CEBU, Philippines — Sustainability, green growth, and stronger international cooperation took center stage during the ASEAN-EU Sustainability Summit 2026 in Cebu, where government officials, business leaders, and development partners gathered to discuss climate resilience and inclusive economic development.
The summit, organized with the participation of the ASEAN-EU Business Council and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, highlighted the growing partnership between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) in addressing environmental and economic challenges confronting the region.
In her keynote message, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro underscored the province’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, saying Cebu is positioning itself as a future-ready and climate-resilient hub.
“Cebu is now positioning itself as a province ready for the future, one that understands that real progress must also be sustainable, resilient, and inclusive,” Baricuatro said.
The governor said her administration is prioritizing climate-resilient infrastructure, flood mitigation, water management systems, sustainable energy, and responsible waste management to ensure long-term economic growth.
She added that sustainability also encompasses food security, healthcare, transparency, and digital governance.
“Sustainability is not only about the environment. It is also about building communities that are prepared, empowered, and trusted by the people they serve,” she said.
Baricuatro emphasized the importance of collaboration among governments, businesses, innovators, and development organizations in achieving sustainability goals across the region.
Patrick Child, deputy director-general of the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with ASEAN amid growing economic and environmental uncertainties.
Child said energy volatility, supply chain disruptions, and worsening climate impacts continue to affect both regions, making coordinated international action increasingly necessary.
He outlined three key priorities for accelerating the region’s green transition: stronger implementation of sustainability policies and circular economy programs; alignment of sustainability standards and regulations between ASEAN and the EU; and increased investments in green infrastructure, renewable energy, and sustainable innovation.
Child also highlighted the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, which supports sustainable development projects and encourages stronger public-private partnerships in the region.
The summit likewise underscored the role of the private sector in advancing sustainability-driven investments and regional cooperation.
The ASEAN-EU Sustainability Summit 2026 serves as a regional platform aimed at accelerating cross-sector collaboration toward Southeast Asia’s sustainable and inclusive transition.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace Philippines appealed for urgent regional action against Southeast Asia’s worsening plastic and waste crisis.
With the deadly trash slide in Binaliw, Cebu City earlier this year still haunting residents, and landfill disasters and fires reported in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, Greenpeace warned that the region’s waste systems are collapsing under the weight of single-use plastics.
“Communities should not pay the price for a crisis created by big, greedy corporations,” the organization said, stressing that the crisis is inseparable from fossil fuel dependence.
The group urged ASEAN leaders and civil society organizations to unite behind systemic reforms and people-centered solutions such as reuse and zero-waste systems, insisting that the summit must deliver urgent action rather than “empty promises.”
Greenpeace said six out of 10 ASEAN countries generate around 31 million tons of plastic waste annually.
It added that plastic’s lifecycle — from fossil fuel extraction to disposal — inflicts severe harm on public health, biodiversity, climate, and livelihoods.
The organization cited hazardous chemicals in plastics, including endocrine disruptors such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have been linked to cancer, diabetes, and reproductive problems, while microplastics continue to contaminate food systems and marine habitats.
Economically, Greenpeace said plastic pollution contributes to global losses of up to USD 2.5 trillion in marine ecosystem services, directly affecting fisherfolk and coastal communities.
The group also highlighted the inequities of the crisis, saying women and low-income communities are disproportionately exposed to health risks and displacement caused by petrochemical facilities and landfills.
Greenpeace linked the regional waste crisis to global fossil fuel dependency, warning that plastic production leaves Southeast Asia vulnerable to oil market volatility and geopolitical conflicts.
The organization noted that disruptions in global supply chains, including those in West Asia, can drive plastic resin prices up by more than 50 percent in a single month, burdening consumers and economies.
Greenpeace further argued that petrochemical companies profit from these shocks at the expense of marginalized populations, worsening social and environmental inequities.
As ASEAN leaders convened primarily in Lapu-Lapu City, Greenpeace outlined 10 policy imperatives for governments to integrate into regional and national action plans.
These include reducing plastic production, phasing out single-use plastics, scaling up reuse systems, banning hazardous chemicals, investing in zero-waste infrastructure, and enforcing stricter prohibitions on waste imports to end “waste colonialism.”
The group also urged ASEAN to reject “false solutions” such as incineration and chemical recycling, while supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels with protections for workers and communities.
Greenpeace also called for stronger and more streamlined extended producer responsibility regulations to ensure corporations shoulder the costs of the waste they generate.— FPL CEBU NEWS
Source: The Freeman
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