Universal Robina Corporation wins big at ESGBusiness Awards
It has shifted to more sustainable and eco-friendly practices.
Philippine-based food product company Universal Robina Corporation (URC) was honoured at the recently held ESGBusiness Awards for the successful implementation of its innovative programme Flourish Pilipinas and Project LTE.
Flourish Pilipinas, which was introduced in 2017, aimed at fostering a nation of entrepreneurs by acknowledging and nurturing the skills, talents, and passions of young Filipino bakers. Over the years, the programme has evolved through various iterations, encompassing educational initiatives for students and workshops catering to teachers.
In 2022, it focused on aspiring baker-entrepreneurs through the introduction of the baking business competition known as URC Flourish Pilipinas 2022: The CEO Initiative. The primary objective of this competition was to enhance the baking and business skills of participants, providing them with the tools needed to transform their dreams of owning bakery businesses into reality.
This comes as URC recognises that accessing start-up capital is one of the biggest hurdles for aspiring CEOs.
The competition put the skills of participants from Manila and Davao to the test in three phases. The first phase revolved around technical training about fundamental baking knowledge and applying it to craft innovative and captivating recipes. The next phase saw winners in the first phase engage in informative business lectures, seek expert guidance through consultations, and receive valuable coaching.
The final phase emphasised the significance of a robust business plan when establishing a bakery business. The finalists faced the challenge of presenting their business plans to a panel of expert entrepreneurs, leveraging the knowledge and experience gained from the previous phases.
“URC Flour Division has always recognised the potential within the local baking industry. Our goal is to establish the groundwork for a thriving business that embodies a meaningful purpose, ensuring long-term prosperity,” the company said.
Students under the URC Flourish Pilipinas programme are provided with start-up capital to kick-start their businesses. The winner of the competition has also established her own small bakery shop with the support of the financial and technical skills she acquired through the competition.
This feat, which ultimately aims to create sustainable impacts in the industry, has won the Job Creation Award - Philippines category.
Meanwhile, Project LTE is the first co-processing initiative implemented in URC. Previously, plants disposed of their waste laminates – made up of production rejects, trade returns (bad order), and obsolete packaging materials – through contracted garbage hauliers. These garbage trucks are usually smaller, not cost-effective, and not optimised for efficient material transfer of low-density materials such as plastic laminates.
The company was able to shift to a sustainable plastic waste management system by establishing cost-sharing agreements with cement plants and implementing a single-trip dual pick-up logistics strategy, whilst generating savings from lower cost of garbage hauling to landfill. This was a win-win opportunity for the business, co-processing partners, the community, and the environment.
As of end-2022, ten plants have implemented the project. A total of 323MT, equivalent to 60 dump trucks of waste laminates, was sent to cement plants for co-processing and to avoid potential leaks to the environment.
This feat won the Industrial Energy Efficiency Award - Philippines category at the awards programme.
ESGBusiness Awards honours businesses that demonstrate outstanding commitment and achievement in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, as well as those leading the way in building a sustainable future.
The ESGBusiness Awards is presented by ESGBusiness. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's outstanding commitment and achievement in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].
