Green business with women-led enterprises

March is Women's Month, and this is a good opportunity to honor and celebrate women-led enterprises that not only help promote the well-being of our communities but that of our planet as well.

Ultima Linen

At SM Home, there is a line of bedsheets called Ultima Linen that are made of bamboo cotton. This product is a good addition to a green household and the lady behind this brand is Gigi Uy-Cirera.

Uy-Cirera related that she started Ultima in 1996 which, she said, was an offshoot of her wholesale bedsheet business supplying to Divisoria and to some of the provinces.

"We make sure that the products we sell are aligned with our goals and practices, especially now that we have decided to lean into the sustainability agenda with our products and with the way we run our company," she related.

According to Uy-Cirera, she decided to offer her items for sale at SM Home when she noticed that more people were going to the malls for their needs.

"It was luck and foresight that made us decide to try and open up a wider market for us. So, we decided to approach SM Home," she said.

She is grateful for the support SM Home has extended to her and to her brand, adding that consumers are more aware about sustainable items.

"Brand awareness has also become important. This is good because consumers become educated about our products," Uy-Cirera added.

Margaret Muir

Another SM Home supplier is Belinda Sarmiento who supplies the Margaret Muir line of beddings. She started her retail journey in 1997 when she was working for a textile manufacturer that supplied SM Store.

"However, I decided to open my own retail business in 2008. Luckily, with my passion and perseverance, I was able to grow my business and I am grateful for the support of key people along the way," Sarmiento said.

She sourced her products from "reputable suppliers locally and abroad that adhere to high quality and sustainable standards".

Over the years, Sarmiento noted that SM Home had been continuously innovating and "bringing the best out of the retail landscape in the Philippines which made them number one."

"Therefore, it is a strategic decision on my part to join SM Home and grow together as partners. From that standpoint, I was able to adapt to the direction of the group which also greatly improved my product assortment," she said.

She also brought into the country, the franchise for Martha Stewart — a premium home essentials brand who made a name for herself in the very competitive home furnishing space. SM Home is Sarmiento's lead retail partner for this product line.

"Throughout the initial months of its introduction, SM has been supportive in helping us launch the brand through social media advertorials, a big product launch and proper visibility in stores. These are all very essential for a new brand to grow in the market that has a lot of seasoned competitors already," Sarmiento said.

Expect Sarmiento to continuously innovate her products so that they align with SM's green retail initiative, the SM Green Finds.

Eva Marie

If you are looking for fashionable and eco-friendly accessories, check out the Eva Marie brand of bags that are sourced from a local community.

It was the parents of Eva Marie Adona Yu who started the banig business back in the 1980s. She took over the business in 2009 when they retired. The showroom and production are based in Basey, Samar where she provides livelihood opportunities to the women in the area.

"Prior to being a supplier of Kultura, we participated in the trade fairs sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry in Manila two to three times year. It was during one of these trade fairs that Kultura discovered us," Yu said.

Since the business is based in Samar, Yu said that one of the advantages of being a supplier of Kultura is that their items are readily available.

"If my buyer wants to buy any of our products, I always tell them to go to Kultura," she said.

As for her future plans, Yu said they will continue to produce more designs.

"We want to continue with the good relationship we have been able to cultivate with SM and Kultura and make sure to maintain a certain level of quality when it comes to our products," Yu said.

Women play a very significant role in the success of the SM Green Finds Program of the SM Store and its retail affiliates. With the support of these women-led enterprises, SM Store can curate more green, eco-friendly products and provide more sustainable choices for its customers.

SM Green Finds, make green living easy by providing products that are eco-friendly, made from natural and local ingredients as well as support local communities.