In partnership with Friends of Hope, around 80,000 kilograms of consumer plastics have been diverted and processed since 2021.
SPECIAL e-waste collection drop boxes collected an estimated 28,000 kilograms of discarded electrical and electronic equipment.
Photographs courtesy of SM Supermalls
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Under the SM Green Movement, SM drives enhanced resource stewardship nationwide, pursuing waste circularity through reduction, segregation and diversion. With its efforts and collaboration with industry experts, the mall operator has also diverted thousands of kilograms of recyclables from landfills and oceans yearly.
“Because SM malls are high-traffic spaces, daily waste reduction and management habits of mall-going Filipinos can be positively influenced at scale,” said Engr. Liza B. Silerio, SM Supermalls vice president for corporate compliance.
Through the years, SM has pursued circularity with its application of various sustainable waste management solutions tailored according to different categories. With the help of industry partners, recyclable waste is managed or given life beyond initial use.
Plastic waste: Friends of Hope Program
With the SM Plastic Waste Collection Program, mallgoers can drop off clean, empty and dry plastic bottles, packaging, and other single-use items in any of the 15 designated drop-off sites in SM malls nationwide. In partnership with Friends of Hope, around 80,000 kilograms of consumer plastics have been diverted and processed since 2021.
“The Plastic Waste Collection Program provides convenient collection points where mall-goers, shoppers, and tenants can responsibly dispose of their plastic waste. Our aspiration is to build a strong and growing network of institutional plastic collection sites that makes responsible plastic disposal more accessible to communities and contributes to our goal of a future with no plastic waste in nature,” said Friends of Hope program and operations officer Yusaira Maon.
E-waste: PLDT and Smart
To tackle the correct disposal and treatment of electronic waste (e-waste) SM’s Electronic Waste Collection Program has been expanded through its partnership with PLDT & Smart. Special e-waste collection drop boxes are deployed in SM Cyberzone wings nationwide which have since collected an estimated 28,000 kilograms of waste from electrical and electronic equipment.
PET bottles: Sparklo and Sentinel
Earlier this year, SM has also forged a new conversion pathway for PET bottles that will be disposed in its malls. With the launch of the SM Green Recycling Machine program in partnership with Sparklo, mallgoers can deposit their empty PET bottles in the reverse vending machines that will be hauled by recycling partners such as Sentinel Plastic Manufacturing Corporation for reuse or upcycling. With a total of 40 machines now deployed nationwide, SM anticipates a collection of 1.5 million units of discarded PET bottles by the end of the year.
“SM’s partnership with Sparklo and the deployment of Reverse Vending Machines is a great example of how collaboration can make waste recovery more accessible, measurable, and engaging. By scaling these programs across SM’s network and with more partners, we can significantly increase waste diversion and encourage more people to participate in building a more circular economy,” said Sparklo country manager Ellen Quilas.
Single-use utensils: Chop Value
Additionally, through SM’s partnership with ChopValue Philippines at SM Aura, single-use chopsticks are upcycled into furniture and other practical materials such as phone stands. The partnership has collected around 130,000 units of chopsticks since June, equivalent to 6,272 kilograms of carbon dioxide avoidance.
“I think pilot projects are important because they give private companies a chance to actually try circular solutions and see what works in the real world. It’s through these small initiatives that we learn, improve the process, and eventually find ways to scale them. For us, every pilot is an opportunity to show that waste can be treated as a resource and that circularity can be part of how businesses operate,” said ChopValue’s community manager Dave Pascual.
“SM aims to build a cleaner, greener future one step at a time. With waste management initiatives guided by the SM Green Movement, we empower responsible waste disposal through simple, everyday action encouraged in SM malls nationwide,” Silerio said.
