Green Fashion for a Green Philippines

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers And Exporters Foundation (Cebu FAME Foundation) is currently working on a sustainable environmental program in answer to the global call for social responsibility.

Called “Go Green Philippines,” the program seeks to revitalize the Philippine ecosystem and sustain the Philippine fashion accessories industry at the same time.

Go Green Philippines has a 3-fold objective: (1) Recycle natural components to ensure continuing natural sources; (2) Replenish what is used to use what has been replenished; and (3) Revitalize nature and breathe new life to the communities.

“The Philippine fashion accessories industry relies primarily on our country’s vast natural resources as the raw materials for our products,” said Mrs. Janet Chua, Cebu FAME Foundation president.

We want to maintain the Philippine ecosystem to ensure the continuity of our country’s resources and at the same time ensure the continued growth of our industry.

We are currently on the first phase of this long-term project, which is forest management. Our aim is to reforest 100 hectares of government land with tree plantations by 2015.”

According to the Department Of Environment And Natural Resources-Region VII (DENR 7), Cebu has a forestland of 142,000 hectares. However, only 7,100 hectares (5%), are covered with vegetation. The remaining 134,900 hectares are currently barren.

DENR 7 is targeting to increase the reforested area by another 13%, or 18,460 hectares by 2015, with Cebu FAME answering for 100 hectares.

“Our forest management program is in partnership with DENR 7,” Chua explained. “They first awarded us with a 10-hectare land in Catmon which we planted with 25,000 trees, then another 15 hectares in San Remigio which we planted with 37,500 trees.”

Cebu FAME’s reforestation efforts are also supporting rural communities, particularly the Hiniusang Mag-Uuma Sa Catmondaan (HIMASACA).

HIMASACA is a small farmers’ group in Catmon, Cebu. They work with the DENR for agro-forestry, soil, and water conservation activities.

Cebu FAME is also working with them in the management of the foundation’s tree plantings in Catmon. This project has provided them with continuing livelihood support.

Once the program’s target of reforesting 100 hectares is achieved, Cebu FAME plans to move forward to the next phase, which is the development of a coastal environmental program.

Go Green Philippines was first launched in October 2007. Now on its second year, it has been met with strong approval and support from international communities, primarily because the timing coincides with the growing popularity of the global green movement. 

Go Green Philippines also encourages participation from interested parties and builds on the relationships between the exporters and their buyers. 

For every purchase a buyer makes from FAME members, the exporter makes a donation to the Go Green Philippines program under the buyer’s name.

The buyer can also purchase Go Green Philippines’ labels for the products they purchased. This serves as a highly effective marketing tool to promote the products to their eco-conscious customers as “green jewelry.”

Finally, companies may also make outright donations to the program. A one-hectare plantation is valued at US$2,500. and is equivalent to 2,500 trees. The company gets naming rights to the entire one-hectare plantation plus use of the Go Green Philippines trademark for its collaterals.

All donations are duly recorded in a registry of books.

“We plan to acknowledge the companies that have already made donations in a trade show this September, called Bijoux Cebu 2009,” Chua continued.

Bijoux Cebu is our answer to CFIF’s CebuX and is a trade show for the Philippine fashion accessories industry.

We want international communities to understand that aside from our business interests, we are also concerned in preserving our environment.

The show fittingly calls Cebu Asia’s destination for green jewelry. This year’s theme is ‘International Green’, which will showcase 2010 Spring-Summer Collections inspired by a multi-cultural mix from 5 major continents, namely Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and Africa.

The collections will focus on high-fashion green jewelry and will highlight the Go Green Philippines program as our contribution to the global green movement.”

The program is also open to individuals who wish to make cash donations to plant more trees.