Waves of Change: Thousands Join SM Cares’ Coastal Cleanup

Demonstrating sustained commitment to protecting the environment, SM employee volunteers return to SM by the Bay to help protect the shoreline.

In celebration of World Oceans Day 2025, over 5,000 volunteers from all walks of life united on June 7 for a massive nationwide coastal cleanup led by SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls. Collectively, they removed an astounding 30,000 kilograms of trash from shorelines across the Philippines—proving that when a community comes together, real impact happens.

This year’s theme, “WONDER: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” resonated deeply as volunteers took to coastlines in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, armed with gloves, sacks, and a shared mission: to protect the oceans that give us life.

Beyond fostering community collaboration and promoting environmental responsibility, SM Cares’ coastal cleanup initiative played a vital role in cultivating healthier environment, enhancing the overall quality of life for local residents, and contributing to the long-term preservation of marine ecosystems.

Volunteers from SM City Manila assemble at the coastal cleanup site to remove marine waste and protect vital waterways in celebration of World Oceans Day 2025.

Stepping up for a cleaner tomorrow, volunteers from SM City San Lazaro join the coastal cleanup drive---picking up trash and protecting our shores, one piece at a time.

With gloves on and bags in hand, volunteers at SM City Lucena take part in SM Cares’ Coastal Cleanup drive, reaffirming their commitment to environmental stewardship and ocean conservation.

Employee volunteers from SM Center Dagupan take action for the environment during the coastal cleanup drive, shoveling sand and debris to help restore the shoreline.

SM City Iloilo volunteers join hands with the local community of Brgy. Sto. Niño Sur, Arevalo in a coastal cleanup drive, working together to preserve the shoreline and promote environmental sustainability.

SM City Davao volunteers are out on the shore, turning dedication into action as they clean up the coast and care for the planet.

Beaming with pride, volunteers at SM City CDO Uptown and Downtown hold up the coastal cleanup banner, standing united as ocean defenders in celebration of World Oceans Day 2025.

“The oceans sustain us every day, and now it's our turn to give back. This coastal cleanup isn’t just a one-day event—it’s a symbol of our shared duty to preserve biodiversity and inspire action for a sustainable future, while bringing lasting positive impacts to the community by advancing healthier coastal spaces, and uniting people through shared environmental action.” ~Engr. Liza Silerio, SM Cares Program Director for the Environment

A National Movement for the Seas

From students and teachers to LGUs, NGO partners, employees, and security and janitorial teams, the cleanup drew a diverse wave of ocean defenders. SM Cares worked closely with local government units, environmental organizations, youth groups, and coastal barangays to stage cleanups across several major sites nationwide.

These collaborations not only ensured the success of the initiative but also highlighted the power of inclusive, community-driven action. Volunteers gathered to remove tons of waste from shorelines, raise awareness about marine conservation, and inspire long-term behavioral change toward environmental care.

Students, teachers, and partner organizations join forces with SM Cares during the Coastal Cleanup drive—demonstrating a shared commitment to environmental stewardship.

Building an #SMWasteFreeFuture

The June 7 cleanup is part of SM Cares’ broader sustainability vision through its #SMWasteFreeFuture campaign, which also includes weekly cleanups at SM by the BAY. 

This May 2025, SM employee-led cleanups have mobilized a total of 279 volunteers, collecting over 4,493 kilograms of waste—highlighting their firm commitment to keeping our coasts clean on a weekly basis. These sustained efforts contributed to creating a safer, more enjoyable coastal spaces for customers, while encouraging a stronger culture of environmental volunteerism.

SM Cares’ Coastal Cleanup also supports and aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably SDG 14: Life Below Water, by directly reducing marine pollution and protecting ocean ecosystems. It also contributes to SDG 13: Climate Action, by raising environmental awareness and promoting community-led climate resilience, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, through its collaboration with LGUs, NGOs, schools, and communities.

With two more major cleanups planned for the year, SM Cares remains determined in its mission to inspire Filipinos to take action—one shoreline at a time. For more stories and updates on how you can be part of the movement, visit www.smsupermalls.com/smcares or follow @OfficialSMCares on social media. 

Empowered to Protect: April Coastal Cleanups

Over a ton of trash collected by SM volunteers during the April 2025 coastal cleanup at SM By the Bay—each bag a step closer to a cleaner, healthier marine environment.

SM By the BAY Empowers 272 Volunteers to Clean Over a Ton of Trash in April Coastal Cleanup Drive. True to its commitment to environmental stewardship, SM By the Bay mobilized 272 employees and volunteers to collect 1,147 kilograms of trash throughout the month of April as part of its weekly coastal cleanup efforts.

