In celebration of Earth Day 2022, Spectrum COO Patrick Henry T. Panlilio (right) and Avon Products Mfg, Inc. Operations Head Tirso Antonio B. Pereja (left) led the inauguration of Spectrum’s 626.4 kWp solar rooftop project in Avon’s manufacturing plant in Calamba, Laguna.

Spectrum, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has collaborated with Avon to help the global beauty company move a step closer to achieving sustainable business operations through the energization of its first solar-powered facility located in the Philippines.

Officials from Spectrum and Avon Philippines led the inauguration of the solar project in its manufacturing plant in Calamba, Laguna on April 22, which coincided with the worldwide celebration of Earth Day.

The solar rooftop project, which has a capacity of 626.4 kilowatt-peak (kWp), was entrusted by Avon to Spectrum given the solar company’s energy expertise and proven safety track record.

The recently completed solar installation has since generated approximately 255,300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean energy thereby reducing Avon’s carbon footprint by approximately 160 tonnes.

The project is expected to generate about 841,100 kWh clean energy on its first full year of operations, translating to 599 tonnes of carbon footprint reduced or 329,315 trees planted.

The project forms part of Avon Global’s efforts to become a more sustainable company by reducing its environmental impact and improving its operational efficiency. With the benefits expected from its first solar project, Avon intends to replicate this initiative locally and globally.

Avon, which has been operating in the Philippines for 44 years and globally for over 135 years, along with Natura & Co., has embarked on a 2030 Commitment to Life sustainability journey through which it targets to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2030.

“Taking care of our planet is also similar to taking care of the people because the people will be the ones who will benefit when we take care of our planet. We want to highlight that this is the first solar project of Avon, not just in the Philippines, but internationally,” Tirso Antonio B. Pereja, Avon Products Mfg., Inc. Head of Operations, said during the inaugural ceremony.

“We can say that this is just the start of our renewable energy journey. There will be more to come. And of course, we would like to thank Meralco and Spectrum for collaborating and working with Spectrum for this solar project,” he added.

For his part, Spectrum Chief Operations Officer Patrick Henry T. Panlilio, said: “Spectrum is honored to be a part of this momentous occasion in the inauguration of the first solar installation of Avon globally. This is a testament to Spectrum, Avon and Meralco’s shared commitment towards powering a sustainable future by enabling businesses to operate sustainably and more efficiently through the use of solar energy. We thank our partners from Avon for entrusting us.

“As a Meralco company, we are fully committed to make our solutions accessible and affordable to our customers while upholding the highest standards and quality control measures providing our partners with safe and reliable solar solutions. We hope that this will be the first of many solar installations to come for Avon as we push forward to Powering the Good Life,” he added.

Prior to this partnership with Spectrum, Meralco has already been supporting the power requirements of Avon Philippines as an enterprise customer. The power distributor assisted Avon in its shift as a contestable customer under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) in 2013, allowing the global cosmetics company to negotiate its electricity rates with its preferred supplier.

At the height of the Taal Volcano eruption in 2020, Meralco also aided Avon with cleanup of ashfall that affected their facilities in Laguna, and averted an estimate five-hour outage that a sparking metering equipment could have caused. This saved Avon potential production loss of P843,000 per hour.

Avon joins the roster of international and local companies that engaged Meralco and Spectrum to be part of their sustainability journey.

Spectrum offers tailor-fit solutions for industrial, commercial, and residential customers through an in-depth understanding of energy consumption behaviors and strategic partnerships with world-class technology partners.

Backed by Meralco’s energy expertise, the renewable energy company has been providing services and solutions to help customers reduce their costs while taking part in saving the planet.

Spectrum’s recently completed solar installation (seen in photo) already generated approximately 255,300 kWh of clean energy, effectively reducing Avon’s carbon footprint by 160 tonnes.