SM Prime Holdings, Inc. has started to recycle water to help address water supply problems in the country, it said In a media release on Thursday.
“We all know that fresh water is a finite resource, so it is important that we try our best to conserve it. This is why SM has been adhering to a circular framework when it comes to our resource consumption, including the way we use water in our malls,” Liza B. Silerio, vice president for SM Supermalls’ corporate compliance group, said.
SM Prime said it is working to craft solutions to address the depletion of water supply amid its focus on sustainability in its operations.
“In line with this, the company has been continuously working towards strengthening its commitment to a circular economy, implementing solutions that help improve efficiency when using natural resources, including water,” SM Prime said.
SM Prime said wastewater from its tenants and mall restrooms is treated in a sewage treatment plant to become non-potable water. The recycled water is then used for air-conditioning operations, cooling towers, flushing toilets, and watering gardens.
“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,” Ms. Silerio said.
As of 2021, SM said it had saved about 8.7 million cubic meters of water.
Meanwhile, San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said that its business had saved about 33.8 billion liters of water from 2017 to 2022.
SMC said the saved water translates to the annual consumption of 94,000 households or the monthly consumption of 1.13 million families.
“Water issues have always been a priority for San Miguel, especially since much of our operations and all our communities, depend on access to water. This is why we have not let up on our efforts to continuously increase water savings at our facilities across the whole San Miguel Group,” Ramon S. Ang, president and chief executive officer of SMC, said in a media release.
SMC said that among its companies Petron Corp. tallied the most water savings, followed by SMC Global Power Holdings Corp.
“Petron topped the list with the most water savings, accounting for over 17 billion liters saved throughout the six-year period, due largely to its use of water desalination technology,” SMC said.
Last year, Petron saved 2.08 billion liters, while SMC Global Power was able to save about 1.5 billion liters. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
