The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has committed to collaborate with SM Investments Corp. in advancing the development of sustainable plastic materials and improve plastic waste management strategies as part of the latter’s sustainability goals.
At the “Tactics for Better PlasTIK (Technology, Innovation, Knowledge)” forum held at SM Megamall last October 10, the DOST signed a memorandum of understanding with SM Investments where they agreed to collaborate on essential and sustainable plastics initiatives, including joint research and development, training programs, and conferences.”¯
DOST assistant secretary for Development Cooperation Rodolfo Calzado Jr. relayed the agency’s commitment to bring technologies from development stage to real-world application. Timothy Daniels, SM Investments consultant and head of Sustainability and Investor Relations said the partnership will support SM’s sustainability goals.
“Being a responsible company is important to SM and plastics are a real sustainability issue for the country. We are keen to work with our many stakeholders to reduce plastics use in the Philippines. We always look for practical solutions. “This collaboration with DOST will enhance our collective waste management efforts and also foster knowledge sharing and sustainable partnerships across sectors to help achieve that,” Daniels said.
The SM group, most notably its retail and mall teams, has been taking steps to reduce plastic use, recognizing that key contributors of plastic waste include bags at retail outlets, product packaging, as well as plastic water bottles and food packaging.
A standardized waste segregation policy called RDC (Recyclable, Disposable and Compostable) and a mall-wide campaign called Waste-Free Future are currently being implemented.”¯”¯
SM, through SM Prime Holdings, partnered with Japanese company GUUN to develop infrastructure for systematic waste management and resource recovery. This partnership will implement the Japanese technique of reducing landfill impact. The technology converts non-recyclable and hard-to-recycle packaging into alternative fuel.
