What Makes a Brand 'Net Zero Plastic Waste' and How Should It Influence Your Shopping Habits?

Many Filipinos are shifting toward more eco-friendly consumer habits. However, they face many obstacles: lack of knowledge, inconvenience, and sadly, not enough eco-friendly options in the market.

This is why it is important that companies, including food and beverage manufacturers, do their part to support this journey to a more sustainable lifestyle. One way to do so is by attaining “Net Zero Plastic Waste.”

Essentially, Net Zero Plastic Waste is achieved when a company enables the recovery, processing, and removal of the same amount of plastic from the environment as it uses. One Filipino brand that has actually achieved this is Datu Puti. To understand more about how this sustainable practice can affect people’s way of life, let’s take a look at Datu Puti’s journey toward becoming a Net Zero Plastic Waste brand.

How do Net Zero Plastic Waste brands help protect the environment?

To minimize plastic pollution, food company and producer of condiment products NutriAsia committed its brand Datu Puti to achieve Net Zero Plastic Waste in partnership with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) in 2020.

PCX is an organization that enables the collection and processing of plastic waste so that it can be truly diverted away from nature. As part of its partnership with PCX, Datu Puti’s regular operations now include calculating the amount of plastic used in its products — including bottles, caps, seals, and pouches — and then diverting the same amount from landfills and nature.

For a company committed to sustainability since 2014, NutriAsia’s move to attain Net Zero Plastic Waste was a natural next step. The fact that Datu Puti is a household fixture in Filipino kitchens further fueled the company’s commitment to protecting the people and the planet, all while making Filipino families' lives “masarap, masaya.”

How big is the impact of Net Zero Plastic Waste brands on the environment?

As of November 2022, 37 Datu Puti products have already transitioned into having pack labels communicating the brand's intent to reduce plastic waste.

So far, 12,356 metric tons of plastic has already been collected and recycled. That's enough plastic to fill five Olympic-sized swimming pools. All of this plastic waste was diverted from landfills and bodies of water.

According to Datu Puti, this is only the beginning. The brand is planning to extend the practice to all Datu Puti products by 2023.

Why should consumers support Net Zero Plastic Waste brands?

The number above proves that brands are essential to solving the environmental challenges the world faces today. As responsible consumers, Filipinos also have a role in these social and environmental advocacies. It helps when people identify and patronize brands that take responsibility for the environment and take seriously their role in protecting it.

What’s next in NutriAsia’s sustainability program?

NutriAsia has spearheaded more sustainable projects across its brands, including Datu Puti’s Jumbohalang Tambalan, the Bring Your Own Bote stores, Refill Revolution in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau, NutriAsia EcoStation, and the Select and Collect program.

These initiatives are all in line with NutriAsia’s mission to ensure quality lives for Filipinos by safeguarding the environment, now and in the future. 

Learn more about Datu Puti by following its Facebook page.