Volunteers from SM Supermalls—including employees, customer relations staff, and janitorial personnel—come together after a successful coastal cleanup at SM By the Bay, united by a shared commitment to protecting our oceans and building a #SMWasteFreeFuture.

Held every week along the Manila Bay shoreline, the cleanup drives were led by SM employees, customer relations staff, and janitorial personnel, reinforcing the company’s call for collective, community-driven action. Beyond restoring the coastline’s natural beauty, the initiative also helped raise awareness of ocean conservation and environmental responsibility.

The campaign continues to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #14: Life Below Water, which emphasizes the protection of marine life and coastal ecosystems from pollution and degradation. As plastic and debris continue to threaten ocean biodiversity, efforts like these demonstrate that consistent community engagement can create long-term impact.

SM volunteers in action during the April coastal cleanup at SM By the Bay, working together to remove marine debris and protect our shoreline—one bag at a time.

Participants from SM Supermalls take part in the April cleanup at SM By the Bay, showing that teamwork and purpose go a long way in protecting coastal communities.

Step by step, bag by bag—SM employees move with purpose along the SM By the Bay, turning their mornings into a meaningful mission for the environment.

Through a spirit of volunteerism and purpose, the initiative also promoted camaraderie among SM stakeholders, who worked together toward a #SMWasteFreeFuture.

To sustain this momentum, SM Cares is inviting the public to join the upcoming Coastal Cleanup in celebration of World Oceans Day on June 7, 2025.

Participating malls include:

SM By the Bay, SM City Manila, SM City San Lazaro, SM City Sta. Mesa, SM City Rosario, SM City Batangas, SM City Lipa, SM City Bacolod, SM City Iloilo, SM City Davao, SM City CDO Downtown, SM City Tanza, SM City Lucena, and SM Center Dagupan.

Let’s continue making every bag of collected trash count—because caring for the Earth begins with our shores.

7 Ways SM Supermalls is Making Earth Day, Every Day

SM Supermalls continues to champion the mindset that sustainability isn’t just a one-day commitment—it’s a lifestyle. In celebration of Earth Day 2025, SM invites everyone to be part of simple, everyday actions that make a big difference for the planet. Through innovative programs, eco-friendly infrastructure, and community engagement, SM’s malls have become leading platforms for greener living.

"Our malls are more than shopping destinations—they’re spaces where people and the planet can thrive together, Through programs that are easy to join, SM makes it possible for every visitor to take part in a more sustainable future." ~Engr. Liza Silerio, Vice President for Corporate Compliance and Program Director of SM Cares for Environment

Here are 7 sustainable ways SM is turning its pledge into everyday impact—and how you can take part:

1. Plug in Your EV—for Free

With 123 EV charging stations across 69 malls, SM has disbursed over 14,500 kWh of clean electricity to electric vehicle users, with 50 more chargers planned in 2025. It’s free, easy to access, and part of SM’s commitment to low-emission mobility.

An electric vehicle charges at SM North EDSA’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station—one of 123 across 69 SM Supermalls nationwide.

2. Walk into Solar-Powered Spaces

SM currently operates 47 malls and properties with solar installations, generating 27.6 GWh of clean energy in 2024 alone—the equivalent of removing over 4,100 cars off the road. With a goal of 100MWp rooftop solar capacity by 2027, more solar rollouts are planned for 2025.

SM City Tanza powers up with 2,286 solar panels, generating a peak capacity of 1,257.30 kW—part of SM Supermalls' commitment to clean and sustainable energy.

3. Experience Greener Malls with Natural Lighting

From Sky Gardens and skylights that allow natural light to brighten spaces and reduce electricity use, to LED lighting and motion sensor escalators, every corner of the mall is designed with energy efficiency in mind. SM also contributes 110 MW of capacity to the DOE’s Interruptible Load Program.

Natural light streams through the skylights of SM Supermalls, helping reduce electricity consumption while creating a bright, welcoming space.

4. Support a Waste-Free Future

Launched in 2023, SM’s #SMWasteFreeFuture campaign enforces proper waste segregation across all mall tenants through RDC (Recyclable, Disposable, Compostable) bin systems. Internally, SM is also building a culture of sustainability among employees, proving that change starts from within.

SM employees lead by example as they properly segregate waste using the RDC (Recyclable, Disposable, Compostable) bin system—showing that building a #SMWasteFreeFuture starts from within.

5. Turn Trash into Treasure at Trash-to-Cash

Held every first Friday and Saturday of the month, this recycling market has helped exchange over 1 million kilograms of recyclables annually across SM malls nationwide. Visitors can bring paper, plastic, metal, or even old appliances—and exchange them for cash.

Students weighs recyclables during SM Cares’ Trash to Cash, showing that small actions can lead to a greener future.

