SM steps up sustainability efforts

MANILA, Philippines — The SM Group will continuously allocate 10 percent of its capital expenditures for integrated disaster resilient and sustainability design of  infrastructure developments.

In an email interview with The STAR, SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio said sustainability and resiliency are integral to how SM works.

“In the past, we have incorporated sustainability as part of our business operations – investing in pilot projects, particularly in investing in greener technologies for our operations such as recycling water, eco-friendly cooling systems, allocations of bike lanes, green building standards, etc. This is complemented with our 10 percent CAPEX investment for integrated disaster resilient and sustainability features in the design of our infrastructures,” DyBuncio said.

SMIC is the listed conglomerate of the Sy Group.

DyBuncio said the company integrates sustainability in everything its businesses do.

“We are continually finding ways to  be more sustainable in the way we operate and we bring our partners with us,” he said.

For specific initiatives, he said SMIC helps social enterprises enter the mainstream market.

SMIC also commits to specific targets toward sustainability, including the use of renewable energy.

“In our developments, we promote sustainable practices – we recycle an average of 36 percent of our water annually, we have eight malls with solar power and our property group aims to increase our use of renewable energy sources to 50 percent by 2022,” DyBuncio said.

He explained that sustainability is attained at different levels and the first is to integrate sustainability in each of the SM Group’s businesses.

“Second, is to build an ecosystem that fosters sustainability among businesses, not only SM businesses but also those we work with,” he said.

Sustainability is at the heart of SMIC’s vision, which is to build an ecosystem of sustainable businesses that are catalysts for responsible development in the communities it serves.

Timothy Daniels, SMIC consultant for investor relations and sustainability, said sustainability is about engaging stakeholders, understanding what impacts them the most, and creating more inclusive opportunities for the group to work closely together in creating a better future.

He said sustainability is best attained if the natural activity of the businesses promotes and contributes to the long-term development where they are present.

“We can only be as resilient as our communities are – so our programs should naturally serve our communities’ interest and contribute to their sustainability and resiliency,” he said.

DyBuncio said SMIC’s long-term focus is on key UN SDGs, especially around Sustainable Cities, Climate Change and Economic Development, as well as health and education through SM Foundation and through partnerships.