Watsons Philippines takes the lead in protecting the environment by pursuing refills

Did you know that it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down naturally? For a plastic toothbrush, it’s even longer at 500 years.

Plastic waste ends up in our oceans and this results in frequent flooding, marine life degradation, loss of certain marine species, and lower fish yields. The Philippines is estimated to emit 35% of the ocean’s plastic, with 356,371 of metric tons of plastic waste annually. (1) 

 

More and more consumers are helping minimize plastic pollution and saving the planet by refilling. Refills use 75% less plastic vs. regular bottles. Customers also save up to 40% when buying refills vs. regular bottles.

 

“I urge everyone to consider using refillable containers as it is one of the most effective means of protecting and preserving the environment. Less use of plastic means less plastic waste in our waterways and this will lead to the continuous preservation of our marine and avian species, as well as the reduction of flooding, among others," said Aida Esguerra. Chief, Conservation and Development Division of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Capital Region.

Since the pandemic, Cristelle Corpuz, an eco-conscious Gen Z, has chosen refills and refill packs when they are available.

 

“Out of curiosity, I tried collecting my plastic trash for a period of time. After just a few weeks, I realized how much waste I am contributing. This made me feel guilty and I thought of ways on how I can minimize my trash, now I opt for refills.” said Corpuz.

“I choose refills to avoid waste from going to landfills and further polluting the environment,” said Laurice Bautista, who supports and practices sustainability.

 

“As a busy mom, I am always looking for ways to save time and money, but I also care deeply about the environment. Using refillable containers has allowed me to do both. I can save up to 40% compared to buying a regular bottle, and I feel good knowing that I am reducing my plastic waste,” said Donna Yan, a mother of three.

 Shawntel Nicole Nieto, Society of Sustainability Practitioners (SSP) President, underscored the importance of refilling as a more proactive way of addressing the problem of plastic waste.

 

“Refilling helps people maintain a more sustainable lifestyle by encouraging them to get rid of the excess materials they would, more often than not, discard as waste. In a sense, instead of relegating the duty of waste management to consumers as is the case now, refilling lets the manufacturers and retailers take responsibility for it, in the process making living sustainably much easier for everyone,” said Nieto, who was part of Forbes’ Under 30 in 2022.

 

Sustainability advocate and chemist Jonas Marie Dumdum, SustainablePH board member, said refilling is an old method that needed to become more common.

“Refilling is not new to the Philippines in the sense that this is still practiced in rural areas, and this was one of the norms in Filipino society before. Looking at how our lolos and lolas did it before may prove to be valuable to us. By integrating traditional methods with, let’s say, digital technology, the refilling movement could transform the way we consume products in the future,” said Dumdum.

 

Leading health, wellness, and beauty retailer Watsons has been at the forefront of responsible consumerism with a sustainability program that's anchored on four pillars: Planet, People, Community, and Customers.

 

Watsons has launched two Refill Stations for Naturals by Watsons at its SM Megamall and the flagship store in The Block SM City North Edsa store to encourage more consumers to do good by reusing their plastic bottles, thereby reducing the use of plastic. The Refill Stations are part of A.S. Watson Group's global commitment to encourage its customers to lead more sustainable lifestyles by offering more options for them to do so. 

 

Watsons also offers a wide variety of refill packs of personal care products, including liquid hand soaps, shampoos, lotions, toothbrush refills,  shaver cartridges, foundation, and many others. The retailer is also convincing more of its suppliers and manufacturers to join the refill revolution to help save the planet.

 

“Recycling helps save the planet. But refilling is definitely a better option because refills consume 75% less plastic than regular bottles. To the customer, it is also more affordable,” said Viki Encarnacion, Watsons PR and Sustainability Director.

 

Refilling is an important part of a sustainable lifestyle. Going for refills is one of the best things you can do for the planet. Join those who have joined the refill revolution and help save the planet!

