SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) has expressed its support for the United Nations Environment Program campaign to phase out single-use plastics in the tourism sector. It has partnered with the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI) under the Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) Project and the Department of Tourism through…
A year after debuting on the local stock exchange, real estate investment trust (REIT) first-mover AREIT Inc. announced that it was on track to achieve carbon neutrality by the end of the year as it committed to attain net zero greenhouse gas emission by end-2022. From an initial public offering (IPO) price of P27 per…
More corporations across Asia-Pacific are embracing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, showing that sustainability is gaining traction in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a new report from global banking giant Citi. According to a survey conducted by Citi, stated they already have ESG policies and practices integrated in their corporate…
Beverage-maker Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. has expanded its bottling capacity, adopted digital platforms and accelerated sustainability initiatives amid a challenging environment caused by the prolonged pandemic. “ When most companies feared to move forward, PCPPI chose to make big moves and transform,” company president and CEO Frederick Ong said during PCCPI’s recent stockholders’ meeting. PCPPI,…
(Editor’s note: We begin with this commentary a series on big ideas and bold moves that some of the country’s leading business leaders are ready to share and act on as the Philippines navigates through a changing business environment.) In my years as head of engineering for the SM malls, I had come to realize…
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Philippine companies, including the Ayala group, were already working on programs around the evolving, expanded role of private institutions in society. And that expanded role is to help address the pain points of the community at large, and of the nation even—not just of our shareholders—and to be more…
Washington-based International Finance Corp. (IFC) of the World Bank Group has introduced financing support for Philippine banks that will lend to climate adaptation and mitigation projects amid a push for “green” recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to generate trillions of dollars in fresh investments. “The program, ‘Scaling Up Climate Finance through the Financial Sector,’ is…