Bagging a trend

Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Bagging a trend
By Mayette Q. Tabada

COMPANIES finally go green.

To the tune of paperless memos and corporate tree planting, a number of local businesses are doing their bit for the planet by giving away something other than the usual mug or desk dustcatcher.

What’s current in corporate keepsakes?

The 100-percent plastic-free “green bag.”

Actually a misnomer, the adjective refers less to the shade and more to the receptacle’s reusability and the underlying principle of waste management and civic responsibility. While SM Supermarket and Unilever launched last June a reusable shopper’s bag that’s actually colored green, Aboitiz Equity Ventures gave away last yearend’s goodies for clients and partners in a voluminous tomato tote more in keeping with the Yuletide season.

Although usually made of thick and durable canvas, some green bags use synthetic materials, like the SM-Unilever Green bag that uses up less energy in its
manufacture and can be reused up to two years, according to the SM Concerned and Responsible Eco-shoppers (SM Cares) campaign.

When Cebu Belmont Inc. inaugurated last Aug. 11 their latest high-rise, the Belmont Hardware Depot building, the company gave away free canvas totes to guests.

“We wanted to give a memorabilia that’s not just decorative, but also functional,” recalls Chester Lim, Belmont vice-president for administration.

A shopper who once complained that a local grocery store’s plastic bags were for sale, Chester underwent a green change after a January 2006 trip exposed him to Parisians bringing their own totes, with the elderly pulling along trolley bags, to hold their purchases.

“By adopting a green bag, we also reduce the demand for crude oil or petroleum as plastic products are derived from these,” he points out.

What’s best about this corporate trend is that the totes are just the tip of the iceberg. Not stopping with giveaways, these companies adopt measures to spread the advocacy among customers and within their corporate culture.

Under the SM Cares campaign, 28 SM malls conduct regular waste market fairs where shoppers can trade anything from used table napkins to empty ink cartridges. Aside from showing An Inconvenient Truth to its employees, Cebu Belmont Inc. is a major distributor of the biofuel BioActiv since 2003, as well as energy-saving devices for homes and industries.

During the media launch of Parkmall last June 15, katsa (canvas) totes were given away. Conceptualized by Parkmall developer, Golden Great Value Properties, and Marketworksasia, Inc., the totes were printed by Cheryl Baldicantos and Insoy Niñal.

The tandem has also produced bag giveaways for a Cebuano writing seminar and the June 29-July 1 Tsinelas Summit on Volunteerism and Child Rights Advocacy, sponsored by the Cebu City Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

Cheryl, Insoy and Chester have plans to sell green bags, whose popularity makes them viable. After every tote in Belmont’s inauguration batch was eagerly snapped up, Chester sees a green future for bags that are compact, sturdy and, best of all, tender with the environment.

Turning green does pay off.