Every April, we celebrate Earth Day: a clear reminder that sustainability is no longer just an option; it’s imperative for everyone.
Numerous scientists and climatologists have generated thousands of pieces of evidence through their climate reports that global temperatures have risen by 1.1°C compared to pre-industrial levels. And this has resulted in extreme weather patterns, rising sea levels, and ecological death.
While many initiatives focused on large-scale environmental regulation, it is unfortunately just one side of the equation. As experience would show, consumer behavior is also key to a more sustainable future.
In the Philippines, where climate vulnerability is a significant and critical concern, awareness about the need to make greener choices is on the rise.
According to a Nielsen study, 81 percent of Filipinos are ready and committed to spend more for sustainable products. Unfortunately, we are bombarded with a lot of brands in the market, and we have trouble recognizing what brands resonate with our values. This gap – between intention and action – is where SM’s Green Finds initiative comes in.
While many would argue the retail industry is purely trade and commerce; I dare say it’s also a change agent for culture and behavior. Thus, retailers have the supreme duty to provide a myriad of choices for consumers – what’s available, accessible, affordable and convenient – to drive the most appropriate purchasing behaviors to promote a more sustainable, pro-Mother Earth environment.
Being the country’s largest retailer, SM knows it has a role to play in pushing the industry toward sustainability. As part of the wider SM Green Movement, this retail giant has established the Green Finds program – a green retail initiative- which aims to make shopping sustainably easy. By offering a selection of sustainable products – from fashion to home essentials, beauty and even toys – SM provides a no-pressure, easy way for Filipino consumers to incorporate sustainability into their everyday lives.
As always, visibility and education are necessary to push for any sustainability initiatives especially when a lot of consumers want to make better choices and yet do not always know how and where to begin. Green Finds supports consumers by putting a green badge on sustainable products in SM Stores, and within retail affiliates like Kultura, Baby Company, Toy Kingdom and Ace Hardware. This simple yet powerful idea – a “green prompt” – takes friction out of eco-friendly shopping, helping consumers make better choices. This makes sustainability easier to opt into as picking out a favorite household item and placing them onto your shopping carts.
Greening the supply chain
Indeed, sustainability does not start on the store shelves – it starts long before – in the supply chains that produce all that we purchase. As part of its program, Green Finds doesn’t only showcase eco-friendly products; but also encourages suppliers committed to sustainable practices. By teaming up with artisans, clean beauty labels and conscientious manufacturers, SM Retail sends a powerful signal: authentic sustainability isn’t about off-the-shelf greener products – it’s about changing the way things are made. This has a secondary effect on business practices and pushes other brands to act on sustainability.
Changing buying habits, one Green Finds at a time
As expected, behavioral change among consumers is at the crux of any sustainability initiative. While policies and corporate initiatives matter, individual consumption behavior is where the greatest impact lies. Research from the World Economic Forum indicates that consumer behavior is greatly swayed by convenience – when sustainable options are presented in the same way as traditional options, people are prone to choose it.
And this is exactly what makes Green Finds so powerful. It takes the hurdles out of making sustainable choices, permitting shoppers to go greener without overhauling their routines. Sustainability is no longer confined to boutique stores or high-end brands – it is now integrated into everyday shopping.
Community of green ambassadors
What is especially compelling and unique about how SM Retail is rolling out Green Finds is its push to fuel a movement of green stewards, not just a marketplace. In creating a collective force for sustainability, the campaign is now fast becoming larger than retail transactions as the movement is anchored on shared sustainability even as it normalizes the practice of sustainability in our daily lives.
Through influencers, proxy communities and earth warriors, Green Finds drives Filipino consumers to advocate for sustainability in their respective spheres of influence. This strategy is in line with what we’re seeing globally when it comes to consumer behavior. According to Harvard Business Review, people are more likely to adopt sustainable behaviors when they see trusted figures doing so.
Amid a sea of greenwashing – where vaguely sustainable brands make lofty claims without tangible change – green retail initiatives such as the SM Green Finds program prove that it’s possible to build an ecosystem of transparency, accountability and community-driven advocacy.
From awareness to action
Indeed, Earth Day is not just a symbolic date that we commemorate – it’s a clarion call to action. And while individual consumers may feel alone and insignificant in facing the ill effects of climate crisis, the collective will of everyone will matter. Individual choices – using a bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic, buying local brands or patronizing companies that source responsibly – may not seem radical on their own. But when millions of consumers make these choices, they create demand for a greener economy.
From all angles, SM Green Finds is clearly more than just a corporate initiative; it’s a model of how businesses can make sustainability doable, accessible and mainstream. It goes to show that eco-conscious living doesn’t need to be complex or involve an invitation-only membership – it can be as easy as choosing between sustainable options when they are available.
On this Earth Day, maybe the true test isn’t simply to celebrate sustainability – but to render it second nature. Because at the end of the day, the future of our planet isn’t determined by a select few – it’s rooted in the choices that each of us make every day.
