SM Prime Holdings Inc., through SM Supermalls and in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and ARISE Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, officially staged the inaugural SM Sustainability Expo (SUSTEX 2025) at the SMX Convention Center Aura, Taguig.
The two-day event, with the theme “Innovation for Environmental Stewardship,” brought together over 50 exhibitors, government agency leaders, the private sector, the international community and sustainability advocates to showcase cutting-edge solutions that advance a greener and more resilient future.
The Expo opened with the ceremonial “Beat of Sustainability,” led by DOST Secretary Renato Solidum and SM Prime executive committee chairman Hans T. Sy, who together struck the Solidrum—a bamboo drum shell developed by the DOST–Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI).
They were joined by SM Supermalls president Steven Tan, SM Prime vice president Jessica Sy-Bell, SM Supermalls vice president Liza Silerio and other dignitaries, who played the angklung, a UNESCO-recognized bamboo instrument. The performance symbolized harmony and collective action in advancing sustainability.
Hans Sy stressed in his opening remarks that sustainability lies at the heart of SM’s business and highlighted the importance of partnerships.
“Public-private partnerships such as this show how science and business can unite to address some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. We encourage more of this as the private sector can provide support to projects by local scientists,” he said.
Solidum noted that SUSTEX demonstrates how innovation and science can strengthen national resilience and drive a circular economy, as championed by similar DOST efforts.
“Through OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All, we ensure that the science, technologies and innovations we develop are not just theories in journals or prototypes in laboratories,” said Solidum.
“They are real solutions, accessible to businesses, communities, and every Filipino. This is also what we mean by Agham na Ramdam—science that is not distant; science that is felt, lived, and experienced by people in their everyday lives.”
