Pusong Hero for Net Zero: 2,000+ Youth and Corporate Champions Set to Run for Climate Action in Batangas
The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), in partnership with National University (NU) and key corporate allies, will launch the inaugural leg of Pusong Hero for Net Zero: Run for Climate Action at NU Lipa and SM City Lipa.
More than 2,000 students, employees, and community members have already registered for the run, which marks the first in a 10-campus nationwide series designed to transform climate pledges into visible, measurable action. Upcoming legs are scheduled in Dasmariñas and Laguna.
Climate and Business at a Crossroads
For Philippine businesses—particularly in fast-moving consumer goods and other consumer-facing industries—the risks of climate change are immediate. Super typhoons, droughts, and rising sea levels disrupt supply chains, damage infrastructure, and threaten communities. Yet the world can still halve emissions by 2030 if action is taken decisively.
Aligned with the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign—the world’s largest coalition of non-state actors—Pusong Hero for Net Zero provides a practical entry point for corporate climate leadership. As the Philippines’ first and only Race to Zero Accelerator, ECCP is convening businesses, youth, and cities to convert commitments into outcomes that protect assets, safeguard lives, and support sustainable growth.
Engaging Youth and Companies in Shared Action
The series is designed to:
● Engage employees and inspire corporate teams
● Strengthen brand trust with younger consumers
● Co-invest in nature-based solutions that reduce flood risk, restore mangroves, and support food security
“Business has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to convert climate risk into competitive advantage. Pusong Hero for Net Zero gives companies a concrete way to engage employees, support nature-based defenses, and reduce plastic leakage—now, not later,” said Florian Gottein, Executive Director of ECCP.
Avelino D. Palupit, Executive Director of NU Lipa, added:
““Our students want to lead. This series channels their energy into disciplined, measurable action—from running for health to volunteering for river and ocean recovery, and building skills for the green economy..”
From the student community, Tetsuya Yoshiko, President of the NU Lipa Community Extension Brigade, emphasized:
“We’re not asking for promises. We’re asking you to run with us—and invest in solutions that protect our homes, our oceans, and our future.”
Confronting the Plastic Crisis
The urgency is stark: the Philippines could become the world’s top ocean plastic polluter by 2025, jeopardizing seafood security for billions. Seven of the world’s ten most plastic-emitting rivers are in the country; the Pasig River alone contributes 6.4% of global river plastics to the ocean.
Through the One Mission, One Nation Ocean Clean-Up, producers, retailers, importers, logistics operators, and waste managers are invited to co-invest in river-to-sea waste interception, reverse logistics, and verified recovery—while protecting mangroves and blue-carbon ecosystems that shield coastal communities and sustain fisheries.
Event and Partners
The Lipa City leg on 28 September 2025 at NU Lipa and SM City Lipa will gather over 2,000 runners while opening co-funding opportunities for the One Mission, One Nation Ocean Clean-Up. Current supporters include Republic Cement, TESTEX, Mega Prime Foods Inc., Audentes Technologies, and Fitbar Philippines, with campaign partners Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), the Bayo Foundation, and Spring Rain Global.
