In the picturesque paradise of Siargao Island, Jemina Ty, the creative force behind the globally celebrated swimwear brand Blackbough, takes the helm as the leader spearheading a sustainability campaign, hand in hand with the local community.

With its pristine islands, stunning white sand beaches, and sprawling coconut fields, Siargao Island has captivated beach-lovers and adventure-seekers from all over the world. However, this idyllic destination in the southeastern region of the Philippines is facing threats due to plastic pollution and environmental degradation. In response, Blackbough recently organized a beach cleanup campaign to protect Siargao Island and raise awareness among locals and tourists alike.

Ty pointed out, “By 2050, there’s a good chance that we’ll see more plastic in the ocean than fish. That’s why through this initiative, we hope to create a chain reaction and encourage people to be more mindful of their actions and to make choices that nurture the environment.”

Under Ty’s leadership, Blackbough became a widely followed international swimwear brand with a heart for sustainability. The company is committed to reducing its environmental footprint by using recycled nylon, investing in ethical factories, repurposing scrap fabrics to accessories, and incorporating recyclable and reusable packaging options. By offering stylish and eco-friendly swimwear, Blackbough encourages customers to make more sustainable choices.

“At Blackbough, we believe that every journey towards sustainability begins with a single step. Leveraging Blackbough’s global presence, we aim to showcase the beauty of our Philippine islands and the importance of taking care of them.” 

The beach cleanup event took place at Malinao Beach, General Luna drawing over a hundred volunteers from diverse backgrounds, including tourists, locals, and stakeholders. Their collective effort resulted in the removal of 100 sacks of plastic waste and debris, offering participants a firsthand perspective on the detrimental effects of pollution on the island.

The Blackbough team, composed of young, creative, and passionate individuals who champion various causes such as marine life conservation and environmental preservation, includes team members based on Siargao Island. Ty acknowledged their commitment, saying, “Siargao is not just a location for us; it’s also home to many of our amazing team members. I recognize that it’s my responsibility to contribute positively to the communities and societies where we operate.”

Beyond cleaning up the beach, Blackbough’s campaign is a call to arms for travelers, environmental enthusiasts, and conscious consumers to begin their sustainability journey. Siargao Island is just the starting point for Blackbough’s beach cleanup initiatives, marking the launch of their Clean Beach Campaign, a series of beach cleanup activities in collaboration with various local communities across the Philippine islands as part of Blackbough’s advocacy for sustainability and environmental protection.

Ty believes in being proactive when it comes to addressing environmental issues. Ty emphasized, “I think that we should not wait for our beaches to reach a critical level of degradation before we act. We hope for everyone’s support as we pursue our mission to protect the country’s beaches. Together, we can make a lasting impact and inspire others to join us on this journey.”

As part of its journey towards sustainability, Blackbough has launched a fundraising drive dubbed “Donate to Clean our Coasts” on its website’s checkout page, running until mid-October. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised through this campaign will be dedicated to supporting the International Coastal Cleanup Philippines, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to cleaning up marine debris and promoting ocean conservation. Blackbough has also pledged to match the cumulative donations made during the month of September.

To learn more about Blackbough’s fundraising initiative, please visit https://blackboughswim.com/pages/our-commitment.

Urbanization continues to profoundly shift the face of Philippine towns and cities. With the lack of ample crop production areas and more people migrating from rural to urban zones, primary availability and access to food are      severely impacted. In fact, over 3.9 million Filipino families continue to experience involuntary hunger due to food inaccessibility.

Epson has always held a strong commitment to sustainability and protecting the environment, not only in its products but also in its initiatives that enrich communities. More recently, the company has shifted more focus to enabling the circular economy through upcycling and breathing second life to used materials. To spur its commitment into action, Epson continually partners with like-minded organizations such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines to further its eco-initiatives and contributions to a greener future.

Strengthening Epson’s sustainability initiatives through urban gardening

Earlier this year, Epson partnered with WWF-Philippines to conduct an urban gardening workshop for the global technology leader’s employees. Facilitated by WWF-Philippines Sustainable Food Systems Project Manager Monci Hinay, the workshop aimed to educate attendees on the practice, and showcase how people in urban spaces can benefit from urban gardening and sustainable food systems.

Throughout the workshop, Epson employees learned about what urban gardening entails, such as what kind of crops work best depending on the time of the year. Participants learned in-depth tips and the basic steps of urban gardening: starting from site selection, seed sowing and seedling care, container selection, transplanting, water fertilizer, and pest control. Participants also learned how to kickstart their gardening journey: from concocting their own natural pest control to utilizing companion planting.

Understanding the basics of urban gardening

According to WWF-Philippines, the practice of urban gardening addresses one of the key pillars of food security, access to food, as well as the growing issue of household waste management. The method involves growing produce in portable and modular planters, in areas where agricultural spaces are not typically available, such as cities and urban centers. Urban gardening enables the cultivation of crops in compact areas and vertical structures, akin to hydroponic technology at a more affordable cost.

Additionally, urban gardening combats another growing problem: single-use plastics and plastic pollution. The practice gives life to potential waste products such as old plastic bottles, conveniently turning them into miniature planters that can fit in any space.

“What we’re doing right now is part and parcel of the solution because as we speak, a lot of our fellow Filipinos are experiencing hunger and malnutrition,” said Hinay. “We hope more people start to practice urban gardening and pass these methods forward so that we, as a community, can begin to address these growing issues surrounding food and food security.”

