The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines (CCI France Philippines) has urged its members and other enterprises in various industries to be serious in leveraging sustainability efforts to mitigate the ill effects of climate change.

In an interview on the sidelines of La Conference Bleue at the Ascott Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on Tuesday, CCI France Philippines president and Jewelmer CEO and executive vice president Jacques Christophe Branellec said that the inaugural sustainability conference was the chamber's commitment to a more sustainable future.

“This first sustainability conference sets to highlight sustainability not just for corporations but for individuals moving forward. We all know here in the Philippines how much we are affected by Climate Change, and weather events such as typhoons and floods. We want to use this as a platform to raise awareness on what are the tools and framework that we can use to alleviate these challenging situations that countries, such as the Philippines face,” he said.

Branellec said the chamber wanted to drive the narrative for their members, especially with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The event, which DAILY TRIBUNE is a proud media partner being the country’s only news organization that is a signatory to the UNSDG, provided a platform for knowledge-sharing, inspiration, and driving collective action towards more resilient business practices.

The forum featured talks of notable guest speakers who shared their sustainability journeys, advocacies, and best practices aimed at inspiring the community to start their sustainability initiatives.

Under the segment “Walkthrough of People”, Donnel Tiedra of Nestle Philippines discussed how the company uplifted the lives of coffee farmers, and how Nestle made a difference in coffee farming communities through the Nescafe Plan.

This was followed by Kaye Perala, the human resource business partner of Essilor Group, who talked about their project Vision for All on how OneSight Essilorluxottica Foundation made the vision a reality for visually impaired kids in the Philippines.

Also, Christine Lei Go, director of Espoir School Life, discussed their group’s From Learning to Living initiative, which Espoir School of Life’s Sustainable People-centered Approach to education and community development changed the lives of those locales of Siargao.

Furthermore, SM Cares and SM Supermalls VP for Corporate Compliance and Head of Sustainability and Resilience, Engr. Liza Silerio, talked about the strides of the SM Malls in its quest to make its daily operations sustainable, such as the use of solar panels for energy conservation and water treatment facilities, making rain potable to its tenants and mallgoers.

Jollibee Foods Corporation’s Global Sustainability Director Elise Veloso, meanwhile, discussed how their operations follow the UNSDG’s mission, through Jollibee Group’s partnerships in Driving Our Joy for Tomorrow Sustainability Agenda.

Other speakers who shared their strides and insights for sustainability are from the Save Palawan Seas Foundation, NEO, Havas Ortega, shipping magnate CMA-CGM, Reuasia Management, Agence France-Presse, Globe Telecommunications, Acted Philippines, San Miguel Foundation, Agence Francaise de Developpement in Manila, and Mad Courses.

Important economy

Meanwhile, Branellec maintained that French companies consistently treat the Philippines as an important economy, as the country has shown strong growth projection in terms of gross domestic product after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, he said the Philippine government, headed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is able to control inflation, as well as the promotion of big-ticket projects that are in the works under the ‘Build Better More’ infrastructure development projects, the entry of renewable energy projects, and tourism growth.

“I think the Philippines is a beacon of light not just for France but for many countries around the world to start looking at the Philippines even more and investing in this great country,” according to Branellec.