SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) Launches Tela Tales on World Recycling Day
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SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) Launches Tela Tales on World Recycling Day

SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) Launches Tela Tales on World Recycling Day

From left to right: Leah Magallanes, Vice President for Quality and Sustainability of SM Hotels & Conventions Corp.; Peggy E. Angeles, Executive Vice President of SM Hotels & Conventions Corp.; and Social Entrepreneur Zarah Juan gather alongside select Tela Tales products during the official launch.

SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) celebrates World Recycling Day with the launch of Tela Tales during a sustainability briefing and exhibit entitled ‘SMHCC Road to Zero.’

Leah Magallanes, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. Vice President for Quality and Sustainability shared SMHCC’s sustainability efforts that center around various ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) practices and metrics. Such initiatives are all directed towards achieving Zero Waste, Zero Green Washing, and Zero Biases.  Complementing Ms. Magallanes’ briefing was a showcase of completed projects and actual outputs in partnership with key stakeholders (Hope Water, Diversey Philippines, Greenspace PH, and Green Trident Services):

  • Contribution of over Php300,000 to help build classrooms while also enabling the clean up of over 7,100 kg of plastic wastes since 2022, diverting them away from nature;
  • Diversion of over 253 kg of used bar soaps and conversion of the said soaps into new ones;
  • Diversion of a total of 198,640 kg of food using the bokashi composting technique;
  • Diversion of over 10,000 kg of paper wastes and 2,000 kg of plastic wastes, which were then used to produce sustainable products, such as Papel ni Juan recycled bond paper and Poly al Eco Boards. In addition, by using Dunbrae Philippines’ Orca Biodigester, Taal Vista Hotel diverted a total of 11,672 kg of food wastes since the installation of the biodigester last July 2023.

Notably, the highlight of the event was the official launch of Tela Tales together with social entrepreneur Zarah Juan. Tela Tales is a recycling program that advocates environmental stewardship aimed to create a circular economy for condemned linens. Inspired by its precept, “Transforming lives, one textile at a time,” this transformative initiative endeavors to uplift the lives of communities near SM hotel properties by equippping them with a new skill to improve their socioeconomic conditions. In collaboration with Ms. Juan, used textiles will be transformed into fashionable and sustainable bags, which will be sold at a competitive price, to help women have a source of livelihood.

Following the event proper was a delectable lunch dubbed as “Plate for the Planet.” Every item on the menu was carefully curated by a team of culinary experts from Taal Vista Hotel, featuring locally sourced and hotel harvested ingredients. “Plate for the Planet” is part of SMHCC’s Sustainable Diner program, which is another testament of SMHCC’s commitment to circular economy in its operations (i.e. from food wastes to compost for gardening and farming; to producing vegetables, herbs, and fruits used back by the hotel). Ultimately, the said program is aimed at expanding healthy and environment-friendly dining options, directed towards reducing dining wastes and mitigating GHG emissions in the food service industry.

Ms. Magallanes shares that “the launch of Tela Tales, complemented by Sustainable Diner marks a significant milestone in SMHCC’s Sustainability journey. It is a testament of the company’s relentless commitment to move the needle one linen and one plate at a time.”

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