Under the ILO Green jobs initiative and with support from the Government of Japan, the office has designed a Greener Business Asia project to contribute to reducing poverty and environmental impact while ensuring decent work and enhancement of manufacturing value chains. The project, which will be implemented in the Philippines and Thailand, is designed to fill a gap in addressing questions of how to green the economy generally rather than focusing on sectors that are considered typically green.

It will allow the development and testing of approaches in enterprises with delivery mechanisms that build on existing structures between workers and employers. The project will also help train leaders from tripartite bodies - government, employers’ and workers organizations - to raise awareness on climate change and build capacity to develop policies and programmes.

Results of the Greener Business Asia project study undertaken by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Institute for Labor Studies looked at the greening potential of the automotive, electronic and construction sectors, in which nationally-based enterprises were part of global supply chains. The study also examined the state of knowledge, practice, challenges and opportunities with respect to addressing environmental challenges and energy efficiency, as well as production practices. ILO constituents selected the automobile sector, with the electronics sector as alternative possibility, for project implementation.