Unilever PH to bring in technology to address plastic waste

MANILA -- Unilever Philippines aims to bring in technology that would address plastic sachet waste in the country, its Vice President for Sustainable Business and Communications Ed Sunico said Tuesday.

Currently, the global consumer goods company is pilot testing a German technology called CreaSolv Process in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Sunico said it is expected to be rolled out in Indonesia by first quarter of this year.

He explained that through the technology, plastic in sachets could be recovered. It would be turned to plastic pellets and be used in manufacturing new sachets for Unilever products.

However, he said that bringing in the CreaSolv technology here should be an investment by the industry and not just by one company as the technology required huge input.

Sunico mentioned that the pilot model in Indonesia was a small scale facility, requiring input of seven tons of plastic sachets daily.

But the company would be testing the business model first in Indonesia; once successful, this would be quickly rolled out to other markets, the executive said.

The investment in the new technology is part of Unilever’s commitment to make all of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.

In September 2017, international environmental watchdog Greenpeace issued a statement that multinational companies such as Nestlé, Unilever, and Indonesian firm PT Torabika Mayora are the top contributors of plastic wastes in the Philippines.

It also noted the country produces about 1.88 million metric tons of plastic wastes every year. (PNA)