From trash to trinkets: Creating revenue out of rubbish

There is hope and an end to the mountains of garbage in sight. As a fitting prelude to Earth Week, the news came out early this month that Sweden had run out of garbage.  With an efficient waste-to-energy system that turns trash to power for electricity and heating, that country has effectively managed to use up all of its garbage.  To make things even better, Norway is paying Sweden to take away its trash. And undoubtedly, the latter is the big winner because it has income, fuel, plus the admiration and respect of environmentally-attentive groups around the world. Certainly, Sweden’s sustainability and recycling models are something to aspire for.

While it may take several years before garbage dumps in the Philippines can be tapped to power air conditioners that will give us reprieve from the searing heat, many companies have joined the sustainability movement by doing their share to help alleviate the existing trash and pollution problem. Among these companies is global financial giant Citibank, established in the Philippines in 1902. 

Since 2006, the company has celebrated Earth Week by creating programs that inspire employees to explore more ways to reduce their carbon footprint in the office or at home, thereby mitigating the environmental impact associated with pollution and global warming.

“In honor of Earth Week, events take place at Citi offices around the world, giving employees an opportunity to learn more about the environment and to make an impact in our local market,” says Aneth Ng-Lim, director for public affairs and corporate citizenship.

“Climate change, pollution and natural disasters have affected almost every Citi employee and client over the past few years,” she explains. â€œAt Citi Philippines, we are no stranger to natural disasters, and have taken our experiences starting from Typhoon Ketsana in 2009 to better prepare for such situations and more importantly, take responsibility for our business’ environmental impacts.”

Thus far, there are positive gains from the extra effort to improve environmental attentiveness.   “Citi has 12,000 facilities around the world, and we consume a significant amount of energy and water, and produce a large amount of office waste,” Lim reveals. “As such, Citi has set greenhouse gas, energy, water, waste, and green building goals. And since 2005, we have reduced our carbon footprint by as much as 21.7 percent.” 

In Asia Pacific, Earth Week celebrations at Citi began last weekend with a volunteer activity at Virlanie Foundation, an organization that cares for abandoned, abused, exploited, orphaned, poor and neglected children. Nineteen volunteers spent their afternoon at Virlanie Foundation with women from low-income communities making recycled jewelry. Among those who taught jewelry-making were Mila, 44 years old, and a resident of Divisoria’s sidewalks (“Nakatira lang kami sa bangketa”) and Nanay Mely, 48, who told us a happier story of how Virlanie helped send her children to school.(“Nasa France sila ngayon kasi kasama sila sa choir.”) Perhaps, more important than the jewelry-making itself, the activity allowed Citi volunteers to interact and empathize with less privileged women who otherwise they will not have an opportunity to meet.

“This event was the culmination of a two-week- long magazine drive where employees collected their old magazines to share as raw materials for this activity,” shares Lim. “More than the ‘checkbook philanthropy’ approach, an activity such as this widens the horizons of our employees. It opens up new opportunities to give back. It encourages us to do more for others. And at Citi, I take pride in the fact that is never a problem to get people to volunteer.”