The urban gardening workshop, while highly informative and engaging, is just the first step in addressing the food crisis from an individual level. Epson, together with WWF-Philippines, hopes to roll out more eco-initiatives to educate and inspire individuals to practice the method and embrace their roles as stewards of sustainability.

“Our efforts and eco-initiatives represent our simple contribution to Epson’s global environmental goal of becoming a pioneering company that employs its effective, compact, and precise technologies to achieve a sustainable future,” said Masako Kusama, President and Director of Epson Philippines. “We are glad for our growing partnership with WWF-Philippines, and all the opportunities that will help put our commitment to sustainability into practice.”

The Southeast Asia (SEA) region is facing a potentially damaging gap between climate reality and people’s understanding of its catastrophic effects, according to the results of its Climate Reality Barometer from global technology leader, Epson. The survey captures global experiences and perceptions of climate change from 15,264 consumers across Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

Timed to help frame discussions at the upcoming COP 26 in November 2021, the goal of the Epson Climate Reality Barometer is to raise greater public awareness of climate change impacts, influence transformative business decisions, and better inform policy makers.

Reality Deficit: The Gap Between Perception and Climate Reality

The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report noted that cities intensify human-caused warming locally, and further urbanisation together with more frequent hot extremes will increase the severity of heatwaves. Despite this, well over half (56.4%) of people surveyed as part of the Epson Climate Reality Barometer in Southeast Asia, are optimistic that we will avert a climate disaster in their lifetime.

For those who are optimistic, the most popular reasons supporting this optimism is the belief that people are more aware of climate change dangers (35.8%) and the opportunity to use science and technology to solve problems (29.2%). 

On the other hand, just 15.7% were pessimistic that they will avert a climate disaster in their lifetime. Overall, the majority of those who are pessimistic are driven mostly by a belief that people are not aware of climate change dangers (41.4%) or a feeling that there’s a lack of government action (22.4%). 

Reality check: Where we are today

The study suggests that optimism may be the result of a failure to recognise climate change and, therefore, its scale. In Southeast Asia, some of the top events most associated with climate change include more flooding (80.4%), wildfires (79.7%) and higher temperatures (79.2%), extreme weather (77.5%), and rising sea levels (73.1%). At the same time, the least associated with climate change are insect outbreaks (49.2%), thawing permafrost (53.4%), mass migration (60.5%) and more deaths in cities because of heat waves (64%). 

Siew Jin Kiat, Regional Managing Director of Epson Singapore (SEA Headquarters), said: “As the climate emergency unfolds before our eyes, it is of real concern that so many people in our region fail to recognise its existence. This is a wake-up call for us to act together and act fast. The pressure is on for governments, businesses and individuals to work together to make decisions and inspire the rapid action needed to mitigate climate change.” 

Reality responsibility: Who should take actions

Many see the responsibility to tackle the climate emergency belonging to state and industry actors. Of those surveyed, nearly a third in Southeast Asia (32%) believe governments and 14.7% believe businesses are “most responsible for tackling the climate emergency” – with 2.8% not believing in climate emergency.

That said, there is evidence that the idea of personal and collective responsibility is widely held too. Encouragingly, respondents in Southeast Asia (27.5%) see that they are personally “most responsible”, while almost one in five (19%) believe that we are all responsible – with action incumbent on governments, businesses and individuals alike.

Reality action: Individual steps

Individually, people are taking their own actions to mitigate the climate emergency. The study suggests that more people are walking or cycling more often (63.8%), reducing plastic use (67.5%) and improving recycling habits (57.3%).

Despite this, there are still gaps in terms of what people are willing to do, which will be important in reaching net zero targets at a global and national level. While there is openness in Southeast Asia to adopt new behaviors like switching to an electric vehicle, installing solar panels and switching to renewable energy; reducing international travel for business and leisure and adopting a plant-based diet are some behaviors that respondents indicated more resistance towards. 

Business reality: The time to act is now

All in all, the Epson Climate Reality Barometer and its discovery of the Climate Reality Deficit shows that there is a long way to go if we are to take the fundamental actions necessary to avert irreversible climate change. Greater understanding and collective endeavour, however, will enable and empower rapid action.

Companies can empower other businesses and consumers with sustainability supporting innovations. At Epson, this has seen the development of, for example: initiatives to reduce customer impact through the use of highly energy efficient PrecisionCore Heat-Free technology; and R&D into environmental technologies such as naturally derived (non-plastic) materials.

Beyond product and materials innovation, businesses can make a big difference by promoting and demonstrating climate responsibility. Epson carries this forward by: transitioning to 100% renewable electricity and engaging with initiatives such as the RE100 renewable energy project; working to close the resource loop for example, by promoting product refurbishment and reuse; and engaging in high impact partnerships such as its work with National Geographic to promote protecting permafrost through the Turn Down The Heat campaign.

Yasunori Ogawa, global president of Epson, commented: “The discovery of the Climate Reality Deficit shows that awareness coupled with action, will be critical to tackling the emergency. Epson’s goal is to bring this awareness and the technologies needed — by our company, other businesses and consumers — to action transformational change. Sustainability is central to our business plan and backed by significant resources — because while we know there is a long way to go, we believe we can build a better future.”