SM helps address Baguio water lack through recycling

By Rain Cervantes

BAGUIO CITY -- Water scarcity is one of the biggest issues that Baguio is facing today. Earlier, the Baguio City Water District warned the public of a water crisis caused by deep wells that dried up the water table.
    Thankfully, customers and tenants of SM City Baguio are assured of continuous water supply for cleaning and sanitation, without having to fully rely on the water table of the city.
    SM City Baguio is among the 22 SM Supermalls in the country that employ facilities to reduce freshwater consumption. In the early 2000s, SM Prime started to build malls with wastewater treatment facilities for the recycling of water used in the mall.

All wastewater from tenants and mall restrooms are treated in the sewage treatment plants to become non-potable water. The recycled water is then used for cooling towers of air conditioning units, watering plants around the mall, and for cleaning of lavatories.

In 2021, SM Supermalls was able to save a total of 8.7 million cubic meters of water across its malls nationwide. This much water is enough to fill 3,480 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

"Aside from minimizing our impact on common water resources, recycling water through these sewage treatment plants allows our malls to save big on water costs," Engr. Liza Silerio, SM Supermalls Vice President for Corporate Compliance, said. "Now, imagine if we all did it. I think we can leave a significant positive impact on our country's source of fresh water."

SM Prime is committed to supporting the United Nations in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including “SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation” which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Other initiatives of SM aimed toward this include the Trash-to-Cash Market and Plastic Waste Collection initiative, both promoting responsible disposal of plastic waste so they don't end up in seas and oceans; the AweSMSeas campaign in partnership with the USAID and PRRCI, which raises awareness of the importance of managing plastic pollution affecting the world's waters; and the International Coastal Cleanup that gathers thousands of volunteers annually.

Visit www.smprime.com/sustainability-overview to learn more about the sustainability programs of SM Prime Holdings.