Filipino exporters face growing pressure to document their environmental and social performance as sustainability standards increasingly shape access to global markets, Swiss Ambassador Edgar Doerig said, urging businesses to adopt stronger reporting and responsible supply-chain practices to remain competitive.
Speaking at the Swiss Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines’ annual general membership meeting and Sustainability Forum, Doerig highlighted Switzerland’s support for the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Global Reporting Initiative in developing Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Exporters.
Launched in 2025 with support from the Swiss Embassy, the guidelines provide exporters with a framework for measuring, monitoring and disclosing their environmental and social impacts in line with international standards.
“Sustainability and economic success are not in competition, rather they depend on each other,” Doerig said.
Companies that manage environmental risks, invest in their workers and strengthen supply chains are better positioned to meet changing market expectations and sustain their competitiveness, he added.
Doerig cited Switzerland’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and its requirement for large companies to publicly report their climate impacts starting in 2024, underscoring how sustainability disclosure is becoming part of corporate accountability.
At the forum, themed “From Commitment to Impact,” Nestlé Philippines Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs Jose “Joey” Uy III said companies must demonstrate measurable progress rather than rely on sustainability pledges.
“The world is no longer asking what we promised. It’s asking what we delivered,” Uy said.
Nestlé Philippines sustainability head Meg Anne Santos cited the company’s work in training more than 30,000 coffee farmers in regenerative agriculture. Farmers participating in the program have been able to triple their yields, she said.
The discussions highlighted the growing importance of translating sustainability commitments into operational improvements, measurable results and stronger collaboration between government and business.
For Philippine exporters, the challenge is not simply to disclose environmental and social performance but to make responsible practices part of how they produce, source and compete in international markets.
