The 2nd Philippines-Japan Environment Week, held last January 13-15, 2025, at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, gathered key stakeholders and practitioners from both countries to discuss pressing environmental challenges and reinforce their commitment to sustainable development. Organized by the Embassy of Japan in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the event highlighted the strong partnership between the two nations in addressing environmental sustainability.
Keynote Addresses: Strengthening Partnerships for a Resilient Future
During her keynote address, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga emphasized the growing collaboration between the Philippines and Japan. She described the event as “a testament to our commitment that we formalized in our Memorandum of Cooperation… to achieve mutual prosperity, sustainable development, and regional stability through a rules-based international order.”
Loyzaga outlined key areas of cooperation, including climate action, pollution control, and sustainable water management. She stated, “We are updating our NDCs and accelerating its implementation… strengthening institutional capacity for Article 6 implementation.” She further highlighted the country’s readiness for carbon market mechanisms and the establishment of marine science stations across the Philippines to support ocean resource management. “As archipelagic countries, both the Philippines and Japan share the perils as well as the promise of being large ocean nations,” she said.
Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo expressed Japan’s commitment to supporting the Philippines in environmental protection efforts. Japan’s State Minister of the Environment, Fumiaki Kobayashi, also emphasized technological cooperation in advancing sustainability. Meanwhile, PCCI President Consul Enunina Mangio stressed the importance of the private sector in driving green investments and innovative environmental solutions.
The keynote speeches set the tone for the event, encouraging collaboration to address climate resiliency and environmental management in the Philippines through knowledge-sharing and technology transfer.
Panel Discussions: Addressing Key Environmental Issues in the Philippines and Japan
A series of panel discussions tackled crucial environmental topics such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, pollution management, clean energy, and water accessibility. These sessions featured expert presentations followed by interactive Q&A discussions, fostering valuable exchanges of ideas and solutions.
The session on the circular economy, moderated by Crispian Lao, President of the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability (PARMS), was one of the key highlights. The discussion explored strategies to promote sustainable production and consumption by applying Japan’s successful circular economy models to the Philippine context.
Lao and the panelists emphasized the need for collaboration between the government and the private sector in advancing waste management infrastructure and materials recovery facilities. The session also underscored the importance of public participation and awareness campaigns to achieve long-term sustainability goals.
Exhibition: Showcasing Sustainable Innovations
An exhibition ran alongside the discussions, featuring innovative environmental solutions from both countries. The showcase included technologies in renewable energy, waste management, water conservation, and eco-friendly products. Companies and organizations from the Philippines and Japan presented their latest projects, providing attendees with insights into practical applications of environmental technologies.
The exhibit served as a platform for networking, allowing participants to explore potential collaborations and learn from successful case studies in sustainable business practices and environmental management initiatives.
Side Event: Unwrapping Sustainable Packaging with Circular Design
On January 13, participants were also invited two side events. Being part of the plastic recovery side, we attended a side event titled “Unwrapping Sustainable Packaging with Promotion of Circular Design in the Philippines.” The session covered sustainable packaging trends, Japan’s experience with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and practical applications in the Philippines.
A key highlight was an interactive workshop where we were divided into groups and tasked to create consumer personas and analyze packaging life cycles. Our group focused on a food delivery worker, mapping the challenges and advantages of using a certain plastic packaging type from source to consumer. The event also facilitated business matchmaking between Filipino and Japanese companies, fostering collaboration in sustainable packaging solutions.
Addressing Common Challenges as Archipelagic Nations
Both the Philippines and Japan, as archipelagic nations, face unique challenges related to ocean resource management, climate resilience, and disaster preparedness. Secretary Loyzaga highlighted the DENR’s commitment to enhancing scientific knowledge and capacity by establishing marine science stations across the country’s diverse marine biogeographic regions.
These stations aim to provide data-driven insights to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries management.
Japan’s extensive experience in marine resource conservation, disaster risk reduction, and ocean governance presents valuable opportunities for collaboration to tackle issues such as marine pollution and coastal ecosystem degradation. Both nations agreed on the need for a rules-based international order in managing their maritime environments, ensuring sustainable development for coastal communities.
Dialogue, Knowledge Sharing, and Collaboration
The 2nd Philippines-Japan Environment Week 2025 reinforced the enduring partnership between the two countries in addressing environmental challenges and advancing sustainable development goals. The event fostered dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, strengthening efforts to achieve climate resilience, pollution control, and resource efficiency.
As both nations continue to work towards a greener and more sustainable future, the partnerships and commitments forged during the event will play a vital role in ensuring long-term environmental stewardship and economic growth.
For more information and copies of the program and keynote speeches, you may visit the event's official through this link here.
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