MANILA -- Ajinomoto Philippines will again launch paper packaging for one of its products this year as part of efforts to reduce the company’s environmental footprint by half by 2030.

In a media conference in Makati, APC President Koichi Ozaki said the company already had a paper packaging for its popular umami seasoning and will again launch another product soon using this new technology.

He added that their plastic packaging are mono-material, which makes them easier to recycle and contribute to a circular economy. The company has also started removing the secondary plastic packaging as part of sustainability efforts.

“In the past packaging was just plastic, however nowadays all of our products Ajinomoto SKUs are changing to mono-material plastic. This is one progress. In addition, two years ago, we started to launch paper pack Ajinomoto packaged products,” he said.

The company’s two factories in Bulacan and Cebu now also use 100 percent renewable energy. APC has also partnered with various logistics company that use electric vehicles for delivery.

Ozaki admitted that all these initiatives can be costly, but will not affect pricing of their products.

“Regarding the packaging materials, it costs more currently. Some parts, of course, we absorb this cost increase, however I think the more important to point is we the food manufacturer, how to educate consumer regarding importance of the packaging materials,” he added.

APC Chief Sustainability Officer Ernie Carlos said they are balancing sustainable efforts with the growth of the business. They do believe however that in the long run all these initiatives will benefit the company more by improving operations and even reducing power costs.

“Some of our activities are already embedded particularly in terms of waste reduction. We have our improvement in operation efficiency. Those does not only tried on cost reduction, but also in terms of productivity and efficiency,” Carlos said.

The company has also started the SariCycle program to entice the public to give them back used sachets in exchange for points which can then be converted to grocery products. The used sachets or single-use plastics will be repurposed.

APC has been in the Philippines since 1958. The Japanese company is widely known for its seasoning products.