MANILA — Holcim and One Earth One Ocean launched July 28 the Circular
Explorer in Manila to be part of cleaning coastal areas in the Philippines.
The first-of-its-kind 100% solar powered catamaran, the Circular Explorer is
designed to recover up to four tons of plastic waste per day to preserve vital
marine ecosystems in a sustainable way. In parallel, it is driving an education
program to empower students and local communities as changemakers to take
action for people and the planet.
Taking a science-driven approach for more impact, it is partnering with the
University of the Philippines Marine Institute to advance ocean research. With
built-in sensors and micro-plastic collectors on board, it will drive live data
mapping along its journey to fuel the faculty’s research programs.
Magali Anderson, Holcim chief sustainability and innovation officer, said: “With
today’s population and urbanization on the rise, Holcim is committed to
improving living standards for all by building more with less. That’s why we are
driving circular construction as a global leader in material recycling to build a
net-zero future that works for people and the planet. The Circular Explorer is a
platform to empower communities to join us to shift gears toward circular living.”
Doc. Deo Onda, deputy director for research if the University of Philippines
Marine Science Institute, noted: “Now more than ever, we need science to help
us understand the environmental challenges we are facing and to guide us with
equitable and sustainable solutions. Scientific initiatives, such as the one
supported by Holcim with its Circular Explorer, are a significant contribution to
these endeavors. By advancing research together, we can help educate the public
and support key decision makers with relevant data to take action.”
Horia Adrian, president & CEO of Holcim Philippines enthused: “The Circular
Explorer is a symbol of Holcim’s commitment to sustainability. Walking the talk
across our business, we recycled over 20 million tons of materials into alternative
fuels and low emission raw materials across our operations over the past 15
years. By 2024 we will become the first company in our sector in the Philippines
to operate solar panels in our plants. I’m excited to be partnering with like-
minded organizations today to make a bigger difference together.”
Across the Philippines, Holcim’s 1,070 employees operate four plants at the
forefront of sustainability, with brands from ECOPlanet green cement to its
advanced range of building solutions for resilience and repair.
In line with its commitment to circular construction, Holcim engages with cities
around the world to accelerate the shift towards circular living. To empower
broader action, Holcim launched the Circular Cities Barometer with Bloomberg
Media, showcasing the top 25 cities around the world at the forefront of
circularity.
Quezon City features in this global ranking, standing out for its circular systems
and leadership. It was the first city in the Philippines to implement waste-to-
energy power plants and has banned all single-use plastics since 2019. Its nearly 3
million residents can pay their utility bills with credits earned by recycling plastics,
metal, paper and boxes.
To scale up circularity in the region, Holcim brought together experts from the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources to non-governmental
organizations such as Build Change to discuss how to shift from a linear ‘take-
make-waste’ economy to a circular ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’ one.