6. Recycle Smarter with Plastic and E-Waste Collection

Drop off used plastics at 15 participating SM malls and e-waste bins at Cyberzone areas nationwide. So far, these programs have diverted 63,874 kg of plastics and over 11,000 kg of e-waste from landfills—thanks to partnerships with Friends of Hope and Smart/PLDT.

Mall customers drop off used plastic wastes at SM's Plastic Collection Program—proving that small actions can lead to a cleaner, greener future for all.

Unused and damaged electronic items are being let go through SM’s E-Waste Collection located at Cyberzone.

7. Join Coastal Cleanups that Protect Our Seas

In 2024, over 27,000 volunteers across 15 SM malls helped collect more than 157,000 kg of trash from coastlines and waterways. SM also initiates weekly and quarterly coastal cleanups, proving that when communities work together, the ripple effect reaches far and wide.

SM Bataan employee volunteers during the International Coastal Cleanup, working together to help protect our oceans.

From recycling programs to coastal cleanups, solar panels to EV charging stations, every small act adds up. And at SM, Earth Day isn’t just April 22—it’s every day.

From Bin it Right to #SMWasteFreeFuture: How SM minimizes landfill impact

SM’s environmental programs, such as the monthly Trash to Cash recycling market, continue to support communities towards sustainable living.

It is not “out of sight, out of mind”; landfills are not just eyesores in remote areas, but they also pose a significant health risk to the communities around them and emit a substantial amount of greenhouse gases from decaying food waste.

The RDC, or Recyclable, Disposable, and Compostable bins at SM Supermalls, are not only for show but serve as the start of the journey to achieve a net-zero landfill and beyond.

For recyclable waste, SM has initiatives like the "Trash to Cash" recycling market, which successfully gathers over 1 million kilograms annually of plastic, paper, and other materials for reuse or recycling. The program aims to reduce solid waste pollution and promote a circular economy within communities. SM understands the importance of segregating at the source, and the company does this through partnerships with various companies, such as Trust International Paper Corporation for internal bulk paper recycling. The program has avoided landfill waste equivalent to the annual waste of more than 3,000 households while ensuring recyclables are properly processed.

For disposable, non-recyclable waste, SM Prime formed a joint venture with the Japanese environmental solutions company GUUN to establish SM GUUN Environmental Company, Inc. (SGECI). This partnership enhances its waste-to-fuel factory to convert non-recyclable waste, like single-use plastics, non-recyclable paper, and used rags, into cement fuel called “fluff fuel” to reduce coal usage. The “fluff fuel” produced is then used by eco-conscious cement companies like APO Cement, Holcim, and Taiheiyo Cement in a practice they call “co-processing,” where the ash from the fuel is also used as a cement ingredient, making it an integral part of the waste reduction ecosystem.

In 2024, SM GUUN Environmental Company converted over 6,000 metric tons of non-recyclable waste into “fluff fuel,” avoiding the annual landfill burden for 12,000 households. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently visited the facility and recognized its significance to various stakeholders, particularly in the reduction of their carbon footprints and the efficient management of solid waste. 

For compostable waste, SM GUUN is experimenting with a Singaporean system for its malls and hawker centers that transforms compostable food residues into landscape soil, achieving over 70% volume reduction within 48 hours. This helps create new soil for gardens, parks, and golf courses, thereby reducing the burden on landfills and contributing to soil health and urban greenery.

SM has other customer-facing programs on solid waste management, like the Plastic Waste Collection program, E-Waste Collection, as well as awareness campaigns for clean water bodies and regular estero and coastal cleanup activities. These programs are also done to support the government in promoting responsible solid waste management through RA 9004, RA 11898, and similar laws.

With solutions identified, the journey towards SM’s #SMWasteFreeFuture becomes more realistic. It needs the help of everyone--from the proper way we “Bin it Right” to the further development of waste solutions to create an ecosystem of recovery and consumption where the word “waste” can be a thing of the past. Let’s do our part for the journey to a “waste-free future.”

To learn more about SM’s solid waste management initiatives, visit https://www.smsupermalls.com/smcares/events/environmental-programs-on-solid-waste-management.

SM Prime: Engineering a Sustainable Future

SM City Baguio’s Rainwater Filtration Facility addresses water security and ensures a safe and sufficient water supply for the operations of the mall and its tenants.

Sustainability has become a driving force across every industry. For SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), one of Asia’s leading integrated property developers, sustainability is elevated through a strategic framework that leverages the company’s extensive operations, significant economic impact, and cultural influence.

SM Prime’s sustainability journey began in the 1990s, guided by a focus on resilience and practicality. The company has always valued substance over style, favoring strategies grounded on real-world application rather than flashy, short-term fixes.  Its strategy is built on what truly matters to the business and the community it serves, ensuring that its sustainability efforts are both effective and enduring.

