The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ARAIBA Sdn Bhd during its General Membership Meeting on 28 February 2025 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. The MoU cements the role of CCCI as the Philippine country lead for the ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance (ACEBA), an ASEAN-centric, business-led initiative for national and regional circular economy transition.
Present during the ceremony as primary signatories were Thomas Thomas, ARAIBA Sdn Bhd chairman and ACEBA founding co-convenor, and Jay Yuvallos, CCCI president, with Rene Van Berkel, ACEBA founding co-convenor, and Aldie Garcia, CCCI vice president for business advocacy and policy, as witnesses.
Thomas hailed this partnership as an important milestone, and echoed ACEBA’s commitment to its country partners. "On behalf of ARAIBA, which now continues the work of the erstwhile ASEAN CSR Network in promoting responsible and inclusive business and serves as the regional hub for ACEBA, we are pleased and honored to have this collaboration with the CCCI. The process of getting this done took nine months. This agreement marks the commitment of the CCCI to promoting, advocating and facilitating business contributions to the ASEAN Circular Economy Framework and its national implementation in the Philippines. ARAIBA will support the Chamber’s role under its ongoing technical advisory from the EU SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component (PSC) on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The collaboration will research business cases and develop and share circular economy best practices and knowledge products. We will work with the Chamber on advocacy, collaborate and co-facilitate learning and networking events, and assist in achieving our goals for the Philippines and ASEAN—to create national and regional strategies for business leadership towards the circular economy," he said.
An inaugural workshop on Circular Economy as a responsible business and innovation opportunity preceded the MOU signing. The workshop gathered representatives of local businesses, key officials of CCCI, government stakeholders such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Cebu City government, development organizations, and members of the press. The workshop was also live streamed online. ACEBA co-convenors Thomas Thomas and Rene Van Berkel led the discussion on the operationalization of the circular economy for business and the opportunities this presents. Moreover, they facilitated conversations on circular economy initiatives and achievements of Philippine businesses, and how to advance circular economy action in the country.
CCCI president Jay Yuvallos expressed in his opening remarks, "Leading businesses in various sectors have started embracing circular economy practices in the Philippines. In line with the leadership agenda of CCCI, we welcome the partnership with ACEBA to support businesses in reducing their environmental impact and contributing to the prosperity of the Philippines."
DENR undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh delivered a message of support, and emphasized the critical role of partnerships:
"In line with the various policies supporting circular economy transition in the Philippines, there is a need to strengthen partnerships to ensure that all industries are on board, monitor progress, and measure impact. The DENR welcomes the various initiatives supporting the circular economy through ACEBA and the CCCI."
Van Berkel, in his presentations about circular economy and ACEBA, highlighted that circular economy is not a recycling economy, but rather an economy of circular products and services. This offers tangible benefits to both businesses and society as a whole:
"Circular economy offers clear advantages for businesses through cost savings and new business development, minimizing risks, ensuring business resilience, and critically, delivering value to society. Business leadership is needed to support responsible business practice and advance the circular economy through innovation, which also builds upon traditional knowledge and cultural values.”
Engr. Paul Revalde, president of FDR Con (CCCI member company) expressed the needs of businesses to be able to join the circular economy transition, saying “we look forward to opportunities to gain access to relevant technologies and solutions, for the energy transition and sustainable waste management, and to financing towards resource efficiency and circularity."
Changing mindsets towards an ambitious circular economy among policymakers, regulators, producers and consumers was raised throughout the workshop, and this was highlighted in the closing messages from the host organizations. Wendell Ganhinhin, CCCI VP for finance and administration services, mentioned “there may be challenges ahead but there are also many opportunities as we support businesses and stakeholders in the circular economy transition. There is a need for buy-in from all of us to make significant progress.”
Dr. Zinaida Fadeeva, EU SWITCH-Asia PSC team leader, added: “There are many opportunities for synergies under ACEBA, and SWITCH-Asia is committed to supporting this journey, to work alongside our partners in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand.”
Contact
For more information, do not hesitate to contact Grace Santos at [email protected] and Loraine Gatlabayan at [email protected].
