| TYPE OF PROGRAM: CSR and EPR

| START: October 2021

| STATUS: On-going

| TARGET: 600 Metric Tons

| PARTNERSHIP SUMMARY:

Involving community in plastic waste reduction

CMA CGM Group is a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions. Their mission is to develop fair and more balanced economic exchanges, respectful of every human being and of the planet. The Group’s sustainable development is built around the strategic pillar of Acting for People, Planet and Fair Trade.

Sharing a vision for a sustainable world, the CMA CGM Group and The Plastic Flamingo joined forces in September 2021 to stop 120 metric tons of plastic wastes from entering the ocean in the Philippines. The customized Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is primarily focused on the collection and recycling of plastic wastes.

To meet the plastic collection target, this has enabled PLAF to further strengthen its network of plastic collection points – mostly through the 230 and growing number of nationwide drop-off points –such as shops, schools, villages, offices and drop-off points where the public can easily drop used plastics. PLAF has also built partnerships with junk shops to deploy a sustainable programme encompassing incentives, education, and engagements for a long-term plastic waste reduction.

CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics employees based in Metro Manila also joined in the fight against plastic waste pollution as they deposit plastics in collection containers placed within the CMA CGM office and provide it the PLAF for upcycling.

In March, the PLAF, with the support of the CMA CGM Group, launched a new recycling line at the PLAF’s factory in Muntinlupa to upcycle the hard-to-recycle plastic sachet in the Philippines. This new line enables the PLAF to create and formulate its new product – the eco-boards. This eco-board is made from 100% recycled sachets, a type of plastic that dominates the landfill all the while posing a problem in terms of its recycling.

The CMA CGM-PLAF partnership also supports the employment of 12 local staff at PLAF’s factory, most of whom come from low-income households. Living on a low income can bring multiple stresses and restrict their basic development opportunities, the PLAF aims to increase their social impact by providing decent job opportunities to uplift them and their families out of poverty.

In June 2022, CMA CGM and the PLAF reached its milestone and successfully achieved its 120-metric ton plastic waste collection goal.

CMA CGM and the PLAF renewed a 3-year partnership on 15 September 2022 to collect and upcycle 600 metric tons of plastic wastes from the streets, coastlines and the heavily plastic polluted River Pasig in Metro Manila. This marks an annual plastic collection of 200 metric tons, up from 120 metric tons that the CMA CGM-PLAF partnership blocked from leaking into the ocean in 2021.

We are proud to share that for the 1st quarter of 2024, more than 80 metric tons of plastic wastes have been collected.

CMA CGM and the PLAF are on their way to achieving the target collection of 600 metric tons by 2025!

Accounting for and responsibly managing collected plastic waste after collection 

The renewed partnership adds resources to PLAF’s capacity to collect and upcycle riverine plastics which require more rigorous cleaning and handling to separate them from marine debris before the upcycling process. With this, riverine plastics joins the hard-to-recycle plastic sachets on the CMA CGM-funded recycling line to be transformed into eco-boards. As PLAF markets these products that are used to build shelters and furniture, the social enterprise is widening its product range to stimulate market demand for recycled plastic products; and enhance the circular plastic economy.

The two-prong approach in mitigating river and land-based plastic pollution – i.e. by collecting and upcycling - demonstrates the two partners commitment to account for and responsibly manage the plastics retrieved from the environment.

Continuing to create employment and involve community in plastic waste reduction

As the CMA CGM-PLAF collaboration further reduces plastic pollution, it continues to generate the important income source for PLAF’s network of shops and waste collectors; and support local employment at PLAF’s factory in Muntinlupa. 

The PLAF will now also involve the community in retrieving plastics from the coastlines. Other land based used plastics can be deposited at collection points such as shops, schools, villages, offices and accessible drop-off points. CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics employees based in Metro Manila are also contributing their used plastics at their offices and warehouses where the PLAF regularly picks them up to its upcycling factory.