Circular Economy and Responsible Business Conduct: Inside Del Carmen’s Policy Advocacy Session

Del Carmen, Siargao, convened local leaders, national agencies, and development partners on May 2, 2026, to advance circular economy through responsible business conduct.

A policy conversation in a working building

The venue mattered. The Policy Advocacy Session on Circular Economy through Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) was held at the Women Center in Del Carmen, Siargao, a facility rebuilt after Super Typhoon Odette, powered by solar energy, and used for women-led livelihood trainings and disaster response coordination. It is not an abstract policy space. It is a working building in a municipality that has spent years turning circular economy principles into local practice.

On May 2, 2026, the Municipality of Del Carmen, under the leadership of Mayor Alfredo Coro II, convened the session in coordination with AGREA Foundation, led by Chairperson and Founder Ms. Cherrie Atilano. The gathering brought together local officials, national agency representatives, development partners, and community stakeholders around a shared question: how responsible business conduct can accelerate circular economy adoption in a municipality where waste, tourism, agriculture, and fisheries are tightly interlinked.

Mayor Coro opened the session with a call for collective action and transformation. His framing reflects a position he has articulated consistently: that circularity must begin with what a community values most, and that local ownership, not top-down intervention is the basis for sustaining it.

Why RBC, and why now

Responsible Business Conduct is a framework for how enterprises manage their environmental and social impacts. In the Philippine context, it is increasingly linked to circular economy adoption—the idea that businesses should design out waste, keep materials in use, and account for their supply chain effects. The ASEAN Circular Economy Business Alliance and Global Compact Network Philippines have explicitly connected the two, calling for business leadership in circular economy adoption to advance responsible business conduct and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For Del Carmen, the relevance is practical. The municipality has already demonstrated measurable progress on waste. It has reduced unmanaged waste by 25 percent over recent years, and its ecotourism model, anchored in mangrove protection, has helped lift average family income and reduce poverty incidence from 69 percent in 2010 to 21 percent by 2024. These are not projections. They are documented outcomes.

But the next phase of the work requires the private sector to move in the same direction. Circular economy at the municipal level depends on enterprises that are willing to source differently, process differently, and account for waste differently. The RBC session was designed to create the policy and partnership conditions for that shift.

What was discussed

Ambassador H.E. Marielle Geraedts of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Philippines delivered a message emphasizing that responsible business conduct thrives through collaboration—between local government units, communities, and the private sector. She encouraged maximizing investments in RBC and circular economy solutions, highlighting how value can be created from local resources.

The coconut example was central. Ambassador Geraedts pointed to coconuts as a clear illustration of how a primary crop can be transformed into multiple sustainable products and livelihood opportunities. That framing connects to work already underway. In Del Carmen and across Siargao, local enterprises are producing eco-friendly alternatives to charcoal and leveraging coconut by-products to serve the tourism market. The ILO has described Siargao as a “lighthouse model” for how circular coconut economies can drive climate resilience, positioning Del Carmen as a leading example.

The session was enriched by contributions from Dr. Fidel Jr. III T. Gonzales, Municipal Agriculturist; Hon. Geny Lou Petallo, Municipal Councillor; Engr. Jay-ar Sumabat, Solid Waste Management Coordinator; and Mr. Mark Dalin-As, LGU and Stakeholder Engagement Analyst at UNDP Philippines. Their inputs reinforced the importance of policy alignment, innovation, and local action—the practical machinery through which a circular economy agenda moves from principle to implementation.

The partnership architecture behind the session

The session was made possible through the partnership of the European Union in the Philippines, the Embassy of the Netherlands, UNDP Philippines, DILG Philippines, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), iLAJA, and other committed stakeholders.

This is the same partnership architecture that supports the EU-Philippines Green Economy Partnership, a P3.67 billion (EUR 60 million) programme running from 2023 to 2028 under the Global Gateway initiative. The programme links European and Filipino partners to foster a circular economy, reduce plastic waste, improve energy efficiency, and promote renewable energy use. Del Carmen is one of the partner local government units, alongside Baguio, Pasig, Quezon City, Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Ormoc, Davao, and the Island Garden City of Samal.

AGREA Foundation’s role in this ecosystem includes circular economy livelihoods through the Para Sa Isla initiative, implemented with iLAJA and the municipal government, supporting People’s Organizations in transforming local resources into sustainable products. That enterprise-level work complements the policy-level advocacy of the RBC session. Policy creates the enabling environment; enterprises demonstrate that the model works.

What makes Del Carmen’s approach distinct

Del Carmen has been building toward this moment for years. The municipality’s circular economy work is not a single project but a portfolio: waste diversion systems, mangrove protection, ecotourism, coconut value-chain development, and women’s livelihood programs. In August 2026, DOST Caraga conducted the Municipal Technical Working Group validation of the Siargao Circular Economy Roadmap at the Women’s Center—the same venue as the RBC session—introducing the DOST Science, Technology and Innovation for Circular Economy framework and circularity assessment tools.

The RBC session adds a private-sector dimension to that portfolio. Circular economy cannot be delivered by local government alone. It requires businesses to adopt circular design, reduce waste in their operations, and source from local producers. The session was an attempt to align those actors around a common policy agenda.

Mayor Coro has described the municipality’s approach as “Circular Futures”—an approach that emphasizes strengthened partnerships within and beyond the island, allowing opportunities to test solutions with experts, investors, and neighboring towns. The RBC session is an expression of that approach.

What comes next

The session was a policy advocacy event, not a signing ceremony or a funding announcement. Its value will depend on what follows: whether the discussions translate into concrete policy measures, enterprise commitments, or partnership agreements.

The near-term indicators are straightforward. Does Del Carmen adopt or strengthen local policies that incentivize circular business practices? Do enterprises in the municipality commit to measurable waste reduction or circular sourcing? Does the partnership architecture—EU, UNDP, DILG, DENR, iLAJA, AGREA—move from dialogue to implementation?

These are the questions that will determine whether the session was a starting point or a footnote. The municipality’s track record suggests it is capable of follow-through. The 25 percent reduction in unmanaged waste and the poverty reduction from 69 percent to 21 percent did not happen by accident; they were the result of sustained local governance and partnership.

A note of appreciation

To the Municipality of Del Carmen, Mayor Coro, Ms. Atilano, Ambassador Geraedts, and the agency and community partners who participated: the work of aligning policy, business practice, and community priorities is slow and often unglamorous. The session was a step in that work.

To learn more about AGREA Foundation’s circular economy initiatives and its work with local governments and communities in Siargao, explore the organization’s official channels. Organizations interested in supporting circular economy enterprises or policy work in Del Carmen can reach out through AGREA’s contact page.