Water For All

We may have the most trusted and well-loved brands, the best supply chains, distribution systems, and manufacturing technologies, but our businesses cease to exist without water. Water is indispensable to our daily operations, whether used as an agricultural input, as raw material for our products, or to generate steam, cool equipment, or sanitize facilities. That is why, over many decades, we have invested in processes and technologies to treat, reuse, and recycle more water and preserve vital water sources.

In 2017, even as our water management efficiency levels were already among the highest in the country, we chose to make our most significant commitment yet to water sustainability. We launched “Water for All,” our Group-wide program to cut non-product, utility water use by 50% by 2025. We established the SMC Water Council, comprised of technical representatives from each of our operating businesses. They establish and monitor water-saving measures and set water consumption goals across our plants and offices nationwide.

We have since been implementing several programs across the Group to achieve our target. This includes eliminating the wastage of water by adopting stricter measures to improve water use efficiency; utilizing water-saving technologies; and implementing conservation programs. All facilities and machinery are closely monitored for any signs of leakage and malfunction that could lead to wastage. Fixing leaks has also contributed significantly to our water reduction efforts. We have increased the recycling and reuse of water across all our operations and have maximized our utilization of desalinated seawater. We have also built new rainwater collection features and retrofitted or upgraded older facilities to enable rainwater harvesting. Our businesses optimize their wastewater treatment facilities and constantly try to make greater use of treated greywater for non-essential purposes. More significantly, we continue to reduce groundwater use, even as we work with communities to protect these water sources.

SMC’s various businesses continue to implement Water for All programs according to a set schedule, including making capital expenditures on improving systems in the facilities to meet their targets.

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