Aboitiz gears up 2014 sustainability program

MANILA, Philippines - With close to three million trees in its inventory, a newly launched Cleanergy Park, and a strengthened sustainability agenda, the Aboitiz Group is gearing up its sustainability program for 2014, as it levels up its sustainability reporting with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), one of the world’s generally accepted standards.

It is currently at Level B self-declared, while the target is to accomplish the GRI-checked Level B Sustainability Report. This entails reporting fully on a minimum of 20 performance indicators set by GRI with at least one on each area, namely economic, environment, human rights, labor, society, and product responsibility.

Last year, the group developed a sustainability policy, charter, and framework as well as focus areas. The intent is to establish measurable objectives, set achievable targets, and track them year on year.

Through its ‘BetterWorld” campaign, Aboitiz’s sustainability program aims to increase awareness among stakeholders about its existing initiatives supporting the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.

“We will pursue an exciting future with the mindset that we can do well by doing good,” said Aboitiz Equity Ventures chief executive officer Erramon Aboitiz.

This complements the company’s “passion for better ways,” as it makes the right long-term decisions that balance the interests of the triple bottom line.

The Aboitiz Group, through its corporate social development arm Aboitiz Foundation, exemplifies the best of people initiative as it focuses on education as its flagship program.

Last year, the foundation also raised over P200 million in relief funds to help the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda, the most powerful tropical cyclone that hit the Philippines.

Some 3,000 team members from across 24 business units also committed personal time in 2013 for the Aboitiz Group-wide tree-planting program, APARK, which aims to plant three million trees by 2015.

To date, a total of 2.9 million trees have been planted, and Aboitiz expects to meet its target ahead of schedule.

Aboitiz said it is also committed to look into new businesses that are linked to its core competencies, are scalable, and with strong recurring profits and cash flow. 

These include the expansion of its investment portfolio, as it builds the country’s first liquid bio-methane fuel plant through its joint venture, Aseagas.