Officials of German firms dealing with recycling and waste management have arrived in the country to look for prospective partners, as part of the 2022 German-Philippine Business Conference in Dusit Thani Manila focusing on the Recycling and Waste Management sector.

German companies find a big market potential in the Philippines in the field of waste management and recycling, as the country is currently the third largest producer of solid waste in Southeast Asia and is one of the largest plastic emitters in the world with around 60 billion plastic bags in circulation.

Organizers of the said event revealed that according to their study, about 16.6 million tons of solid waste were generated in 2020. And by 2030, it is estimated that there will be an additional five kilograms of solid waste per capita, per year.

That's why the business mission participants, namely: 2G Energy AG, BOMAG GmbH, CUTMETALL plus Carbide Germany GmbH, EUWELLE Environmental Technology GmbH and Vecoplan AG, are in consensus in saying that waste reduction, reformed waste recycling and pollution control are fundamental elements that are helping the Philippines transition to a more sustainable economy.

"We are elated to see again the large interest of German firms by traveling to the Philippines to explore cooperation, engage potential partners and see the eagerness of their Philippine counterparts. We hope that this delegation will pave the way for more collaboration in the recycling and waste management industry of both the Philippines and Germany," German-Philippines Chamber Commerce and Industry executive director Christopher Zimmer, said.

"Overall, we are pleased to provide the platform that further bolsters bilateral business relations between the Philippines and Germany," he added.

For his part, Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Material Sustainability founding president and commissioner Crispiano Lao disclosed that 44,610 tons of waste are produced in the Philippines daily.