07 February 2018
Published also in Business Mirror
PARTICIPANTS under the Regional Interactive Platform for Philippine Exporters (Ripples) Plus program will be part of the Ambiente 2018 from February 9 to 13 in Messe Frankfurt, Germany.
The local companies participating in Ambiente are Artisana Island Crafts, Silay Export, Marsse Tropical Timber Plantation, Red Slab Pottery and PumicUnlimited Ventures.
The RIPPLES Plus Program is headed by DTI-Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) in partnership with DTI-Regional Operations Group (ROG).
The program is assisting emerging micro, small, and medium enterprises in the development of their products and services through strategic interventions such as trainings and capacity-building; investment, marketing and promotions, support for innovation, product development and design; market access facilitation through Mutual Recognition Arrangements and certifications. These interventions or modes of assistance will ensure that the companies are competent and export-ready. The program has worked toward increasing the number of internationally competitive local product and services exporters with EMB at the helm.
The Philippines’s Ambiente 2018 participation is under the Lifestyle Philippines brand with the theme “Sustainability through Design,” in which the brand bridges the ecological gap between ethics and aesthetics, infusing nature and artisanship in crafting products for modern living.
Returning and new Filipino exhibitors from the home-décor sector will showcase products under the trade fair’s three categories: Dining, Giving, and Living.
Marsse Tropical Timber Plantation and Celestial Arts qualify for the Dining category, which covers table, kitchen, houseware and household products. GSG Paper is in the Giving category for their handmade and vibrant products that fit in the group’s varied gift selection.
Red Slab Pottery, Artisana Island Crafts, Silay Export, Tadeco Home Décor, PumiceUnlimited Ventures, 33 Point 3, Arden Classic, Chanalli, Finali Furniture & Home Accessories, Freden Export, Larone Crafts and Nature’s Legacy are under the Living category’s home interiors and design collection.
The country has a trademark on featuring products with sustainability but, still have beautiful and excellent design. Most designers are inspired on plants and other natural resources abundant in the archipelago to materialize their vision.
This is the Philippines’s third collective participation at Ambiente, the leading international trade fair for consumer goods happening in Messe Frankfurt, Germany. Table settings, kitchen accessories and household products take the spotlight in the show. Gifts, interior trends and home concepts are also showcased. From abaca, raffia, bamboo, rattan, coconut husk, mother of pearl, fine bone china, artisan communities of the Philippines transform these renewable materials into consciously crafted objects, thus minimizing the negative impact on our country’s resources and at the same time, connecting the buyers with the Philippines’s natural environment. The Philippines’s Ambiente 2018 participation is organized by the Citem, the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Citem is targeting $1.8 million worth of export sales.
“Ambiente 2018 is a great platform to strengthen Philippine companies’ network and client base in Germany and the rest of Europe. The trade fair is a wonderful experience for Filipino exporters because they have a chance to be acquainted with the international market’s latest trends,” Citem Executive Director Clayton Tugonon said.
Citem’s efforts to increase the global competitiveness of the country’s gifts, décor, and houseware sector are in line with the government’s latest target—to grow the sector by 20 percent in the next five years. The Board of Investments identified more than 2,400 handicraft enterprises in the Philippines. Majority of those are MSMEs located in the NCR, Cordillera Region, Region 5, and Region 12.