Volunteering to stem a tide of garbage

Imperial Tobacco employees in the Philippines are improving their local environment by helping to maintain a river estuary near the company’s Cavite factory.

The Philippine Bobbin Corp. (PBC) has joined with other local businesses in an environmental protection scheme by adopting the Maalimango River.

To mark World Water Day, more than 60 employees from the factory volunteered to take part in a weekend cleanup operation to remove rubbish from the waterway.

“I was delighted that we had almost twice the number of volunteers taking part this time compared to a similar initiative last year,” said factory manager Carlos Saez-Diez Reberdito.

“This river is important in the rainy season to help drain floodwaters from the surrounding area, but it cannot do its job properly if it is clogged up with garbage.

“By volunteering to help clean up and maintain the Maalimango, PBC employees have once again demonstrated our values as a responsible business.”