A Guide to Sustainability Partnerships

Sustainable partnerships are an essential concept to both businesses and society. The advantage of multi-stakeholder projects is that businesses can deliver remarkable results towards risk areas that are aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

By working together with like-minded organizations, there is better synergy in addressing today’s challenges.

We believe it is non-viable to have a strong, functioning business in a world of increasing inequality, poverty, and climate change, so we take action. We at the Aboitiz Group understand that they are the cornerstones to achieving continuous, inclusive growth.

What Sustainable Partnerships Are, and Why We Do It

Partnerships for sustainability are essentially what they’re named: two or more businesses teaming up to contribute to sustainability goals.

Based on the sort of impact they’d like to make on the environment or their communities — or both — businesses may find themselves seeking out others who have the same agenda. This is where a sustainable partnership is born.

Why? True sustainability means taking collective action. It’s not something you can do alone. After all, all aspects of society are deeply entwined, making such issues systemic.

As a result, taking individual, non-cohesive steps will yield only limited impact. Many organizations may also not have the right resources, knowledge, skill, or scale to tackle issues on their own.

Strong partnerships provide a great way to promote sustainability, pursue inclusive business enterprises, and ultimately transform both businesses and communities for the better.

How We Do Sustainable Partnerships

Sustainability partnerships spark change towards responsible, inclusive and sustainable growth. However, they are, at times, challenging to establish, and even harder to maintain.

So, how do we do it?

The answer is establishing strategic alliances. Aboitiz Group is part of both local and global movements who seek to build an economic system that not only generates value, but also addresses the needs of the people and the planet.

Through that, we combine our efforts, and proactively address and solve the challenges our communities face. Here’s a closer look at some of the partnerships we’ve built over the years:

United Nations Global Compact Network Philippines (UN GCNP)

We are committed to supporting the global campaign to end poverty and do so by distributing a portion of our financial gains to key stakeholders. This is possible through the several programs that directly serve our benefactors, through generating new job opportunities, increasing domestic products, and empowering local and indigenous communities with the tools and education they need to become efficient in their field of work — ultimately helping to alleviate poverty through inclusive programs and social investments.

Pilipinas Kontra Gutom (PKG)

A collective effort among local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and companies like ours, we contribute to PKG’s goal of improving food production and distribution to ultimately reduce instances of food insecurity in the country.

Through our food arm Pilmico, we also seek partnerships with communities to promote sustainable agriculture practices and empower local food producers. Additionally, we host community feeding programs that aim to decrease malnutrition in students, whileproviding economic support to food vendors, such as bakeries. These are carried out in collaboration with LGUs.

Quality Education

We have dedicated ourselves for over 15 years to supporting local educational institutions, and young scholars.

One such example of our dedication to providing quality education while championing innovation is the establishment of the Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ASITE), in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Through ASITE, we aid the development of new talent and upskilling for data science and innovation in the country.

Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE)

Working with PBCWE, we hope to improve gender equality in our workplace, making sure everyone feels safe and heard in their teams. We also use this partnership to learn and adopt the best practices for our culture, processes, and policies.

We promote inclusivity and equality for the LGBTQ community, through our Pride Forums. This serves as a venue for participants to learn more about both the concepts and the laws that pertain to sexual orientation, expression, and identity. This, in turn, promotes both awareness and sensitivity to the issues that affect this community.

Partnerships for Digital Innovation

Aboitiz Group leads in the digital and sustainable transformation, including banking and financial services. Through partnerships and digital innovations, we provide efficient services and connect remote communities to essential financial services. For instance, our AI and Innovation Center collaborated with UnionBank’s Customer Engagement Group, utilizing the NPS Freetext Analysis Tool. This automated tool analyzes feedback from online surveys, social media, and interviews, enabling UnionBank to create personalized offers and enhance customer experience. Streamlining analysis of thousands of responses and inquiries, this partnership drives improved services.

Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)

We perform extraordinary diligence in evaluating all our prospective land developments — this helps us design and build communities that are sensitive to their surrounding environment and ecosystem.

One such project of ours includes the Seafront Residence, which works in partnership with the University of the Philippines to promote pawikan preservation efforts. Furthermore, we have master planned all our communities to provide easy access to transportation, electricity, and other necessities, providing a more holistic lifestyle to the Filipino Family.

Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

Aboitiz Group, through our Aboitiz Equity Ventures arm, was the first Philippine company to sign on and support the international Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). We work with more than 930 international organizations and commit to developing climate-related financial risk disclosures.

Local Fisheries for Life Below Water

We work in partnership with local fishers and fisheries to promote the practice of sustainable fishing and marine protection. We also create sanctuaries for marine life, such as our Therma South facilities with their enclosures to protect pawikans and their nests.

APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC)

We understand that truly impactful work stems from a collaborative effort, so we look for new ways to increase both local and international cooperation as we do our part toward driving global sustainability.

For more than two years now. Aboitiz President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz has been appointed to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council, which is tasked to provide Asia-Pacific economies with the business perspective on various areas of cooperation. In December 2022, he was announced as the 2023 ABAC Sustainable Growth Working Group Vice-Chair. The working group will lead initiatives in promoting an effective response to climate change and transition to a low-carbon economy, as well as supporting efficient and sustainable processes across the food value chain of the region.

Key Takeaway

Through these sustainability partnerships, we create shared value among our stakeholders in contributing to the achievement of the UN SDGs.

Our efforts towards addressing these pressing challenges and the results of these efforts are all collated and available for public consumption. Read our recent Annual and Sustainability report here. Our CSR efforts through Aboitiz Foundation — which are also closely tied to SDGs — can also be viewed here.