Watsons celebrates a year of doing good for the people, community, customers, and the planet
Watsons, the leading health, wellness, and beauty retailer, is dedicated to making a positive impact across four pillars: People, Community, Customers, and the Planet. Through these pillars, Watsons aims to uplift the health and well-being of the communities it serves, ensure a sustainable and healthy workforce, provide customers with sustainable options, manage supply-chain risk, and reduce its ecological footprint.
At the heart of Watsons’ business is its mission to inspire its customers to feel their best while looking good and doing good for themselves and those around them.
In 2022, Watsons made significant achievements in its mission to “Do Good” by inspiring both its employees and customers by making a meaningful impact on communities and the environment.
People: In 2022, Watsons closed the year with 1,048 stores and a workforce of 9,228 employees. Impressively, 98 percent of them were trained in sustainability. The brand launched the Live Green campaign for waste segregation, engaging its team in nationwide stores. Watsons aims to earn the Gold Health & Wellbeing certification from Investors in People by 2025, nurturing talent and leadership.
Community: Committed to enhancing underserved communities’ health, Watsons conducted year-round medical outreach programs. Partnering with Operation Smile Philippines, they transformed 116 children’s lives through cleft surgeries in 2022, totaling 2,152 since 2013.
Medical missions provided medicines to 910 people, reaching 6,579 since 2013. Their Alagang Pangkalusugan program delivered free doctor’s consultations, screenings, and more. Watsons facilitated COVID-19 booster shots for 25,000+ and administered flu, pneumonia, and HPV vaccines to 80,000+ customers. By 2030, Watsons aims for 3,300 cleft surgeries and aid 20,000 individuals with medicines.
Customers: An essential element of Watsons Philippines is its 1,702 adept pharmacists, pivotal in assisting informed purchases. In 2022, customers enjoyed an expanded range of 1,632 Sustainable Choices items, showcasing Watsons’ commitment to eco-friendliness. The “Do Good for the Community and the Planet Campaign” empowered shoppers with eco-friendly insights. By 2025, Watsons targets 15 percent sales from Sustainable Choices products and plans to gather 65,000 kg of trash by 2030.
Planet: In 2022, Watsons embraced sustainability, recycling 1,691,000 plastic bottles and collecting 25,454 kg of trash. Plastic use in e-commerce parcels dropped 79 percent, adopting 100 percent recycled packaging. Two Refill Stations boosted refills by 46 percent. Four stores integrated solar panels, while energy-efficient appliances and smart controls curbed electricity consumption. Staff underwent training and are now incentivized to achieve energy reduction goals.
Watsons took an active role in environmental conservation by partnering with CORA Philippines for a coastal cleanup project in the Las Piñas Parañaque Critical Habit and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA). Moreover, the retailer collaborated with Plastic Bank to recover plastic bottles from the ecosystem, minimizing local plastic manufacturing.
Through the Trash for Cash program, customers were encouraged to participate in recycling efforts with designated drop-off bins at participating SM malls, allowing them to exchange recyclables for discounts or vouchers from partner brands redeemable at Watsons stores.
“Our heritage of Doing Good has brought about our passion to support the community and the planet. The task is too enormous. We have to continue and accelerate our pace by building greener stores and investing more in renewable energy,” said Danilo Chiong, Watsons Philippines Managing Director.
Through its relentless pursuit of positive change and sustainable practices, Watsons continues to lead the way as a responsible and impactful retailer, promoting the well-being of people, communities, customers, and the environment.