The mall culture in the Philippines is more than just about shopping,
dining, and entertainment. The eco-conscious age pivots its focus toward
sustainability and mindful urban development – a story exemplified by the SM
Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex of SM Prime, one of Southeast Asia’s leading
integrated property developers.
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| SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex, spanning over 67 hectares, is a testament of SM Prime’s commitment to sustainability. |
Spanning 67 hectares, SM MOA Complex is currently the largest shopping mall nationwide and sixth worldwide. It’s a vibrant integrated city development where lifestyle and leisure intersect with sustainability. Behind the bustling retail haven, gastronomic delights, and entertainment attractions lies a dedication to environmental stewardship and community resilience that set a precedent for malls in the country on sustainable urban planning.
Pioneering environmental
stewardship
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Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong (right) samples the water from SM City Baguio’s rainwater treatment facility with SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Corporate Compliance Engr. Liza Silerio (left). |
SM Prime, through its subsidiary SM Supermalls, has undertaken groundbreaking initiatives in SM MOA complex and its other SM malls across the country to reduce the ecological footprint and promote a greener future. From pioneering activities and integrating advanced technologies such as solar rooftops, water recycling systems, adoption of air conditioning inverters, and installation of standard Light-Emitting Diode (LED)-lighting and motion detectors on its escalators to robust solid waste management, advanced water conservation practices, and green building developments, SM Prime is regarded as the most energy efficient mall group in the country. Currently, the company sources more than 50% of its electricity from renewable energy across all its properties and facilities nationwide.
Apart from renewable power generation, SM Supermalls is also part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Interruptible Load Program (ILP), a power supply mitigation program wherein companies with their own stand-by generation capacities can be compensated by the government by using their own generation facilities when power reserves are low. To date, SM can reduce around 110 megawatts (MW) of power from the grid when 56 of its malls will use their own generator sets. SM has the largest offset with the SM MOA providing a committed capacity of 15.92MW.
SM Prime further intensified its sustainability journey and recently embarked on an #SMWasteFreeFuture program, encouraging its stakeholders and employees across the group to reduce waste generation through effective segregation practices and adopt sustainable consumption by recycling, reusing, or composting.
Sustainable water usage is one of the long-standing practices of SM Prime. The group has been recycling water since the 1990s, treating an average of 1 billion gallons annually in past years to repurpose for mall operations including toilet cleaning and landscaping use. It has integrated rainwater harvesting systems in over 30 malls, particularly in flood-prone areas. Recently, it made another breakthrough in water usage by successfully treating rainwater into potable water in SM City Baguio, which the company aims to replicate in other malls.
Strengthening disaster
resilience
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| Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-Gold certified SM Aura is SM Prime’s gold standard in building sustainable projects. |
