Nestlé Philippines and Green Antz Builders Inc. have accelerated efforts at promoting the use of waste plastic laminates in the production of alternative construction materials.
They invited and involved local government units (LGUs), nongovernment organizations (NGOs), private businesses and schools to work together at setting up ecobrick hubs in communities. These efforts have been building up momentum for the upcycling of waste laminates as an effective, workable and economically productive solution to the problem of solid waste management.
Jess Reyes, Nestlé Philippines corporate affairs executive, invited several LGU officials and private business partners to the Green Antz facility in Plaridel, Bulacan, recently to show them firsthand the entire process of converting waste laminates or sachets into ecobricks.
Among the guests were City Environment and Natural Resources Office officials Ric Libon of Lipa City and Ram Mendoza, Josephine Fajardo and Lenelyn Layog of Cabuyao, and private-sector representatives who have agreed to support and host the establishment of ecobrick hubs in their respective localities.
The exposure trip gave the prospective partners a better understanding and appreciation of the Green Antz enterprise and the massive opportunity that an ecobrick hub presents to create livelihood while actively protecting the environment by reducing solid waste.
At the site, the visitors saw how ecobricks are much more durable than regular hollow blocks. They also visited a public school and a day-care center, both constructed using ecobricks, for a better appreciation of the materials.
The production of ecobricks utilizes compression, unlike hollow blocks which are made through moulding. Making them involves a proprietary process that hollow blocks do not undergo, and the formulation incorporates a special construction additive that makes ecobricks stronger, enabling plastic and cement to adhere together.
Other Green Antz products are eco-pavers or pervious pavers, and eco-casts or hollow block-size precast.
Undergoing development are plastic boards, roofing tiles, and eco-panels, which all incorporate waste laminates, as well.
Rommel Benig, president and CEO of Green Antz, acquainted the visitors with the business and philosophy of his company.
Green Antz is an innovative social enterprise based in Plaridel, Bulacan, and founded by Benig with Nestlé’s support. It collaborates with corporations, LGUs, and NGOs to establish hubs for the production of ecobricks using waste plastic laminates, which are cheaper to use and offer better insulation.
“We are a social business, meaning we pursue economic value while simultaneously addressing societal problems, aligned with the Creating Shared Value model of Nestlé,” Benig said. “The model we are replicating is the social franchising model, similar to the commercial franchising model, except that there are no royalties. When we partner with a company, it sponsors the funding and together we identify a beneficiary which will manage the operation of a Green Antz Hub with Green Antz overseeing it.”
An outstanding example of Green Antz collaborating with an LGU is its partnership with the municipality of Plaridel headed by Mayor Jocell Vistan.
The local government, in lieu of accepting monetary payment for services rendered to constituents, requires them instead to pay in the form of discarded plastic bottles, sachets and laminates.