Ayala Center encourages tenants to rid plastic bags

CEBU, Philippines - Ayala Center Cebu (ACC) is encouraging all its tenants to use non-plastic bags to reinforce the company’s bid to operate a full environment friendly operation, especially within the shopping mall.

Although, ACC cannot require all its tenants to shift to paper bags, or other environment friendly shopping bags, ACC division head Joy Polloso said the mall is starting to encourage or educate their tenants in patronizing environment friendly store collaterals.

Although some stores within the Ayala shopping mall have already adopted in providing environment-friendly shopping bags, majority of the shops however, are still using plastic bags.

Food outlets are also encouraged to do away from using styrofoams, but Polloso said ACC management cannot require stores and food outlets to use non-plastic or non-styrofoam materials.

While it is tempting to provide incentives for merchants that will be using environment friendly materials, Polloso said ACC still believes that “making financial gains is not [always] anchored on business strategies.”

“We want to show them [merchants] an example first. And we want them to decide on adhering into environmental responsibilities,” she said.

Because of the mall’s active stance in promoting green-operation, through its “Greenology” campaign, Polloso said the mall hopes that time will come that “we reach to the point, when we don’t have to dictate.”

The Greenology campaign will also feature environment-friendly bags produced by Filipino designers, “green” garments and recyclables fair, among others.

Cebu Holdings Inc., (CHI, the developer of ACC, is now starting to implement a wider environment-friendly system, one of the flagship promotions is to educate shoppers on adhering environmental responsibilities.

“We are still in the stage of educating the shoppers, as well as merchants. We continue to make the shoppers appreciate long term impact of the program,” said CHI president Francis O. Monera.

According to Polloso, some merchants inside the mall have already implemented their own green system, such Bayo and F&H, while others are still considering adopting such strategy.

ACC is also introducing the availability of EcoBags that are made available for shoppers, so that use of plastic bags will be minimized.

According to CHI, the system involves creating of a sustainability committee; raising awareness among employees, tenants and partners on the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development; implementing energy and water conservation programs; tree planting; and setting in place a solid waste management program.

CHI supports the principle of sustainable development, in which the property developer undertakes measures to ensure that its business activities have little or no impact on the environment.