Retailers to adopt energy efficiency system

CEBU, Philippines - While the retail trade competition continues to squeeze and cost of doing business rises, the Cebu retail sector is seriously considering adopting an energy effeciency system.

The Philippine Retailers Association (PRA-Cebu) is leading this move to encourage retailers to conserve energy and cost in its consumption by considering a professional management system on energy effeciency.

In a recent general membership meeting of the PRA-Cebu, members listened to representatives of ConservePhil talk about their energy efficiency standard specifically designed for the retail sector.

ConservePhil is a public private partnership (PPP) program with a developmental agenda in supporting and equipping the Philippine retail sector with adequate knowledge and capacity in the field of energy and resource effeciency.

Lawyer Jong Fernandez presented the program to the retailers in Cebu, emphasizing that there is a need for the retail sector to adopt an effective and standardized energy conservation program in their respective outlets in order to stay in the competitive retail game.

Fernandez also urged the retail sector to get certification on ISO 50001:Energy Management System or the Energy Management System (EnMs) which was released in July this year.

Adopting an energy efficient operation is not easy, he said saying that it involves multi-layerd business plan.

Studies show that energy consumption of the retailers accounts for 35 percent to 55 percent of their total operational cost. 

According to Fernandez, the urgent need for energy effeciency is aggravated by the fact that the Philippines is a power deficient state that imports over 99 percent of crude oil requirements and over 65 percent of its coal needs.

The Philippine government has enacted several laws in the past two years to promote energy efficiency, environmental protection, and energy conservation and pollution control.

“The objective of this ConservePhil project is to ensure that the retail sector has an enhanced access to services that are related to resource and energy management and to help retailers achieve energy effeciency benchmarking international standards and best practices,” added Fernandez.

Fernandez informed retailers that the organization will be awarding 30 selected retail companies that will receive technical assistance for implementing energy and resource effeciency management systems benchmarking international standards and best practices.

The retail industry contributes to about 15 percent of the gross national income (GNP) and 20 percent of the employment in the Philippines, and continues to grow at good pace.

Despite the fragile world economic state, the Philippine retail industry, particularly in Cebu is enjoying thriving business, with promising outlook, said PRA-Cebu president Melanie C. Ng.

Because of the tougher competition, Ng said there is a need for retail players to further cut its operational costs, in order to sustain profitability, while keeping products and services affordably attractive to consumers.