Local startup Packworks, which offers a business-to-business (B2B) open platform for sari-sari stores, is partnering with clean-fuel provider Pascal Resources Energy Inc. (PREI) to supply refillable LPG canisters to select micro-retail outlets in the Philippines.
Dubbed as the world’s first of its kind, Gaz Lite is a PREI innovation in a 330-gram refillable LPG canister that burns clean, smoke-and-sulfur-free fuel. Compared to solid fuel, Gaz Lite saves each household up to 60 hours of cooking time per month and reduces their fuel expenses by 33 percent.
“We are thrilled to be in joint hands with Gaz Lite as this partnership will enable us to expand our impact, transforming the lives of millions of Filipino households, making safer and more affordable cooking fuel a reality, while also contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment,” said Packworks co-founder and CEO Bing Tan.
A wide dealer network of megastore partners of Packworks, in Cebu, Batangas, Quezon, and other parts of Visayas, will serve as the distribution and refilling hubs for Gaz Lite for the initial rollout. The canister is priced at P145 each, inclusive of deposit, or P65 for every refill. A canister can last up to five days.
The partnership aims to provide safer and more affordable clean cooking fuel to more Filipino households as a viable alternative to illegally refilled butane canisters or charcoal and wood. Gaz Lite is safe from hazardous chemicals, which could pose health risks, and a cheaper alternative to using firewood that contributes to global warming.