MILAN – Nestlé Philippines is the winner of the Grand Anvil, the highest award for the country’s best public relations (PR) programs, presented at the recent 56th Anvil Awards of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. The Grand Anvil was bestowed on the Nescafé Plan, a long-term program of Nestlé Philippines to help the country’s Robusta coffee farmers raise their yields, incomes and quality of life, while promoting increased local coffee production and the growth of the country’s coffee industry, within the framework of sustainability.
Under a banner initiative of the Nescafé Plan, Project Coffee+ involving 1,500 farmers in Bukidnon and Sultan Kudarat, production by the participants has doubled, while incomes have tripled. Nestlé Philippines increased its local buying of Robusta coffee beans in the past crop year by 27 percent.
Partners of Nestlé Philippines in implementing the Nescafé Plan are the Department of Agriculture (DA), the DA-Agricultural Credit Policy Council, the DA-Agricultural Training Institute, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Land Bank, and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) or the German Corporation for International Cooperation.
The Anvil Awards, the “Oscars” of the Philippine PR industry, recognize outstanding PR programs, tools, and practitioners after careful screening by select PR professionals and judging by a distinguished multi-sectoral jury. Themed “PR for Good,” this edition of the Anvil Awards singled out purpose-driven initiatives that promote corporate integrity and the social good during crises and across platforms. The Grand Anvil was awarded at a virtual program by former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Jr., chairperson of the panel of jurors.
The 56th Anvil Awards, with 534 entries, featured 16 Gold Anvils and 122 Silver Anvils, and a total of 142 winners. Of the Gold Anvils, 12 were for programs of which three were awarded to Nestlé Philippines, two for the NESCAFÉ Plan and one for its leadership in tackling plastic waste.
As a highlight of its program to tackle plastic waste, an urgent priority, Nestlé Philippines achieved plastic neutrality starting in August 2020. This means the company collects and co-processes plastic waste equivalent to the amount it generates from its packaging. The food and beverage manufacturer recovers an average of more than 2,000 metric tons of plastic waste each month, and is the country’s first multinational fast-moving consumer goods company (FMCG) to have attained plastic neutrality. Republic Cement, CEMEX Holdings Philippines, and the Plastic Credit Exchange have contributed to make this milestone possible.
“As the Kasambuhay of Filipino coffee farmers and of the environment, we are deeply honored to be conferred these Anvil Awards, which equally belong to our partners in the government and the private sectors because they have helped make our accomplishments a reality. Their collaboration is important. In the face of the pandemic, as a force for good, we are inspired to work even harder as we help build better lives for our coffee farmers and a sustainable coffee industry, and pursue the journey towards a waste-free future,” said Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO Kais Marzouki.
