Sy-led SM Retail, Inc. is pushing the inclusion of its Green Finds in each of its retail affiliate’s selling pod as the next step for its green movement initiatives.

“Our direction right now is to have all of the retail affiliates and the business units’ heads embed the Green Finds offerings in their individual selling pods,” SM Retail Vice President for Corporate Communications Catherine S. Ileto said on the sidelines of the National Retail Conference and Expo on Thursday.

“We launched Green Finds in June in SM MOA (Mall of Asia). We had a pop-up shop but to sustain that, it has to be embedded already in the selling pods,” Ms. Ileto added.

Green Finds is under one of SM’s green movement’s pillars, Green Living, which is mostly driven by SM Retail. The other two pillars are Green Culture, which is about sustainability education within SM’s community, and Green Planet, which is about green spaces.

Green Finds works with SM’s retail affiliates such as Watsons, Ace Hardware, Baby Company, Body Shop, and Kultura, among others. 

Through Green Living, SM wants to encourage customers to pursue green shopping by making affordable eco-friendly products accessible.

In the fashion segment, SM has Kultura whose products are 99% sustainably sourced. It also has sustainable shoes from shoe brands like Sperry Top-Sider that make use of recycled laces.

In its babies and kids’ segment, SM has green toys and biodegradable diapers. Its retail affiliate Tiny Buds also has baby products that are sustainably sourced.

“It’s interesting because you see their toys [that are] actually made of silica, which is sustainably sourced,” Ms. Ileto said.

ACE Hardware brand has green products such as LED bulbs and sustainable shower heads.

In its home department, SM has bed sheets and towels that are made from bamboo, and kitchen utensils made from fallen acacia trees that are produced by social enterprises.  

“These are social enterprises that are composed of local artisans,” Ms. Ileto said.

In the beauty segment, its participating affiliates Watsons and Body Shop are also selling green products.

Body Shop makes use of containers that are made from recycled plastic while Watsons sells products that have naturally sourced ingredients and are paraben- or sulfate-free.

Ms. Ileto said that the group wants to provide the green living option to consumers by rolling out Green Finds. She said that through Green Finds, consumers will have the choice to buy environment-friendly products that will have an impact on addressing environmental issues. 

“In those little choices that you make as a customer, as a consumer, you can already make an impact,” she added. — Justine Irish DP. Tabile