Access to clean and potable water is one of today’s most pressing challenges, with rapid urbanization and population growth straining freshwater resources. United Nations (UN)-Water emphasizes that effective water management is crucial for society and the environment.
SM City Baguio’s rainwater treatment facility (RTF) utilizes a rigorous six-step treatment process
with real-time monitoring to ensure processed water meets potability requirements, and its service to the community was recognized at the 2024 Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards.
Since the early 1990s, long before water stress and its connection to climate change were generally acknowledged, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), a prominent integrated property developer in Southeast Asia, has placed a high priority on water conservation and management.
Through Water for Tomorrow, SM Prime’s water stewardship campaign, the company actively integrates climate resilience into its developments, ensuring responsible resource management while supporting the well-being of the communities it serves.
Sustainable water management
Water conservation measures and efficient management systems are embedded in SM Prime’s building operations. The company invests heavily in sustainable water management technologies to reduce freshwater use and the demand for municipal water supply. It has identified practical water usage and innovations to address the growing concern of water security.
In 2023, SM Prime’s reported total water consumption amounted to 7.2 million cubic meters, with 61% of that consumed water being recycled.
SM Development Corporation (SMDC)’s Sea and Shore Residences donate
their treated wastewater to green the landscape of the Estates in Mall of Asia Complex.
On average, more than 1 billion gallons of recycled water is used for mall operations. SM Supermalls uses recycled water for cleaning and sanitation, caring for its plants and landscaping, and cooling its air conditioning towers. Efficient plumbing and innovative water-saving technologies with low-flow fixtures also regulate the mall’s water consumption.
These practices have been scaled throughout the group. The SM Offices’ E-Com Centers in the Mall of Asia Complex have sewage treatment plants that recycle greywater. Aside from rainwater harvesting systems that help maintain its urban gardens, SM Development Corporation (SMDC)’s Sea and Shore Residences donate its discharged treated water to the greening of the Estates in the MOA Complex.
Headquarters to some of the largest Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) brand names, the Three E-com Center at the Mall of Asia Complex efficiently operates its sewage treatment plant to collect, treat, and remove contaminants from wastewater, making it safe to discharge to the surrounding environment.
As part of its water conservation program in Pico Sands Hotel, SM Hotels and Convention Corporation reduced its freshwater consumption by 36%, reaching 52% water reuse and 41% for Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club. Together with Hamilo Coast, SM Prime’s luxury and leisure estates in Nasugbu, Batangas, its water desalination plant has made significant impacts on water management and sustainable eco-tourism since 2010, ensuring that it services all developments that call Hamilo home.
Pico Sands Hotel has reduced water consumption by advocating
towel and linen reuse, inviting guests to join its sustainability journey and conserve water.
Protecting water resources
SM Prime supports this year’s UN-Water World Water Day 2025 on March 22, which focuses on the theme “Glacier Preservation.”
Halfway around the globe, glaciers play a critical role in the global water cycle. Glacial ice is the largest reservoir of fresh water, holding about 69% of the world’s fresh water. With rapid glacial melting, altered rainfall patterns, droughts, and rising sea levels, the planet risks a water crisis that affects the most vulnerable.
SM Prime keeps incorporating water-efficient solutions into its real estate projects since it understands these difficulties and the necessity of a consistent water supply. In addition to increasing public awareness, this encourages mall consumers, tenants, employees, and communities to use water responsibly. In 2023, SM Supermalls opened the SM City Baguio rainwater treatment facility (RTF) to reduce dependency on freshwater sources. Following the conversion of 17,000 cubic meters of rainwater into potable water, it continues to function and offer services to its host community.
SM Prime’s Water for Tomorrow program plays a key role in SM Prime’s sustainability strategy, along with Net Zero by 2040 and a Waste-Free Future.
Hamilo Coast’s desalination plant provides sustainable
water to its community, serving residences, hotels, staff housing, and offices since 2010.
“As businesses face growing water challenges, we must take action to secure our Water for Tomorrow,” said Hans T. Sy, SM Prime Executive Committee Chairman.
“Water stewardship is an investment in our future. We must move beyond conservation and prioritize resource protection, waste reduction and water security for future generations,” he added.
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