 

Source:

 

(1)  https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualized-ocean-plastic-waste-pollution-by-country/

 

 

A.S. Watson has been committed to tackling climate change

 

As the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer, A.S. Watson has been committed to reducing its business’ environmental impact and tackling climate change. It has already achieved its previous greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets by the end of 2021 and now further announces new targets to accelerate its contribution to the fight against the climate change. 

In 2019, A.S. Watson released a GHG emissions reduction target to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% by 2030, from a 2015 baseline. Racing ahead of schedule, it has already overshot this target and achieved 42% by the end of 2021. With such significant progress, now A.S. Watson announces new emissions reduction targets. These include: 

1. Reducing Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline

2. Reducing Scope 3 GHG Emissions from purchased goods and services, upstream transportation, and distribution by 58% per dollar economic value added by 2030 from a 2018 baseline

3. Pledging that 33% of its suppliers by emissions covering purchased goods and services, upstream transportation and distribution will have science-based targets (SBTs) by 2027 

 

Malina Ngai, Group Chief Operating Officer of A.S. Watson and CEO of A.S. Watson (Asia and Europe),says: “At A.S. Watson, we made it our purpose to do the right things for our customers and the planet today and tomorrow. Sustainability is a hurdle race. It takes determination and perseverance to get over barriers. We can’t do it alone. We believe partnerships with our suppliers and customers can make bigger impact together.” 

“These new GHG emissions reduction targets are proof of our commitment to accelerate our sustainability efforts to build a better world for all.” she adds. “On top of our actions to fight climate change, we’ve also reinforced our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), extending our coverage to 15 out of 17 UNSDGs which include the usage of clean energy and the introduction of climate actions.”  

Kicking Off with Greener Stores

A.S. Watson understands that everything starts with its stores so Greener Stores Global Framework was just launched in April to accelerate its own transformation of retail towards lower-environmental impact stores. It hopes to leverage on its scale for good to speed up the global movement towards a more sustainable future. 

Since 74% of the company’s GHG emissions were attributable to electricity consumption in 2021, creating efficient electricity grids is now a top priority for A.S. Watson. Enhancing energy efficiency and using renewable energy are thus two key focuses of the Greener Stores Global Framework. To support this mission, a global energy management programme was established since 2014 to monitor local energy saving initiatives. 

Supporting the growth of green energy is just as important to reduce GHG emissions. A.S. Watson has already achieved 100% renewable electricity for its businesses in three major European markets. These include Superdrug, Savers, The Perfume Shop, Kruidvat, Trekpleister and ICI PARIS XL in the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Renewable electricity now makes up 86% of A.S. Watson’s European portfolio. 

 

Going Green with Our Customers 

A.S. Watson has always been at the forefront of promoting and inspiring a culture of sustainability amongst its customers. Through the operations of its everyday retail stores, it has always encouraged customers to choose more sustainable products and a greener lifestyle. A.S. Watson believes that The New Beautiful is more than just skin deep, and is about how people treat themselves, do good to each other as well as the planet. 

To celebrate the World Environment Day, Watsons plans to launch a first-of-its-kind Sustainability VR Hub in the markets including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey in order to promote and motivate its customers to make behavioral changes that would contribute to a more sustainable planet. It will offer customers an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience to help them learn more about how they can help the environment and how to fight against climate change.

 

Ngai concludes, “The Future is Now. As a leader in the health and beauty retail industry, we want to lead by example in minimising our impact on our planet, engagingand educating our customers, and inspiring our business partners to make the world a better place together. We believe that every small and big step we are taking now will make a huge impact in the future.”

A.S. Watson has released its 2021 Sustainability Report which outlines its sustainability efforts and achievements. It has not only been working to build greener stores but also create a culture of sustainability inside and outside the organisation. As we are now living a new normal, the report also outlines A.S. Watson’s global efforts to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years and how it’s ready to put a smile on its customers’ faces today and tomorrow.

To access the Latest Sustainability Report, please click the link below: 

https://bit.ly/ASW2021SR