DoST calls for amendment of law allowing recycling of worn-out PHL flags

The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) is calling for amendments to a measure that would allow the recycling of worn-out Philippine flags, replacing the conventional burning method that emits large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Under the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, a flag that is worn out through wear and tear must be “solemnly burned to avoid misuse or desecration,” and its ashes must be buried.

However, this method was found to be harmful to the environment as nylon, a petroleum-based synthetic material from which most current flags are made, releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide—an emission nearly 300 times more potent than CO₂—when incinerated, DoST said in a statement.

A 3×5 nylon flag weighing around 300 grams can release approximately 0.72 kilograms of CO₂ when burned, which is equivalent to a vehicle traveling roughly 3 to 4 kilometers.

Once buried, synthetic residues degrade into microplastics that can persist in the soil for up to 30 to 40 years, the agency said.

Although the method reflects patriotic reverence, DoST noted that it is contradictory to the country’s environmental and sustainability laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Solid Waste Management Act.

DoST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. said he hopes Republic Act No. 8491 will be amended so that the textile can be repurposed for other uses, underscoring the country’s push for a circular economy.

“I hope the flag will not be put to waste by burning it, as its threads can still be used. We have to show that this can still be used for other purposes,” Mr. Solidum told reporters during a ceremonial disposal of a worn-out Philippine flag on Tuesday in Filipino.

“That’s what we want to change,” he added, referring to the amendment the agency aims to push in the current law.

The DoST-Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) seeks to specifically amend Section 14 of RA 8491 to establish a dignified and certified recycling process to recover textile materials from the flag while still preventing misuse or desecration.

The process will be determined by the institute and verified by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

DoST-PTRI proposes that the recovered yarns could be repurposed into medal ribbons, ceremonial lanyards, official government textiles, and potentially newly manufactured flags.

The proposed amendment also calls for modernizing the flag’s official color specifications, which were derived from a 1900s American color system, into internationally recognized color space values that are more compatible with modern and sustainable dyeing technologies.

It also calls for consolidating the authority for flag-quality testing under DoST-PTRI to establish a single, auditable certification system for all Philippine flags produced using public funds.

With these proposed amendments, the retirement of the Philippine flag would reflect both an act of reverence and a responsibility to the environment that the nation has sworn to protect, DoST said. — Edg Adrian A. Eva