Filipino firm Green Antz said it is one of the "fastest-growing" circular economy and pollution reduction service providers in Asia, with it looking to initiatives in cement and waste reduction to drive further growth for the business.

When it launched in 2013, Green Antz focused on ways of handling low-value plastics in the Philippines. By 2021 it had almost 200 employees in operations in India, Singapore, Ivory Coast and Israel treating types of waste including construction, glass, metal, plastic and organic.

Its partners now include Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Starbucks, Royal Dutch Shell, McDonald's, and Colgate-Palmolive.

Green Antz is on track to treat 6,000 tonnes of plastic per year via 1,000 collection points in fuel stations, public schools, shopping centres, and office buildings.

The company is built on several principles including:

• Focus on the largest centres of pollution and waste generation, while prioritising the processes that deliver the most sustainable change
• Prioritise innovative solutions that can deliver measurable, effective and long-lasting results
• Nurture a collaborative approach that aims to challenge current paradigms of consuming resources

For example, Green Antz has developed techniques to reduce the carbon footprint of cement-based construction products such as innovative use of the ash produced at coal-fired power plants, carbon-capturing cement, and plastic gravel. It is on its way to halve its cement products' emissions, compared with mainstream market equivalents. Green Antz is collaborating with partners such as Holcim to develop other cement product lines.

In another example, an unnamed international footwear brand asked for help on responsibly disposing of its defective items. It agreed to distribute the products to lower-income communities with the help of Green Antz.