Industry Players Driving Climate Action to Manage Climate Risk and Strengthen Resilience
Climate goals are ambitious, and with limited time and resources, the urgency to act has never been more urgent for the Philippines.
Inaction risks lives, livelihoods, and long-term economic stability. Bold measures such as reducing emissions by decarbonizing operations and value chains are crucial for the country’s sustained growth, resilience, and global competitiveness.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Energy Development Corporation; and moderator Ping Manongdo, Head of Partnerships, Southeast Asia Corporate Decarbonization Exchange (CDx).
This call to action was front and center at the Net Zero Carbon Alliance’s Philippine Net Zero Conference 2025 (#NetZeroCon2025), where leaders across sectors convened to turn pledges into progress.
During the opening plenary, Bukidnon First District Representative Jose Manuel Alba cited studies warning that unchecked climate impacts could cost Southeast Asia up to 11% of its GDP by the end of the century. In contrast, early mitigation efforts could yield returns five to eleven times greater, making early climate action both affordable and advantageous for the national economy.
“The sooner we act, the better we can protect our people, our economy, and most importantly, our growth,” Rep. Alba stressed.
Unilever Philippines, among the inaugural members of the Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA), is one of the businesses answering this timely call. Its climate responsibility begins within its internal operations and extends across its value chain.
Under the company’s Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP), Unilever sets out a science-based roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its operations and value chain. The plan identifies 10 key action areas where Unilever can drive meaningful impact, including its Supplier Climate Programme, renewable energy transition, product reformulation, logistics and operations, sustainable packaging, and regenerative agriculture.
Since launching CTAP in 2021, Unilever has achieved significant reductions in operational emissions and has laid strong foundations to decarbonize its value chain. The company continues to accelerate progress by partnering with key suppliers to hasten climate action and align with the latest climate science and supplier data to transparently measure and report delivery against the plan. These efforts support Unilever’s broader ambition to reach net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039.
Unilever Philippines demonstrates its commitment to decarbonizing its operations and value chain through its long-standing partnership with First Gen, a renewable energy provider, which began in 2017. By 2020, this collaboration allowed Unilever Philippines to transition its operatins with 100% geothermal energy, significantly cutting emissions and preparing the way for broader decarbonization efforts throughout its supply chain.
“That was the benefit of early action,” shared Rondell Torres, Unilever Sustainability Lead for the Philippines and Greater Asia. “In 2020, we fully fulfilled a key action in our Climate Transition Action Plan by completing the shift to renewable grid electricity for our operations. But then the next question was: What about our value chain?”
In line with its Climate Transition Action Plan, Unilever Philippines supported its value chain partners in their respective partnerships with First Gen for access to 100% renewable grid electricity using geothermal power. In addition, the agreement with First Gen allows its subsidiary, Energy Development Corporation (EDC), to supply 10 megawatts of geothermal power to seven production and distribution sites owned and operated by Unilever Philippines across Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas.
“We’re building on this momentum. The appetite for investments in renewable energy is growing, which is heartening. That’s what the private sector is looking for: strong supply at a cost-effective price,” added Torres.
Complementing this infrastructure-level effort, Unilever is advancing its GHG reduction across its value chain by engaging with over 300 suppliers to understand and track their GHG emissions under its Climate Supplier Programme. This initiative enables Unilever’s supplier network to join climate transition. According to Torres, there are three steps for companies embarking on their climate journey, particularly, educate, evaluate, and engage – research available standards like IPCC and GHG Protocols; understand the business from within; and last, find credible partners that can support the transformation.
As a pioneer member of the NZCA, Unilever Philippines is proud to stand alongside 40 Philippine-based organizations working toward a shared net-zero future. Unilever Philippines continues to strengthen its sustainability efforts across climate, plastics, nature, and livelihoods while working with industry peers, government partners, and civil society and NGOs to deliver on its strategic sustainability agenda globally, and in the Philippines.
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