APPROACHING its 50th anniversary, Alaska Milk Corp. (AMC) is celebrating another milestone as the company pledged to attain net zero plastic waste by year-end.

This, as the company signed a memorandum of agreement with Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) last May 4, sealing AMC’s commitment to offset 604 tons of plastic waste generated in 2021. This will help divert more plastic waste away from landfills and oceans.

The agreement, which is part of AMC’s post-consumer plastic waste processing efforts, was signed by Nanette Medved-Po, PCX founder and executive chairman; and Tarang Gupta, AMC managing director; with Roel van Neerbos, FrieslandCampina Food and Beverage president; and senior vice president for Asia, Harvey Uong, as witness.

Neerbos expressed his gratitude to Plastic Credit Exchange for this partnership. “The belief that strength is built from togetherness has been core to FrieslandCampina’s identity,” he said. “Collaboration extends to our goal of nourishing a better planet — together, we can create a sustainable future for generations to come.”

Uong reiterated the value of working together to resolve the plastic waste epidemic. “It takes a collective effort to address large-scale problems such as the global plastic waste issue. Through Alaska Milk Corp.’s cooperation with PCX, we’ll be one step further in our fight against plastic pollution, while delivering the best nutrition for Filipinos nationwide.”

“We commend Alaska Milk Corp.’s commitment to taking action against the plastic waste crisis,” said Medved-Po. “With the cooperation of businesses such as AMC, local communities, and the government, our goals of restoring our oceans and protecting our planet becomes more possible.”

For his part, Gupta said that AMC recognizes its significant role in controlling plastic waste. “Alaska Milk Corp.’s sustainability efforts don’t stop at attaining the plastic neutral status by the end of this year. Moving forward, our organization will continue to maximize our efforts in addressing plastic pollution,” he added.

AMC aims to co-process, recycle or upcycle a total of 873 metric tons to achieve its plastic neutrality goal. The remaining metric tons of plastic needed to achieve this will come from other AMC programs, such as the Alaska Wrapper Redemption Program and the partnership with D&G Pacific Corp. for the establishment of a multi-layered upcycling facility in the Philippines.