The SM group is staying true to its commitment of teaming up with host communities and being a catalyst for responsible growth through sustainable enterprise development and livelihood programs, a top executive said.
“All business units within the SM group are expected to develop their respective sustainability commitment, policies, and initiatives. Aligned with our commitment to equal opportunity for all, we continuously engage with external stakeholders, including host communities, to advocate for social and economic inclusion and development,” said SM Group diversity officer Lizanne Uychaco.
SM’s group-wide initiative on diversity and inclusion goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship and SM through SM Hotels is taking a bigger step on these advocacies through concrete programs and initiatives.
“How do we make sustainability tangible – something that our customers and stakeholders can touch?”
This was the question that Chef Leah Magallanes, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC) vice president for sustainability and quality assurance, asked.
The answer that came to her was Tela Tales, an initiative that aims to convert pre-loved linens of SMHCC into beautiful bags with handwoven patterns through the communities of Brgy. Bulihan in Batangas and Kalingap Casa de Sueno in Tagaytay with the guidance of designer and social entrepreneur Zarah Juan.
“The Tela Tales program’s stakeholders are SMHCC, a group of women from Brgy. Bulihan which is near Pico Sands Hotel. The other one is Kalingap, a place for abandoned senior citizens in Tagaytay near Taal Vista Hotel. We also partnered with Zarah Juan whose values of social entrepreneurship closely align with ours,” said Magallanes.
Magallanes said the program was named Tela Tales since the community members shared their stories while weaving the patterns for the bags.
Kalingap is one of the community partners of the Tela Tales program, which aligns with the SM group’s value of entrepreneurship and supporting the areas they are a part of.
For Dolores de la Cruz, community representative of Kalingap, the Tela Tales program is “very promising” because handweaving offers higher pay.
SMHCC provided the preloved linens and other materials for the bags while Zarah Juan paid the community members who weaved the patterns on the bags. Juan was the one who designed and put together the bags.