{"id":1206,"date":"2019-04-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1206\/plastic-invades-centre-of-the-centre-of-global-biodiversity-hotspot\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:35:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:35:43","slug":"plastic-invades-centre-of-the-centre-of-global-biodiversity-hotspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1206\/plastic-invades-centre-of-the-centre-of-global-biodiversity-hotspot\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic invades \u2018centre of the centre\u2019 of global biodiversity hotspot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greenpeace South East Asia \u2013 Philippines has documented plastic pollution in Verde Island Passage, as the group deployed its iconic ship, the Rainbow Warrior, to investigate plastic pollution in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

A three-day underwater exploration produced photos of sachets, some showing visible signs of being among the corals for a very long time. Among the branded single-use plastic pictured in the area are products from Nestl\u00e9, Unilever, and Colgate Palmolive, as well as some local brands such as Zagu milktea, Nutri-Asia, and Monde Nissin.<\/p>\n

Verde Island Passage, dubbed as the \u2018centre of the centre\u2019 of global marine biodiversity, has one of the largest concentrations of marine life in the world. Located in Batangas, it is situated in the center of the Coral Triangle, a global priority for conservation.<\/p>\n

\"Plastic

A plastic packaging was seen floating in in Verde Island Passage, the epicenter of global marine biodiversity, in Batangas City, the Philippines. Daily, 163 million sachets produced by the biggest FMCG companies are left polluting the environment in the Philippines.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThis is undeniable proof of how irresponsible single-use plastic production by fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies threatens our pristine environment. If big companies such as Nestl\u00e9 and Unilever don\u2019t respond to our calls for reduction in single-use plastic production, these places of \u201cparadise\u201d like Verde Island Passage, will be lost,\u201d said Abigail Aguilar, campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia \u2013 Philippines.<\/p>\n

The documentation follows a report by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)<\/a> that shows Nestl\u00e9 and Unilever are responsible for a quarter of the branded throwaway plastic driving the plastic pollution crisis in the Philippines. The data from the report revealed that 163 million sachets produced by the biggest FMCG companies are left polluting the environment in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

Please find on this link the photos and videos<\/a> of our underwater documentation.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace is calling on corporations to take bold and immediate action to phase out single-use plastics for the sake of impacted communities. For other images of our recent documentation in the Philippines, please see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For interviews please contact:<\/p>\n

Angelica Carballo Pago, Greenpeace SEA Philippines Media Campaigner: +63 949 889 1332, angelica.pago@greenpeace.org<\/a>