PepsiCo, Partners Unveil Advanced MRF in Biñan

(L-R): Mr. Giann Vega, Mr. Alex Celis, Mr. Ronaldo Bayla, Barangay Captain of Brgy. Timbao, Coun. Jedi Alatiit, Former Chair on Environment of the City of Biñan, Mr. Christopher Ilagan, Congressman Atty. Arman Dimaguila Jr., Former Biñan City Mayor, Mr. Rodelio Lee, Biñan City Environment and Natural Resources Office Department Head, Ms. Erica Cardoso, Managing Director of Evergreen Labs Philippines, Coun. Echit Desuasido, Chair on Environment of the City of Biñan, Mr. Lexter Sandoval, Representative of DENR-EMB IV-A Officials conducted the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Enhanced Materials Recovery Facility, marking a milestone in the Loop Lokal project's public-private partnership between PepsiCo Philippines, Evergreen Labs Philippines, and the City of Biñan.

In a landmark event today, PepsiCo Philippines, Evergreen Labs Philippines, and the City of Biñan officially launched the Enhanced Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) at the Biñan Ecopark. The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together national and local government officials, including representatives from the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau Region IV-A and DENR-Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Service, as well as industry and community stakeholders.

L-R): Ms. Erica Cardoso, Managing Director of Evergreen Labs Philippines, Mr. Christopher Ilagan, Dir. Al Orolfo, DENR- FASPS Director, Congressman Atty. Arman Dimaguila Jr., Former Biñan City Mayor Representatives from PepsiCo Philippines, Evergreen Labs Philippines, and local government officials inside the newly launched Enhanced Materials Recovery Facility at Biñan Ecopark during the facility’s inauguration ceremony.

This facility is the latest milestone in the Loop Lokal project, a public-private partnership announced in 2024 to transform the way communities collect, process, and reuse post-consumer plastic waste. Anchored in the pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) sustainability framework, the upgraded facility features mechanized sorting lines, plastic crushers, and baling machines that significantly boost processing efficiency.

“This facility reflects what’s possible when we rethink how systems work—from collection to recovery,” said Christopher Ilagan, Corporate Affairs Head for PepsiCo Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and North Asia. “It’s a practical step toward reducing our environmental footprint and building a future where waste is managed with purpose, not as an afterthought.”

Loop Lokal

Since its inception, Loop Lokal has regularly collected plastic waste across 31 communities. But more than collection, it’s about diversion: waste is upcycled into functional products, re-entering the economy as valuable goods such as furniture, construction materials, and more. The upgraded facility now integrates previously idle government-supplied equipment, breathing new life into infrastructure once underutilized.

The Enhanced Materials Recovery Facility showcases its mechanized sorting lines and processing equipment, featuring the integrated government-supplied machinery that was previously underutilized, now repurposed to sort and process various types of plastic waste including shopping bags, sachets, and multilayered packaging.

“We didn’t just install equipment—we made it work for the context, for the city, and for the communities that will sustain it,” said Erica Cardoso, Managing Director of Evergreen Labs Philippines. “All types of plastic—shopping bags, sachets, multilayered packaging—are being sorted, processed, and sent to their highest-value uses… Plastic here no longer ends in landfills—it re-enters the economy with purpose.”

This enhanced facility directly supports the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, serving as a replicable model for sustainable waste management across the country. The integration of ReForm Plastic technology enables modular and scalable recycling processes that local governments can adopt.

Congressman-elect and former city mayor Atty. Arman Dimaguila underscored the importance of sustained collaboration among sectors: “The way I see it: if all private companies with advocacies, the local government, and the national government would focus on working together consistently and putting their resources and expertise toward a common goal… gagalingan natin lagi, araw-araw. Kailangan nilang maniwala sa atin.” (“Let’s do well. They have to believe in us.”)

This is exactly what we are showing right now—what true partnership looks like in action. And this is what we want to share with others: that when everyone comes together with a shared purpose, we can create progress that no single sector can achieve alone.

Circular Economy Initiatives

Echoing this spirit of cooperation, DENR-FASPS Director Al Orolfo expressed interest in supporting the city’s circular economy initiatives through private funding, signaling stronger national support for locally driven solutions and emphasizing the need to replicate this project in other areas

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“This is what we mean when we talk about a market-based virtuous cycle,” Ilagan added. “When waste has value, more people are incentivized to recover it. And when systems are in place to reliably transform plastic into high-quality secondary products, the cycle sustains itself.”

City Environment and National Resources Office Department Head Rodelio Lee also shares the LGU’s forward-looking stance, emphasizing the LGU’s commitment to supporting homegrown obliged enterprises housed by the Laguna International Industrial Park and the Laguna Technopark as the EPR Law takes effect.

As the ceremony concluded, Evergreen Labs announced plans to open another pre-processing facility in 2025, in continuous collaboration with PepsiCo Philippines, further expanding the reach of the Loop Lokal initiative and solidifying the long-term vision of an inclusive, circular economy.

“We are building not just infrastructure, but momentum,” said Cardoso. “You are not just part of the solution—you are the reason it works.”