Universal Robina Corp. wins big at ESG Business Awards

PHILIPPINE-based food product company Universal Robina Corp. (URC) was honored at the recently held ESG Business Awards for the successful implementation of its innovative programs, Flourish Pilipinas and Project Laminates to Energy (LTE).

Flourish Pilipinas aimed to foster a nation of entrepreneurs by acknowledging and nurturing the skills, talents and passions of young Filipino bakers.

Over the years, the program evolved through various iterations, encompassing educational initiatives for students and workshops catering to teachers.

Students under the URC Flourish Pilipinas program were provided with start-up capital to kick-start their businesses.

The winner of the URC Flourish Pilipinas 2022: The Chief Executive Officer Initiative competition has also established her own small bakery shop with the support of the financial and technical skills she acquired through the competition.

This feat won the Job Creation Award – Philippines category.

Project LTE was the first co-processing initiative, implemented in the URC. Previously, plants disposed of their waste through contracted garbage haulers.

The company was able to shift to a sustainable plastic waste management system by establishing cost-sharing agreements with cement plants and implementing a single-trip dual pickup logistics strategy, while generating savings from the lower cost of garbage hauling to landfill.

As of end-2022, 10 plants had implemented the project. A total of 323 metric tons were sent to cement plants for co-processing and to avoid potential leaks to the environment.

This won the Industrial Energy Efficiency Award – Philippines category.