FEARING that the future of returnable bottle packaging is at risk following the sale of Coca-Cola Philippines, Environmental groups on Tuesday called on Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Aboitiz Equity Ventures to commit to increasing reusable beverage packaging throughout the Philippines. Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos and Matt Littlejohn, executives of Oceana…
(File photo) MANILA - A petition seeking to compel government action to ban non-biodegradable and recycle plastics was filed before the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday. In a 101-page suit, the petitioners led by Oceana Philippines, Inc. and Sergio Osmena III sought a writ of kalikasan and a writ of continuing mandamus for the full implementation of a 21-year-old law, Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The groups urged the SC to hand down a writ to among other things, immediately prohibit commercial establishments, warehouses and manufacturers from selling, conveying, distributing and using disposable plastics, plastic products that contain Bisphenol-A (commonly known as BPA), phthalates, and other known endocrine disrupting chemicals. The petitioners also sought to prohibit plastic products that contain listed persistent organic pollutants under the Stockholm Convention and plastic products that are not reusable, biodegradable or compostable, not re