In preparation for the upcoming Holiday season when millions of Filipinos will travel to their provinces, Perfetti Van Melle Philippines (PVMP), through its partnership with PCX Markets (PCX), has transformed over 1,000 kilograms of plastic waste into 100 Mentos benches, and distributed these to bus terminals nationwide.

The initiative is part of PVMP’s Mentos “Yes to Fresh” campaign, named after its chewable candy, and aims to provide some much-needed freshness to commuters in major bus terminals in Batangas, Naga, Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro.

The Mentos benches, which will remain as permanent fixtures at the bus terminals, also offer a fresh lease of life to plastic waste that might otherwise have ended up in nature or landfills.

“As so many Filipinos enjoy our products every day, we have a unique opportunity to help drive positive change. By integrating sustainability into our brand plans, brands like Mentos can bring joy to consumers while also supporting the development of a circular economy for plastic in the Philippines. These ‘refreshing’ Mentos benches, made entirely from recycled plastic waste, are a great example of how this can be done,” David Roos, PVMP managing director, said.

PVM has a strong commitment to sustainability and reducing its environmental footprint globally. The company continues to reduce plastic in its packaging and is dedicated to finding meaningful alternatives to plastic packaging materials.

PVMP partners with PCX Markets to support projects that divert plastic waste from nature. The latter is a registered producer responsibility organization that helps enterprises comply with the law on reducing plastic waste by serving as a global marketplace for audited and traceable plastic waste recovery and responsible processing. It encourages the elimination of unnecessary plastic and enables the responsible recovery and processing of any remaining plastic to make sure it doesn’t end up in nature.

Besides PVMP’s innovative Upcycled Benches project, the company supports recycling initiatives and social impact projects like the Aling Tindera waste-to-cash program, which empowers women micro-entrepreneurs to become sustainability champions in their communities, as well as company-wide beach clean-ups.

“This initiative is a fantastic example of how businesses can help fund the cleanup of plastic waste, bringing much-needed financing to our country’s emerging waste management sector, while also creating a circular economy by driving demand for the final product,” Rudi Ramin, commercial director of PCX Markets, said.