ABSTRACT
Sustainable production frameworks aim to tackle these enormous challenges by developing economically viable product systems through processes that minimize negative environmental and social impacts while ultimately aiming to conserve or even restore natural capital and improve human well-being and social equity. Abaca Sustainability Initiative aims to enhance the supply of sustainably produced abaca fibre from the mountainous areas of Panay, Philippines by at the same time increasing the incomes of smallholder abaca producers. The transition towards a new concept of sustainable production must take into consideration the environmental and social externalities of complete product life cycles integrating the three sustainability dimensions into an integrated management approach. Abaca, or Manila Hemp, is not only a key ingredient for the production of coffee filters and tea bags but is also used to produce ropes and furniture. The production of abaca fibre is done to a large extent manually.
