Magazines Archives - 2009 November

Philippine retail industry’s new credo: ‘Be kind to the environment’
Story 8 - Focus

A new and environmentally-aware generation of shoppers is emerging in the Philippines, propelling
retail enterprises to go green, reports Tina Arceo-Dumlao in Manila.

Green is truly the colour of money these days. The advent of stronger and more frequent typhoons,
more pronounced droughts and unexplained changes in weather patterns all over the world have contributed to making people more aware of the need to do good by the environment.

That knowledge has changed consumer behaviour, so much so that many consumers now want to shop in or buy from retail firms that share their values when it comes to saving the environment.
Retail companies in the Philippines have stepped up their environmental efforts, both to respond to the changing values of their consumers and their own desire to fight climate change.

In the Philippines, a pioneer in environmental stewardship and reducing environmental impact is real estate giant Ayala Land Inc. Its Ayala malls have been involved in advocacy efforts as early as the 1990s when being a good corporate citizen was not the buzz word as it is today.

“The Ayala malls developed the first mall-based solid-waste management programme in the Philippines. Over the years, the Ayala malls, with the support of their merchants, have helped reduce
significant levels of trash production through waste segregation, composting and recycling. From 2000 to 2008, residual waste from Ayala Center Makati (that is, wastes being sent to landfills) was reduced by 84%,” says Marivic Añonuevo, senior vice-president and group head of Ayala Malls.

And investments in the environment continue. Rowena Tomeldan, COO of Ayala Malls, says the group is investing in eco-friendly equipment and facilities to reduce the malls’ carbon footprint.

“We have changed our car-park lighting to fluorescent lighting that has lower wattage and therefore emits lower heat. We have also invested in new airconditioners that consume less energy
and do not contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

“We have also installed a green roofing system at Greenbelt 5 that reduces heat gain inside the uilding,
translating to energy saved from the air-conditioning. We also have a green roof at Market! Market! planted with organic vegetables. At Trinoma, the green roof is also used as a public area
that enhances the wide open spaces in an urban setting,” she adds.

Ayala Malls has also integrated the environmental advocacy in its events and promotions. “We recently mounted Greenology, a four-part green programme to promote environmental consciousness among our loyal patrons.

It comprises Eco Tote, recyclable bags designed by local designers based in Greenbelt 5 (Vic Barba, Louie Claparols, Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Michi Calica and Jun Escario); Eco Art, an installation by university art students and renowned artists; Eco Dash, a fun run where part of the proceeds were given
to Bantay Kalikasan and the Children’s Hour; and Green Line, limited edition eco-friendly fashion by Ayala Malls’ top local brands and designers,” says Cathy Bengzon, senior division manager and
head of marketing, Ayala Malls.

Añonuevo says Ayala Malls will continue to come up with new programmes and services to pursue its environment campaign. “We have been at the forefront of advocating environmentally sound designs, products and services that help improve the quality of life of the communities that we build. With global
warming in our midst, we believe that promoting our environmental advocacy is the right thing to do,” she adds.

One retail group that is counting on environmental awareness to sell more products is Echostore in erendra, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.

It has opened another store in a high-end mall in Mandaluyong and it is also setting up kiosks in offices and retail outlets.“I think everyone wants to do his or her bit. They just don’t know where to start, so Echostore shows customers how to start this change in lifestyle and it’s doing well,” says Echostore co-owner Pacita U Juan.

“Consumers care about the environment, definitely. They care about what products they buy and what the manufacturers do to be environmentally-friendly.

“We hope to add more store-withinstore concepts in the future. We have dreams of expanding our product lines as well. And the ultimate dream is to have a superstore with all the eco and
community products under one roof.”

The Walter Mart department store chain, meanwhile, has started installing rainwater collectors in the malls and it is using the collected water to clean the premises and water the plants.

“We also find ways to allow natural lighting to come in so that we use less walkway lightings, thus reducing use of electricity,” says Jojo de Guzman, assistant vice-president for business
development. “This is also manifested in our architecture. We have al fresco hallways and high ceilings for proper ventilation.” De Guzman adds that the malls are equipped with a sewage treatment plant that ensures all water discharged by the malls passes effluent standards set by the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources.

“We also encourage our partner tenants to segregate their trash, not only in terms of bio and
non-biodegradable but, more importantly, wet and dry. In our provincial branches, we help the
owners of backyard piggery farms by providing them clean and segregated wet garbage, composed
mainly of food leftovers from our restaurants, and recycle them as feeds,” de Guzman says.

Also one of the first to embrace the green movement is the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores in the Philippines. Jose Victor Paterno, president of Philippine Seven Corp, says the group has been
working on becoming energy-efficient since 1995 when the group began installing more efficient lighting. “We also use Smartcool for air-conditioning, which works like a really efficient thermostat.

We use biodegradable plastic bags. We also work with different environmental advocacies related to our business — the La Mesa watershed, because we sell a lot of drinks, and the Tour of the
Fireflies, which promotes bike commuting, because a lot of our customers pedal to our stores,”
Paterno adds.

He agrees with the view that consumers have become more conscious about how their actions
affect the environment.

“I think everyone has experienced climate change firsthand, so it has become more urgent. For
a business, it has become important not just so that we do our part, but because our customers
demand it. It has become less about pure philanthropy and more a matter of business necessity, the way advertising is, for example. It is no longer an option, and therefore our commitment becomes more sustainable. And for the environment, that is a very good thing,” Paterno says.

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