‘Go Green,’ Kraft Foods Philippines’ (KFP) program to help save water and energy and reduce carbon emissions was given the Gold Award for Environmental Excellence at the 4th Global CSR Awards 2012.
Held April 19, 2012 in Boracay, the Global CSR Awards prides itself as Asia’s most prestigious recognition awards program for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Awards Program is organized by The Pinnacle Group International based in Singapore and recognizes companies for outstanding programs, which demonstrate ongoing commitment to respect for individuals, communities and the environment in the way they do business.
This is the 5th award that Kraft Foods has received for its ‘Go Green’ program in two years. Kraft Foods aims to help in the preservation of the environment by ensuring that reducing, recovering and recycling precious resources is part of its business. ‘Go Green’ is aimed at reducing Kraft Foods’ use of water and energy and lessening its carbon emissions. One way which Kraft Foods helps Mother Earth through ‘Go Green’ is the recent upgrading of its water recycling facility.
In March of this year, Kraft Foods inaugurated its improved water recycling facility for its Sucat, Parañaque manufacturing plant. This upgraded facility utilizes reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light to treat the water that Kraft Foods uses in its production activities.
To ‘treat’ means to remove impurities the water has acquired through use. The goal of treating is to ensure that the water returns as close as possible to its natural state. By treating the water it has already used, Kraft Foods is able to use less fresh water and help in preserving this natural resource.
“I am personally very pleased to share that with this improvement initiative, Kraft Foods will be able to make a significant reduction to its water consumption,” says Sudip Mall, Kraft Foods Philippines’ General Manager. The amount of water that Kraft Foods hopes to reduce with this new facility is equivalent to filling up 4 Olympic-sized swimming pools or 581,000 5-gallon containers of water!
He continues, “Our programs like ‘Go Green,’ don’t just make sense for our business. We also work to protect resources for future generations. I would like to add that it is truly remarkable the way our employees have relentlessly focused on driving our environmental initiatives, of which this facility is an example. We are very proud of the award bestowed upon us and this new phase of our program for the planet’s betterment.”
Making every drop reusable. For many years, Kraft Foods has had a wastewater recycling program inside its plant. Before, the water the Company treats was used only for watering plants or other maintenance tasks. This new facility ensures the treated water can be used for much more.
This is because this specific process ensures that the treated water meets the high quality standards that Kraft Foods needs for its manufacturing activities. Instead of using fresh water to clean inside its production area, the treated water is now used instead.
“We have been a community partner of Parañaque for almost 50 years, since our plant opened in 1963,” shares KFP’s Operations Director Gautam Pal. “This improved water recycling facility is another way of helping our community. By using less water, and using it smartly, we are able to contribute to our community’s efforts to save our water resources.”
In the future, Kraft Foods is looking at installing biomass boilers, or those, which use alternative energy sources, to reduce its carbon footprint even more. To find out the other ways Kraft Foods makes today delicious, visit www.kraftfoods.ph.
