Speaking before business leaders and advocates at the Sept. 18 conference, SM Investments head of investor relations and sustainability Timothy Daniels said that sustainability for SM must be “practical, scalable, and felt by stakeholders, especially the communities we serve.”
“For us, sustainability has to be practical. It’s not about making easy promises, but about creating shared value. The strategy has to be a win for all our stakeholders, not just the business. The ecosystem must move together for the common good,” a statement from SM Investments quoted Daniels as saying.
Investing in disaster resilience
With the Philippines among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, Daniels underscored the importance of building resilient communities. Since 2005, SM has allocated 10 percent of its capital expenditures to disaster-resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
One example is SM City Marikina, which stands on 246 stilts to withstand river overflows during typhoons. Across its properties, SM operates 41 rainwater catchment facilities capable of storing a total of 85,400 cubic meters of water—equivalent to over 34 Olympic-sized pools—to help mitigate flooding.
Driving inclusive growth
Daniels also cited SM’s commitment to inclusive growth through its integrated city model, which brings together retail, offices, hotels, convention centers, and education facilities such as National University campuses.
More than 100,000 MSMEs are part of SM Retail’s value chain, while SM’s banking arms—BDO and China Bank—extended P72 billion in MSME loans in 2024.
SM has likewise strengthened its renewable energy portfolio through its stake in the Philippine Geothermal Production Co. (PGPC), which operates steam fields in Tiwi, Albay and Mak-Ban, Laguna and Batangas.
“At the end of the day, our vision is serious,” Daniels said. “We’re not just here to be a big company. We’re here to help build and develop the communities we serve.” —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