In its 2023 Annual Integrated Report, SM Prime introduced its Sustainability Ambition Roadmap with a clear and powerful message: Together for a sustainable future – aligned with its vision of creating and managing innovative, sustainable, and integrated property developments that enhance the quality of life for all.

SM Prime’s sustainability strategy is built on three main goals:

1. Environmental sustainability
2. Prosperity for all
3. Climate resilience

Building on its sustainability framework of Economy, People, Planet, and Community, SM Prime identified three major goals to pursue: Environmental sustainability, Prosperity for all, and Climate resilience – all aimed to create a future marked by sustainability, resilience, and widespread prosperity by 2030, 2040, and beyond.

Under its environmental sustainability strategy are two significant programs released by the company:  Net Zero by 2040 and #SMWasteFreeFuture.

Net Zero by 2040

SM Prime is committed to enhancing people’s quality of life by intensifying climate action, reducing disaster risks, investing in resilient design, protecting biodiversity, and implementing strategic corporate social responsibility programs, with its main focus on climate action toward a net-zero business. The company has been collaborating with the World-Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature-Philippines to establish science-based targets in alignment with the global commitment of a net-zero ambition by 2050.

“We understand the magnitude of the challenges we face to achieve our Net-Zero commitment. SM Prime is determined to take action and meet its climate commitments. This is one of our top agendas in sustainability.” ~Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime President and CEO

SM City Santa Rosa's solar photovoltaic (PV) system has 5,772 panels at 3.088 MWp capacity and has an annual solar energy production of up to 4.292GWh.

#SMWasteFreeFuture

SM Prime launched its vision for an #SMWasteFreeFuture, in support of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Day of Zero Waste. The program introduces a simple segregation scheme: Recyclable, Disposable, and Compostable (RDC), all aimed at reducing overall waste generation and increasing the waste diversion rate from landfills through sustainable disposal methods. The initiative was launched nationwide for SM employees and across all SM property groups and stakeholders.

SM Prime continues to support existing programs and partnerships that promote better waste management solutions. Initiatives such as SM Supermalls’ Trash-to-Cash recycling market, Plastic Waste Collection and E-Waste Collection programs, and regular coastal and estero clean-up activities effectively engage the community in rethinking their relationship with waste.

To address food waste, SM Hotels and Convention Corporation (SMHCC) has pioneered projects such as The Sustainable Diner with WWF-PH, diverting 198,640 kg of food waste through bokashi composting and 40,013 kg through biodigesters. SMHCC also launched Tela Tales, a program that recycles condemned linens. 

SM Prime gathers the community for a #SMWasteFreeFuture.

SM Development Corporation (SMDC) recently partnered with Globe and Scholars of Sustenance Philippines for the Hapag Movement, aimed at targeting food waste and involuntary hunger affecting millions of Filipinos.

“As a community, we strongly believe in our ability to contribute to solving today's waste issues. We understand that this may seem like a daunting challenge to overcome. However, by joining forces, we can create a world that our future generations truly deserve – if we have the courage to take on this journey together.” ~Hans “Chico” Sy, Jr., President of SM Engineering Design and Development Corporation (SMEDD) and SM Sustainability Champion

SM Prime leads the way in sustainable development, integrating sustainability into its core business strategy.

Water stewardship

SM Prime is committed to water stewardship by implementing innovative water conservation and management practices, ensuring that properties developed are more responsive and adaptable to the changing needs of communities.

Through its sewage water treatment plants, wastewater is processed, preventing contaminated water from polluting local waterways and for reuse. The recycled water is utilized in malls for water closet flushing, air conditioning operations and landscape greening.

SM Prime Holdings, Inc.’s Chairman Henry T. Sy, Jr. receives SM Prime’s 30th Listing Anniversary Plaque from the Philippine Stock Exchange’s President and CEO Ramon S. Monzon.

Prosperity for all

SM Prime’s developments serve as catalysts for socio-economic progress, delivering tangible benefits to all stakeholders. Founded by Henry Sy, the company remains committed to his vision of bringing world-class developments to the Philippines. A vision perfectly exemplified through the Mall of Asia Complex which offers a blueprint for future cities that go beyond commercial success to embrace a holistic approach to urban development.

SM Prime celebrated its 30th year as a publicly listed company last July 23, signifying three decades of service and transformative growth in the Philippine real estate industry. 

“True leadership is marked by a solid dedication to collective success. Our journey at SM Prime demonstrates the power of dreaming big and the incredible achievements that follow when you pursue those dreams with determination and hard work.” ~Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime President and CEO