Unwrapping Sustainable Packaging with Promotion of Circular Design in the Philippines   

Introduction

ASEAN-Japan Centre organized the “Unwrapping Sustainable Packaging with Promotion of Circular Design in the Philippines” on 13 January 2025 in Manila, Philippines as a side event of the 2^nd Philippines – Japan Environment Week, aiming to foster collaboration between the two nations in promoting the circular economy. The event was co-organized by the ASEAN – Japan Centre (AJC) and the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), attracting more than 70 participants representing government agencies, academia, non-government organizations, and industries involved in packaging, labelling, and manufacturing.  

Objectives and Goals

By leveraging this special opportunity at the 2^nd Philippines – Japan Environment Week, our workshop mainly focused on “How can circular design in packaging promote sustainability” and intended to share experiences and best practices of circular design in Japan and how to apply them towards sustainable packaging and labelling systems in the Philippines. The workshop discussions centred around the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Japan and the Philippines, emerging packaging trends, private sector’s challenges and opportunities, as well as business practices for co-creating a sustainable future.   

Activities and Highlights

The workshop opened with a welcome address by Ms. Maria Rita O. Matute, Executive Director of the Design Center of the Philippines (DCP). She highlighted the importance of sustainable packaging and circular design in the Philippines as a critical area for development, since the country is facing a serious environmental problem with a large volume of solid wastes mostly coming from plastic packaging. Therefore, Philippine companies must catch up and seriously consider on adopting sustainable or eco-friendly packaging solutions into their businesses since people now have a higher awareness of the importance of sustainable packaging. Then, Mr. Chairat Liengkajornkiet, Director of Programme Operations as the AJC’s representative, gave his opening remarks by stressing the Centre’s long history of working with DCP and reinforcing our unwavering commitments in implementing programmes and activities to promoting environmental sustainability through regional cooperation.   

The opening session was followed by key discussions from distinguished speakers, starting from Japan Packaging Institute. He presented “the Plastic Waste Recycling in Japan” and two related laws, i.e., “1971 Waste Management and Public Cleaning Law” and “1995 Containers and Packaging Recycling Laws”. He also explained about “1992 Guidelines for Voluntary PET Bottle Design” and the latest trend of technologies in packaging and labelling design by showing some examples of packaging solutions from the awards in the Japan Packaging Contest 2024 and invited participants to consider on attending the “Tokyo Pack 2026” on 14 – 16 October 2026 which is a leading biennial international packaging exhibition since 1966.     

The second speaker, Engr. Athalie Natalya Reyes, Standards, EPR and Consulting Manager, PCX Solutions, presented on the topic of “Trend and Private Sectors’ Challenge towards EPR in the Philippines”. PCX Solutions is a non-profit organization that advises companies and governments on plastic responsibility and manages the Plastic Pollution Reduction Standard (PPRS). She discussed the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the Philippines and how businesses can comply with the EPR Law with the aim to accelerate the transition to a circular economy where no plastic ends up in nature. 

The final presentation titled “Co-Creating a Sustainable Future” was conducted by Mr. Ernie Carlos, Director – Supply Chain Management and Chief Sustainability Officer, Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation (APC). As one of the leading corporate businesses in driving sustainable efforts in the Philippines, APC highlighted its commitment to reduce its environmental impact towards a greener future by shifting to sustainable packaging made from a natural and renewable paper material for its seasoning products which provides consumers with an alternative to plastic. The SariCycle® Program was also presented as an example of how inclusivity of all members of society and circularity prove to render positive outcomes, by offering store owners the chance to earn environmental points for correctly sorting plastic packaging collected from customers, and bringing it to recycle centers. Accumulated points can be exchanged for daily necessities or used to offset utility bills. In this way, SariCycle reduces plastic waste by ensuring that plastic collected at the recycling centers is recycled or properly disposed of. 

Afterwards, the shared insights listened from the three distinguished speakers laid the foundation for an interactive session on sustainable packaging design titled “Outside the Box: Where Innovation meets Responsibility” The session was facilitated by Ms. Abi Mapua, President and Co-Founder of Kindmind Experience Design. Through the power of design, she stimulated the participants to collaboratively frame and imagine Circular Economy solutions for products that address environmental impact, user experience, and Circular Economy principles.   

Key Takeaways

1. Japan is a leader in plastic recycling, with a high overall recycling rate and a particularly impressive record for PET bottle recycling exceeding 80%.  
2. Packaging solutions with circular design prioritize on reducing plastic consumption in packaging through using sustainable materials liked recycle papers, forest-certified paper and bioplastics. Apart from plastic reduction and promotion of recyclability, attractive circular packaging design can play a role in creating a positive brand image and enhancing the consumer experience with elegant and thoughtful design choices.    
3. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act in the Philippines is a key piece of legislation aimed at reducing plastic waste by making businesses accountable for their product’s impact on the environment throughout its lifecycle. The law requires large enterprises and MSMEs with combined asset value of over 100 million pesos to take responsibility for their plastic packaging waste. The law focuses on plastic packaging waste, including single-use plastics, rigid containers, plastic bags and polystyrene. EPR aims to promote a circular economy by encouraging businesses to reduce their plastic footprint, redesign products, and reuse systems. 
4. This workshop provided invaluable insights into the current practices of packaging recycling system and recent trends of packaging solutions in Japan. As we consider implementing Japan`s proven system and scheme across the ASEAN region including the Philippines, adapting this know-how with the promotion of circular design to local conditions and cultural contexts is necessary for widespread adoption and effectiveness in promoting sustainable packaging throughout the region. 

Way Forward and Engagement

This workshop underlines the critical need for continuous follow-up action on further discussions between the ASEAN, including the Philippines, and Japanese businesses to ensure sustainable business linkages in the field of sustainable packaging and related environmental businesses. One of the AJC’s ultimate goals is to foster the business partnerships or co-creation between the Philippines and Japanese companies with an aim to increase prospects for the Philippine products with the circular design to be exported to the Japanese or any other international markets in the sustainable manner.