The global coconut industry community came together last September 24-26 at the joint World Coconut Congress and Sustainable Coconut Roundtable, held at the SMX Convention Center in Manila. This year’s theme, “Future-Proofing the Coconut,” focused on resiliency, innovation, and value-added transformation as essential to sustaining the industry as global conditions continue to evolve.
Keynote speakers shared valuable insights into the current state and outlook of the coconut industry, highlighting opportunities to further drive long-term sustainability. Notable topics included the health potential of coconuts, emerging coconut products and applications, as well as the integration of digital technology and even AI.
Meanwhile, Sustainable Coconut Partnership’s (SCP) roundtable provided updates on its pilot projects and working groups, as the organization scales up its various programs. During the panel discussions, SCP members emphasized the critical role each stakeholder plays and the importance of collaboration in advancing the industry’s sustainability journey.
Ferdinand M. Dela Cruz, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of Franklin Baker Company of the Philippines, facilitated the plenary session on innovations and joined the panel on responsible rejuvenation.
“The only way for us to continue with responsible rejuvenation is to take three things and spread it across the value chain: leadership, focus and perseverance. Leadership is the first step to make sure that everyone aligns the direction, and sustainability starts at the top. Second, providing focus is one way to scale because we can’t solve everything all at once. Lastly, we’ve learned over the journey that what you plan and what happens are two different things so there has to be a sense of reality. Because Franklin Baker is at the middle of the value chain, it is our job to encourage everyone to do something and to do something with focus so that we could scale it up and continue persevering to do it.”
The World Coconut Congress and Sustainable Coconut Partnership share a common vision of creating a unified platform that demonstrates the power of collaboration. The joint event served as a space for progress, showcasing pathways to a future-ready coconut sector, while celebrating the industry and its people, empowered by inclusivity, shared knowledge and collective action.
