Philippines

In the coastal municipality of Real, Quezon, there’s a long-practiced but lesser-known form of sustainability. Along its shorelines, mangrove forests thrive, cared for by the very people who rely on them. Among these caretakers, the women of the community have long played a vital role.

Land is life. Across Southeast Asia, from fertile fields to towering forests, healthy ecosystems underpin our region’s prosperity.

“Soil erosion is an enemy to any nation—far worse than any outside enemy coming into a country and conquering it, because it’s an enemy you cannot see vividly. It’s a slow creeping enemy that soon possesses the land.”

Plastic does not degrade for hundreds, even thousands, of years, so “there is no end of life to plastic, only end of use,” says David Katz, founder and CEO of Vancouver-based social fintech Plastic Bank, which, as described in its website, is “a global bottle deposit program that helps end poverty and stops plastic pollution.”

The presence of wide reef areas and coastal shelves in Palawan has made the province conducive to farming seaweed over the years. However, recent typhoons have exposed its vulnerability to extreme weather events.

In recent years, the shift to sustainability has become more evident, with consumers becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of their consumption habits and many now willing to pay extra for sustainable alternatives.