates used in importing electrical equipment. Instead of just letting them rot, these crates were turned into chairs and tables that could be used by public school students within its franchise area.

Before being made into furniture items, these wooden crates were taken to a shop for wood treatment before they were dismantled and turned into quality furniture.

Children from Barangay Ermita, Cebu City were the first recipients of these furniture products. As of October 2012, VECO has donated 28 tables and 280 chairs to eight schools and day care centers all over Metro Cebu.

Useful stalk

Aboitiz-owned subsidiary Hedcor, Inc. implemented the "Water Lily as a Sustainable Development Project" to lessen intake weir clogging and silt accumulation at its power plants; eliminate environmental, health and safety hazards; and provide livelihood income to the community.

What Hedcor did was to harvest water lilies from the forebays as raw material, instead of just picking them up and throwing them away. The stalks of these lilies were then washed and dried before these were pressed and made into handmade bags, wine holders for corporate giveaways and certificate holders.

Hedcor's partner communities were tapped to implement the project not only to assure them of livelihood but also teach them additional skills.

Green fashion

A group of Aboitiz Foundation scholars have been given the opportunity to implement their own CSR project as part of their prize for winning the 1st Aboitiz Scholars' CSR Summit.

For being a winning group, the team from the University of San Carlos used their prize money to mobilize fellow college students to stage the first-ever Green Fashion Revolution, where student designers from different schools used waste materials like discarded tarpaulins, sacks and scratch papers for their creations.

Cebu Institute of Technology, which was proclaimed the winner, was given seed money to implement its own CSR project in its partner community.

Business units of the Aboitiz Group elsewhere in the country, with the help of their Sustainability stewards, also implement other projects geared towards achieving one common goal: to contribute to the global effort towards creating a better world. (FREEMAN)