P&G and World Vision ramp up efforts to create more school chairs from plastic waste

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, maker of trusted brands like Safeguard, Head & Shoulders, Pampers, Ariel, continues to create a better tomorrow for Filipinos with the “Pag-Asa sa Basura” Project. In partnership with World Vision Philippines and the Department of Education, the project promotes sustainable waste segregation collection, and recycling in schools and communities.

“Alongside plastic waste recovery and recycling, Pag-asa sa Basura makes a meaningful and sustainable impact by also educating students, teachers, and parents on the fundamentals of proper solid waste management and empowering communities affected by poor waste management,” says King Martin Agoncillo, the Corporate Communications Manager of P&G Philippines.

Schools segregate and collect plastic waste, which is collected and upcycled into school chairs, that are donated back to participating schools. Additionally, the initiative distributed collection bins and rehabilitated materials recovery facilities that systematize recovery, segregation, recycling, and upcycling efforts.

(Photo during the turnover of “Pag-asa Sa Basura” upcycled chairs in Malabon)

The program also educates and empowers the students on how they can help prevent environmental ills. Students who collect recyclable materials are rewarded with incentives such as school supplies and gift tokens.

Since the project’s inception in 2019, the “Pag-Asa sa Basura” project has given back over two thousand upcycled chairs and added 1,500 chairs this year. The project has collected 3.2 million sachet waste and 913,000 plastic bottles to date. The chairs have been distributed to 20 partner schools in Malabon and five in Quezon City.

Pag-Asa sa Basura is grounded on the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, or RA 9003, which aims to maximize resource conservation and recovery through proper waste management. It is one of P&G’s initiatives in helping ​​non-governmental organizations and local government agencies in giving aid to communities in need.

“The challenges we face today are much greater as we go back to face-to-face schooling amid the pandemic. Through our partnership with P&G, we hope to help communities while finding solutions for a sustainable future,” says Chifadel Mabolo, the Program Manager of the Malabon cluster of World Vision Philippines.

As a responsible corporate citizen, P&G Philippines was recently honored by Asia CEO Awards with the Sustainability Company of The Year Circle of Excellence Award. The award is given to organizations that achieved important success in environmental progress and demonstrated leadership and commitment to sustainability.