30 June 2021 – In another pioneering move, AC Energy has piloted the circularity approach in its 120 MW solar plant in Alaminos, Laguna construction site, diverting away from landfills a total of 32,540 kg of plastic collected from the solar panel packaging materials – or the equivalent of about 25 compact size cars – to be upcycled into eco-bricks and utilize in building the solar plant facilities.
AC Energy aims to scale up this waste management program and implement it in the company’s project developments in the Philippines, a significant stride towards its environmental and sustainability goals.
According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the global demand for plastic will continue to grow and likely double in the next 20 years. However, only 9% of the total plastic produced is recycled today, and it is estimated that 8 million tons of plastic leak into the environment. Packaging is the largest application of plastics globally, creating a growing societal pressure for companies to adopt circular models with no waste.
“This pilot plastic waste conversion project will allow us to close the loop and reduce the environmental impact in our construction sites and host communities. With the success of this first run, we hope to replicate this program in our other project sites as we continue expanding our presence in the country and abroad,” said Irene S. Maranan, AC Energy’s Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications and Sustainability. “Sustainability is fully integrated in our company’s strategy and vision of achieving 5,000 MW of renewables by 2025,” Maranan added.
AC Energy is also exploring to extend this circular approach within its project locations by developing Eco-hub recycling facilities through partnerships with the local community, through the segregation of garbage, and the set-up of collection points in sari-sari stores, groceries, markets, and shops where plastic products are usually found. These partnerships aim to provide sustainable supply chains with community involvement, a key objective of the Eco Hub recycling facility. This project will soon be implemented in Ilocos Norte in partnership with the provincial government, and will be the first of many such sustainability projects that AC Energy envisions to create within its developments.
Through its partnership with innovative environmental solutions group, Green Antz Builders, AC Energy can successfully integrate a circular approach in its renewable energy developments to fulfill its parallel goal of protecting the environment, creating jobs to reignite the economy, and engaging its host communities meaningfully while creating clean energy.
As AC Energy aggressively expands its renewables business, it continues to align its strategies with Ayala Corporation’s Sustainability Blueprint. AC Energy’s commitment to sustainability is linked to its corporate strategy and vision, and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Guided by its Environmental & Social (E&S) Policy, the company’s sustainability framework is built on three focus areas embedded across its business operations, governance, and culture: having a low carbon portfolio by 2030, protecting the environment and investing in communities.
Since 2018, AC Energy has invested over ₱300 million in sustainability projects focused on environmental and community initiatives. To learn more about Sustainability at AC Energy, please visit https://acenrenewables.com/sustainability/.
