3M is continuing its commitment to act against climate change through an integral partnership with Clean Air Asia. In collaboration with the international non-governmental organization, 3M aims to create healthier and more livable cities through science-based air quality solutions.
Since solidifying its partnership with Clean Air Asia in 2019, 3M has committed to spend the next five years assisting the organization in its efforts to assess baseline air quality conditions, design capacity-building programs for air quality management, implement awareness and education campaigns, develop Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs) with the cities of Manila, Philippines and New Delhi, India, and measure the resulting impact on air pollution levels.
“Air pollution has been and continues to be a significant problem in densely populated and highly urbanized areas in the Philippines, such as Metro Manila,” said Reggie Pulumbarit, 3M Philippines Country Leader and 3M Southeast Asia Managing Director.
With pandemic restrictions starting to ease and the country starts its shift towards the ‘next normal’, Pulumbarit emphasizes how 3M’s partnership with Clean Air Asia comes at such a crucial time.
“We are eager to partner with the Clean Air Asia team and share our expertise, so that we may continue addressing the negative impacts of climate change with science-based solutions,” he said.
3M has pledged its support to Clean Air Asia’s Asia Blue Skies Program, wherein a CAAP was developed for the City of Manila as part of the program’s city-level interventions.
This CAAP aims to serve as the foundation for a science-based and stakeholder-driven air quality management system, with Barangay 128 in Tondo, Manila chosen as the pilot community for local implementation of the pollution control measures in parallel with the city-level CAAP implementation.
The project was formalized between Barangay 128, Clean Air Asia, City Government of Manila, and 3M Philippines in September 2022 with a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
“This long-term partnership with Clean Air Asia will address weaknesses, bridge gaps, and utilize science-based initiatives to create a healthier and more livable Manila City—and this is just the beginning,” said Pulumbarit.
“3M will continue to increase its long-standing mission to achieve sustainability through science-based action. Together with key partners and communities, 3M is committed to using science, innovation, and collaboration to solve shared global challenges and ultimately improve lives.”
A series of community engagement activities were conducted in Barangay 128 to ensure that project activities on CAAP implementation are tailored to the context and needs of the community.
With the goal to address and reduce emissions in the community, Barangay 128—through the support of Clean Air Asia and 3M—began the CAAP implementation by setting up a coordination mechanism for community-level air quality work through the Barangay 128 Community Task Force.
With the task force’s help, a survey was distributed to deduce the general perception about air pollution in the barangay. In addition, discussions and learning sessions were held with barangay officials, youth, and female representatives to raise awareness regarding the issue as well as receive feedback on the interventions.
Communication activities were also developed to support the ongoing project implementation, raise awareness, as well as engage the local leaders and stakeholders on the issue.
One of the key activities for the communication plan was the development and dissemination of comic strips illustrating common scenarios that impact air pollution within the community. In collaboration with the barangay’s Sangguniang Kabataan, the collaterals focus on educating the local youth.
The comic strips were presented during the barangay’s youth assembly, shared on social media, and posted on bulletin boards across Barangay 128.
Moving forward, the project aims to proactively address these issues by relocating the local air quality sensor from the fire station to the barangay hall, and continuously monitoring the air quality to support CAAP implementation.
There will also be data gathering on health, open burning, and traffic within the vicinity of the monitoring site. Interventions in collaboration with the city and barangay will be scheduled to improve waste management, reduce emissions from waste and open burning.
Moreover, the project will support the barangay towards re-establishing a materials recovery facility, enforcing ban on open burning, and administering a household food and yard waste management program.
