A sustainability framework, the circular economy, and self-sufficiency are three concepts that we at the Manila Bulletin have pledged support to over the years. At the Manila Bulletin, 2026 marks the fifth year that we’ve been mounting our MB Sustainability Forum, an advocacy that has us securing academic institution partners for each iteration, in the hope of making Sustainability and the ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) agenda, something that our youth can fully understand and appreciate. The brand sponsors who join us, demonstrate how Sustainability is practiced in the “real” world, taking it beyond theory, or textbook definitions. Our first of two Forums this year, happens on April 30, at the University of Santo Tomas.

The ongoing crisis in the Middle East has thrown into relief just how important and vital these three concepts are, and how far we still have to go to be achieving them to a respectable level. Unfortunately, the crisis has highlighted how vulnerable a nation we are, dependent on outside factors and forces to keep the economy running. Preparation is an essential underlying principle for anything to do with resilience and self-sufficiency. And education is just as important.

Too often, we speak of sustainability and think it’s best left to the big companies who can be impactful in this advocacy – whether in energy and power, in real estate, or in heavy industries. And that’s so wrong, as the mindset has to trickle down so that every member of civil society is also conscious of, and contributing to, the effort – and this includes Retail and consumerism. It’s about fostering an outlook on life that embraces sustainability.

That’s why I appreciate and applaud retail players such as SM Retail. Through its Green Finds initiative, that we find consistently spread across their brands such as SM Store, SM Home, ACE Hardware, Toy Kingdom, and Kultura; there’s an effort to raise the overall consciousness of the public, while fostering a community that extends from the suppliers to the consumers, with SM Retail facilitating that “chain.”

Green Finds promotes sustainable, eco-friendly, and when possible, locally sourced products. It supports our MSMEs, local artisan communities, and start-up’s. From beauty and personal care, to home and lifestyle, fashion and accessories, to hardware, to travel, and on to children and infants; the Green Finds badge is a way for shoppers to easily identify which products espouse and support this advocacy.

Jeans made with recycled and sustainable denim fabrics, home fragrances that emanate from social enterprises, bamboo for towels and home decor – it’s all about creating a process of manufacture that echoes this adherence to sustainable principles, and still keeping them affordable. It is SM being particular about suppliers with ethical labor practices, and looking for those that use sustainable materials. Then you have SM ensuring the accessibility to market, and availability of stocks. These Green Finds SKUs become the curated inventory, emerging as the conscious choice of consumers and shoppers who support sustainability and green living. It doesn’t always have to be about major contributions or crucial impact; but about all of us being part of the solution in whatever way possible.

We can even talk about Inclusivity, and how a number of women-led social enterprises and SMEs find invaluable year-round support from Kultura as their “Partners in Green Living.” I’m a great supporter of the annual bazaars that highlight artisanal crafts and fashion; but each of those are organized once a year, or complemented by two to three smaller break-outs in a calendar year. So let’s acknowledge that being a regular supplier of Kultura, with its numerous store locations throughout the country, is the “golden passport” any of these suppliers would covet. It’s the ideal picture for maintaining your workforce, and planning for expansion and economies of scale.

It’s SM Retail manifesting how to “Talk the talk, and walk the walk.” Pivoting to a greener lifestyle becomes an easier choice for the Filipino consumer with SM’s Green Finds initiative. While from the supply side, local artisans, clean beauty producers, sustainability-driven manufacturers, and eco-friendly fashion and accessories designers, all know they have a retail giant that champions them.