One of the country’s biggest conglomerates is tackling sustainability with “practical and material” solutions, a showcase of its on-the-ground approach while respecting global frameworks.
For SM Investments Corp., this approach creates more meaningful results while striking a balance with its corporate and financial growth objectives.
“We think of sustainability as something we do every day within the group and in how we operate our businesses,” Timothy Daniels, the head of investor relations and sustainability at SM Investments Corp., said in a recent statement.
“With sustainability as a priority and given our nationwide footprint, we do sign up for many frameworks and reporting standards. But how we practice sustainability is much more practical and on-the-ground,” he added.
These initiatives span marine conservation at Hamilo Coast, a waste recycling collaboration between SM Prime and Japan’s GUUN Co. Ltd., and the Green Finds program promoting sustainable products in SM department stores.
Its lending arm, BDO Unibank Inc., also extends financing to sustainability and water-related projects through the issuance using the green and blue bond frameworks.
“Because of SM’s footprint, access to capital, the number of people it employs, the number of consumers who trust us, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to act on sustainability issues on a local level. It’s in our local actions that we try to make a difference,” Daniels said.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.
