SM Prime, DOST launch mall exhibit series focused on sustainability, disaster resilience at SM City Baguio.
SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) are holding a series of exhibits in select SM malls across the country focusing on the sustainability and disaster resilience initiatives of the two organizations, especially those related to addressing climate change. The joint initiative was launched at the Upper Ground Level, Sunset Terraces, SM City Baguio on February 24, 2022.
SM Prime has always been mindful of the environment. The calamities that the Philippines has experienced in recent years call for preserving resources and building projects that can withstand disasters. The company hopes that with this Exhibit, customers would be inspired by the sustainability journey of SM Prime — from how SM Supermalls integrated energy efficiency and water conservation in the malls and how the other business units have built and designed their projects with people and nature in mind.
The SM Prime company also employs a multi-stakeholder approach to sustainability and disaster resilience, working together with partners in the public and private sectors, and one of these is the DOST.
DOST-Cordillera Administrative Region Regional Director, Dr. Nancy A. Bantog said, “It is an honor to be with you in our joint milestone activity today. SM is very strong in their advocacies in communicating whatever is there to their constituents. [They] also have the means through their malls at the national level. This partnership with SM wherein we advocate concerns regarding science technology education, one of which are the technologies on disaster-resilient reduction management, so this is the first that we will be doing here in Baguio on the exhibit for disaster resilient technologies.”
“We hope and believe that this day’s activity will lead to more collaborative projects between the SM Prime Holdings and the DOST-CAR for our region. Just like you, we strongly believe that sustainability and resiliency are our answers to this challenging era. With the science technology and innovation in the forefront, we could do it together. Congratulations again, SM City Baguio.” Bantog added.
“DOST and SM Prime have enjoyed a long-standing partnership in promoting sustainability and disaster resilience in the country. In recent years, working together with visionaries like Undersecretary Dr. Renato Solidum, we have made great strides in facilitating discussions and creating long-term solutions in line with these two advocacies, and we hope to continue building on these achievements toward a more sustainable and disaster-resilient Philippines,” said SM Supermalls president Steven Tan.
Speaking about the exhibit, Tan cited the leadership of Hans Sy which has inspired the company to “always look at ways on how we can make it better for the people and for the planet.”
Climate change is the biggest environmental problem the world is facing today, with drastic increases in global temperatures recorded in recent years. According to the 2020 Annual Climate Report by the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the combined land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.8°C per decade since 1880. The average rate of increase, however, has been more than twice that rate since 1981, at 0.18°C.
This phenomenon has been affecting our planet’s natural systems in many ways. For instance, there is strong scientific consensus supporting the idea that climate change causes typhoons to occur more frequently and contributes to stronger storms. For a country such as the Philippines, considered one of the most vulnerable in the world to the effects of extreme weather events.
With this, sustainability and disaster resilience are at the core of SM Prime’s business. The company continuously allocates 10 percent of its capital expenses in features in its properties supporting these two advocacies, from rain catchment facilities to renewable energy sources and everything in between.
To learn more about SM Prime’s Sustainability and Resilience, please visit www.smprime.com/sustainability-overview.
