URC sets ‘ambitious’ goals to reduce carbon footprint
Universal robina Corp. (URC), the food group of the Gokongwei family, said it has set “ambitious” goals for its human resources, operations, products and processes.
The company said it is targeting to reduce the amount of energy and water it uses to manufacture its products by 30 percent by 2030 as against its 2020 baseline. URC said it will also promote the responsible sourcing of key ingredients like palm oil, potatoes and coffee beans.
“Through efficient management of resources, and a consistent commitment to always give back, we aim to make lasting concrete changes on an institutional level, in a way that affects all operations, and demonstrates our resolve as a world-class manufacturer,” said URC President and CEO Irwin lee.
lee said URC has been able to polish its plans and refresh its targets ever since it released its first sustainability report in 2018.
URC said it is aiming to achieve plastic neutrality through plastic waste collection, recovery and diversion initiatives, as well as collaborative projects on waste management that include community engagement and linking with local recyclers.
The company said it plans multistakeholder partnerships to tackle this plastics challenge. It has recently been named as regional co-chair for the Alliance to end the Plastics Waste, an industry-founded nonprofit organization, which promotes solutions that reduce and avoid environmental pollution from plastic waste.
URC is an investor and strategic partner of Planet First, a european growth investment platform dedicated to developing solutions to address sustainability challenges.
The company also said it is committed to bring down to zero its losttime injury frequency rate, providing at least 24 training hours for each employee every year, and raising by 10 percent annually the number of its volunteers and beneficiaries leading the community
“In many ways, 2021 presented a rehash of 2020’s challenges, with various crises putting our economy and the world climate on the ropes,” lee said.
“The difference now, aside from an increased sense of urgency, is a greater amount of experience with which URC can face the odds—and we are now setting our sights on greater ambitions towards more sustainable futures.”
URC has been pivoting towards making renewable energy take up a bigger share in its power use.
It has been installing solar panels at several of its facilities in the Philippines, and in its manufacturing hubs in Thailand and Vietnam.
URC said it continues to use manure, agricultural and food waste, and other organic materials as a renewable energy source.
The company has also ramped up its community support specifically in the areas of livelihood, sustainable farming, food availability, and security.
“In the coming years, we will continue to build upon our heritage of sustainable success through the programs and targets laid out in this sustainability report: from reducing our environmental impact all the way to achieving 100 percent quality and food safety certifications for our products,” lee said.