Creating things with care: Sanicare adopts 6,100 seedlings in reforestation effort
MANILA, Philippines — As a homegrown and leading hygiene brand in the country, Sanicare has been providing Filipinos with high-quality tissue products for over two decades. At the heart of its business is paper, which is produced from trees.
So you may ask, are your tissue paper products produced sustainably, with the highest hygienic standards?
Sanicare answers this with a resounding yes.
Through continuous innovation, Sanicare develops tissue paper from raw materials sourced from environmentally safe tree farms. Trees grown from these farms are processed to become virgin pulp, which is used to make tissue paper. Afterward, new trees are planted and grown again.
“We are known for using virgin pulp in our tissue papers because we believe that it is more hygienic and sustainable. We also developed our ‘eco-layer tissue’—the premium-grade recycled paper is in between 2 virgin pulp sheet. This is our take on being eco-friendly but also not compromising the hygiene and quality that we offer to our customers,” Sanicare Brand Manager Jazel Aldover told Philstar.com in an email interview.
Other efforts that Sanicare made in the past years include using plant-based materials for its wipes and offering paper-stems instead of plastic for its ear buds.
Sanicare’s commitment to protect the planet does not end with its environmentally friendly products. It is also active in preserving biodiversity in Philippine forests.
“Like everyone else, we know that we also have the responsibility in making sure that the future generation will enjoy the nature and environment that we live in. Thus we partnered with Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources Inc. to support the biodiversity in different rainforests in our country by sustaining the different life systems in them,” Aldover explained.
Through this partnership, Sanicare has already adopted 6,100 seedlings in conservation sites in the Philippines, particularly at Mount Banahaw and Mount Batulusong.
“This year, we will be planting additional 3,200 seedlings in Real, Quezon, (which is) a part of the Sierra Madre. We believe that this is a continuous effort, and that this endeavor will continue for many more years,” Aldover said.
Sanicare is also able to empower communities. Part of its donation to Haribon Foundation is allocated for communities to help ensure that the planted seedlings grow and survive to become mature trees.
Employees also get to take part the reforestation efforts as they volunteer and plant the seedlings themselves, especially before the pandemic.
“This pandemic since tree planting activities are not yet encouraged by the government, the communities near the conservation sites will be the one to help us in making sure that our seedlings will be planted and maintained,” Aldover said.
Most importantly, Sanicare’s customers get to give a hand in helping restore Philippine forests.
“By supporting and buying Sanicare’s products, they are also supporting us in our endeavor to adopting more rainforests,” Aldover added.
Its efforts go far beyond restoration of forests. It also has tried to expand environmental efforts through education. In 2016, it supported Haribon’s Biodiversity on Wheels, which raises the public’s consciousness on biodiversity and environmental conservation.
To spread awareness of the drive during a pandemic, Sanicare harnesses the power of social media.
“We make sure that the things that we do are being shared to the different social media platforms because without our customers, it is not possible for us to do these projects. Hopefully, by raising the awareness in the different projects that we do, it can help them decide to buy our products more,” Aldover said.
“Our passion for innovation will never stop. This is our commitment to provide our consumers with quality products that are not harmful to the environment,” Aldover added.
Sanicare is brand of Sanitary Care Products Asia, Inc., makers of quality paper products and hygiene solutions since 1996. — EUDEN VALDEZ
