PLDT and Smart partners with SM Group for nationwide e-waste collection

Local telco giant PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart earlier sealed a partnership with the SM Group for a nationwide e-waste collection effort.

The e-waste collection boxes

Nationwide e-waste collection

During the partnership signing

the partnership, the companies will deploy e-waste collection boxes in 85 SM malls nationwide.

The partnership's goal is to encourage Filipinos to recycle their e-waste and eventually contribute to the fight against climate change.

The e-waste boxes made with 8,400 pieces of used beverage cartons are located in SM Cyberzones and in strategic areas of all existing and even upcoming SM Malls in the Philippines.

Some of the items anyone can donate are old and broken mobile phones, laptops, tablets, routers, chargers, cords, cables, and more, among others.

Note that bigger appliances and other electronic devices will not fit the e-waste boxes.

PLDT Home ambassador Denise Laurel

PLDT Home also tapped actress and e-waste advocate Denise Laurel to help promote and create awareness regarding this initiative.

The collected e-waste will then be turned over to an accredited e-waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal facility for proper handling. 

For example, plastic materials could be turned into fuel. The metal parts of the electronic device could be turned into usable metals for other future electronic devices.

Recognizing the importance of sustainability and responsible consumption, our brands, PLDT Home and Smart, have been actively promoting e-waste collection and recycling as part of their sales, marketing, retail operations, and customer engagement activities. We are thus grateful to have found a like-minded partner in SM, as this joint initiative significantly expands our reach and makes e-waste collection and circularity solutions even more accessible and convenient to our customers and the general public, said Melissa V. Vergel de Dios, Chief Sustainability Officer at PLDT and Smart.

 

This partnership with PLDT and Smart adds to our growing list of initiatives that promote a circular economy. This also adds meaning to the experience of our customers in our malls, enabling them to become part of building more sustainable communities, as well as in achieving the country’s targets in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, said Joaquin L. San Agustin, Senior Vice President, Head – Marketing at SM Supermalls.

Apart from the e-waste boxes in SM stores, PLDT and Smart also earlier partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the City Government of Baguio, and EcoWaste Coalition to bolster localized efforts on proper e-waste management, as well as support community-based campaigns to recover e-waste from households and consumers.

The initiative is in line with PLDT Group's commitment to o contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly on SDG No. 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG No. 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG No. 17 Partnerships for the Goals.