In anticipation of its 50th year celebration in the Philippines in 2014, 3M Philippines confirms its commitment to the environment and sustainable development in 2013.
3M Philippines employees planted native tree species in an open land area of Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna late last year in support of Haribon Foundation's Road to 2020 "Protecting Nature... Preserving Life." This is to help preserve the existing biodiversity in the area. Anabelle Plantilla, Chief Operating Officer of Haribon Foundation, said a high number of bird and vegetation species existed in Nuvali. "The habitat found in the land is considered good since there is diversity of life in the area."
3M employees also planted trees in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Tanay, Rizal to help stave off erosion and prevent future flooding in critical areas in Rizal and Marikina City communities such as those affected by Typhoon Ondoy. 2,500 seeds have already been planted over a total three hectares of land in identified watersheds in both Tanay, Rizal and Nuvali.
"We dream of a disaster-free Philippines in the near future, so we partnered with the Haribon Foundation to push this dream forward. 3M's support of sustainability is embedded in the company's culture and in 2013 we will continue to commit to sustainability. We welcome this opportunity to be involved in "rainforestation" where we use native tree species to restore forests so that we can help retain and expand wildlife habitats and enhance biodiversity," said Nene Amen, 3M Philippines Manager for Corporate Marketing and Business Planning.
Haribon said that a restored and perpetually protected forest will continuously increase the ecosystem's resiliency to cope with climate change and raise healthier communities.
"The partnership with Haribon best expresses 3M's respect for the social and physical environment and our relationship with our customers and the community. We aim to help restore one million hectares of Philippine forests. It's not just about meeting the minimum requirement but going beyond that to achieve more," Ms. Amen added.
She said that 3M is a global brand that actively participates in reducing its carbon footprint by creating innovative products and technology for both industries and consumers here and in other parts of the globe. The company ranked 12th in Interbrands 2012 list of Best Global Green Brands, which is based on both public perception of a brand's environmental performance and actual performance based on publicly available information.
