SM Prime: Creating infrastructure for plastic-free communities

“Our work is never done. There are new technologies, innovative solutions, and more avenues for collaboration to look forward to in making the EPR Act work for our communities. But we all have a role to play--it is every individual’s responsibility to create a waste-free future.” ~Engr. Liza Silerio, Vice President for Corporate Compliance and Program Director of SM Cares for Environment

The Recyclable, Disposable, and Compostable-labeled bins support SM's waste-free future initiative and align with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022.

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) predicts that by 2050, the world's plastic manufacturing would have reached 1,100 million tonnes, with dire implications for the environment, society, economy, and human health.

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), one of the biggest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia, is dedicated to building prosperous, sustainable cities.

SM Prime supports the observance of International Plastic-free Day on May 25 and its call to reconsider single-use plastics (SUP) for a single day as part of its environmental plan for a waste-free future.  The group-wide efforts to support the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 are also celebrated by SM Prime.

A group-wide movement for the EPR Law

The SM company is adopting a group-wide plan to adhere to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR) EPR Act of 2022 in collaboration with its Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability (PARMS).

The EPR law, officially known as Republic Act 11898, mandates that businesses implement waste management initiatives and assume accountability for the recovery of their plastic packaging products.

Through its EPR working group committee, the SM group acknowledges the realities and challenges faced by businesses and on-ground operations. The group commits to a plan of action that includes reducing and recovering its plastic footprint within the allotted five years, exchanging new technologies and alternatives to address the escalating global crises, and forming partnerships with both public and private institutions.

The goal of SM Prime's dedication to a trash-free future as the property division of the SM group is to provide the infrastructure required to support and uphold plastic waste management policies.

A Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and standardized waste segregation and management procedures are essential components of SM Prime's waste recovery initiatives, which assist lower the quantity of waste dumped in landfills.  As part of its "co-processing" strategy, SM GUUN Environmental firm, Inc. (SGECI), a joint venture with a Japanese environmental solutions firm, turns non-recyclable garbage into cement fuel or "fluff fuel" for environmentally aware cement producers like APO Cement, Holcim, and Taiheiyo Cement.

SM GUUN converts disposable waste into fluff fuel, which helps unload overfilled and over-capacity landfills.

Beyond compliance

SM Prime keeps on its long-standing initiatives, such the national Trash to Cash recycling market.  It has been one of SM Supermalls' signature programs since 2007 and is still more pertinent today.

Available in all 87 SM malls, the Trash to Cash program has since been recognized as a rewarding community-driven practice for surrounding residents and mall tenants.

In order to provide a platform for plastic recovery, Trash to Cash encourages the exchange of recyclables and activates SM malls to assist local communities with sorted plastic garbage.  Clean, empty, and dry plastics can also be dropped off at 15 SM Plastic Waste Collection locations.  Additionally, aluminum cans and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles—both of which are regarded as high-value plastic products—can be diverted thanks to the Solid Waste Action Program (SWAP) reverse vending machines at SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia.

Supported by SM Cares, the yearly International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) encourages volunteers to participate in this worldwide endeavor for a record-breaking project.  23,000 workers, students, and members of diverse communities joined nationwide volunteer campaigns to clear rubbish from the world's beaches and rivers in 2024 alone thanks to SM Cares.

Volunteers participate in the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) for a shared cause, with sign-ups increasing each year.

Hamilo Coast, known for its Marine Protected Areas and its commitment to living in harmony with nature, together with employees, guests, and residents, recovers plastic waste during beach clean-ups.

Aiming for a waste-free future

The wisest course of action is always reduction.  In support of the UNEP's effort to phase out SUPs, the SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (SMHCC) has long already removed them from all of its facilities.  In 2018, the World-Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF) signed the Ayoko Na Sa Plastic Campaign, and the Pico Sands Hotel was among the first hotels to do so.

In all of its hotel rooms, SMHCC has successfully removed single-use amenities including PET water bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) shampoo and shower gel bottles.  Bamboo or starch-based eco-friendly alternatives to plastic cutlery have been recommended since 2019 as part of the SMX Convention Centers' requirements to promote sustainable events management practices. This is done in an effort to reduce trash output.

A larger impact is produced at a larger scale when people work together to lessen the effects of the plastic trash crisis.  SM Prime wants to successfully divert a larger percentage of plastic waste away from landfills through improved waste management systems, efficient waste segregation techniques, and proactive community engagement.

Working collectively as a group to reduce the effects of the plastic waste crises creates a bigger impact at a greater scale. Through enhanced waste management systems, effective waste segregation practices, and proactive community effort, SM Prime aims to successfully divert a greater proportion of plastic waste away from landfills.