SDG Journey

As a business, the Aboitiz Group is committed to supporting the global campaign to end poverty through economic value distribution.

Our financial gains are distributed to different key stakeholders through the value we create for our shareholders, employees, suppliers, communities, and our government. In creating jobs, increasing domestic products, and paying the appropriate taxes to fund basic services to communities, we support communities with inclusive business programs and social investments through different CSR programs to help alleviate poverty.

As a business, the Aboitiz Group is committed to supporting the global campaign to end poverty through economic value distribution.

Our financial gains are distributed to different key stakeholders through the value we create for our shareholders, employees, suppliers, communities, and our government. In creating jobs, increasing domestic products, and paying the appropriate taxes to fund basic services to communities, we support communities with inclusive business programs and social investments through different CSR programs to help alleviate poverty.

Pilmico delivers programs addressing malnutrition in our schools

Led by the Food Group, our community feeding programs aim to decrease the number of wasted students and increase school attendance while also empowering local bakeries.

Together with our partners, we work to ensure food security and availability in the Philippines and ASEAN markets.

The Food Group ensures food availability in the markets we serve by promoting sustainable livelihood businesses for Filipino farmers and consumption of locally grown produce.

Supporting the holistic needs of our A-People and their dependents

The Aboitiz Group is committed to helping ensure the health and well-being of our A-People, supporting diversity, equality, and inclusion within the organization. In AEV, team members have the option to enroll and include LGBTQ+ and common-law partners as medical dependents under the company’s health insurance policy.

Safeguarding the mental health of our team members

Responding to the holistic needs of A-People, Aboitiz recognizes that mental health, in particular, is fundamental to a person’s overall well-being. Our ongoing health and wellness programs were set in motion even prior to the pandemic. In 2019, Aboitiz partnered with Maxicare on internal campaigns surrounding the importance of sharing and learning from each other’s experiences to recognize the impact of mental health on our daily lives.

Bridging the gap by providing access to quality education

Since 2014, the Aboitiz Group has supported 302 College Scholars and 652 Technical Vocational Scholars. In 2017, we also established ASITE (Aboitiz School of Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship) in partnership with the Asian Institute of Management, a commitment fund that will help address the demand for skills and talent in data science and innovation in the Philippines and in the region. ASITE supports various degree programs, professorial chairs, student loan programs, and facilities improvement.

AboitizPower promotes education on renewable energy technology, biodiversity, and sustainability.

Through the Aboitiz Cleanergy Park outdoor biodiversity preserve in Davao and the Cleanergy Center in Laguna, AboitizPower is helping to educate students on the foundations and importance of renewable energy technology, biodiversity, and sustainability with immersive and experiential learning. Visitors also discover how Aboitiz is contributing to the Philippines’ long-term renewable energy program.

Promoting inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community in the organization through Pride Forums

In the forum, participants learned about the importance of understanding and promoting sensitivity to people’s sexual orientation, expression, and identity (SOGIE). Topics also included Philippine laws related to diversity and inclusion, such as the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, the HIV and AIDS Policy Act, the Safe Spaces Act, the Amended Magna Carta for Persons with Disability, and the Anti-Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Aboitiz Group’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct ensures fair treatment is always applied.

Team member diversity numbers in Aboitiz are laid out in our Sustainability Report (pages 164-165, 168). We encourage our A-People to form associations such as the Aboitiz Women’s Club that promotes women empowerment in the organization and CSR projects.

AboitizPower, through its Diversity and Inclusion campaign, focuses on communicating the primacy of merit above gender or sexual preference, age, religion, or ethnic background.

It aims to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion, promote respect, and celebrate individuality while practicing the culture of excellence and high performance in the company.

LIMA Water Corporation provides adequate and clean water supply.

The company provides 24-hour water availability through its own deep well sources and reservoirs while promoting intelligent and responsible water usage among its clients. It makes use of sustainable wastewater treatment technologies and adheres to wastewater effluent standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Laguna Lake Development Authority. This is to ensure treated wastewater from its locators does not cause degradation of the ecosystem and pose environmental and health risks.

Clean and safe water for Davaoeños

Apo Agua commits to developing sustainable water infrastructure and utilizing technologies that will uphold the welfare of the communities and the environment. The company also ensures the delivery of safe drinking water for communities in compliance with national drinking water standards.

Water footprint consciousness leads to prudent management of every drop.

Our business units establish facilities and processes for water treatment and monitoring that are necessary for their operations. Together with Aboitiz Foundation and various organizations, they establish a nationwide effort to establish sustainable environment programs through adopting, rehabilitating, and developing watershed areas to maintain the water cycle.

AboitizPower provides energy that balances accessibility, affordability, and environmental sustainability.

The company’s long-term goal is to shift overall capacity to an almost 50:50 ratio of Cleanergy: thermal by 2029. This will be done through aggressive expansion of its Cleanergy portfolio to optimize opportunities from the implementation of the government’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), while selectively building baseload capacities to support the Philippines’ growth aspirations.

Our investments in power, banking and financial services, food, infrastructure, and land provide decent work and employment, and help spur economic growth for the country.

Through our strategic business units, we provide decent work environments and career development opportunities.

The Aboitiz Foundation also supports the communities where Aboitiz operates through various enterprise development programs that enable micro and small entrepreneurs to create and sustain a livelihood for community members.

UnionBank continues to lead the way in digital transformation in the banking industry.

The Bank delivers greater efficiency, increased lead conversions and cost savings, and most importantly, wider financial inclusivity.

UnionBank’s Tech-Up Pilipinas: A Digital Transformation Journey

1. FINTECH (Financial Technology) – Financial inclusion leveraging on the following: i2i, GlobalLinker, Sentro and Bux, and SeekCap

2. PEOPLETECH (People Technology) – Building the skills of the future: From Agile to DevOps, Talents of the Bank, Xcellerator, and CSR partnerships focused on innovation

3. AGRITECH (Agriculture Technology) – Farmers and rural development: Credit scoring of farmers/fishermen, and leveraging Agri-Agra loans

UnionBank’s Tech-Up Pilipinas: A Digital Transformation Journey

4. REGTECH (Regulatory Technology) – Partnerships with the government to digitize processes: Bureau of Treasury (BTr) for Bonds.PH, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for UREKA, and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) distribution

5. OTHERS – LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), certified branches and paperless transactions, and ARK and ARK Lite.

Aboitiz InfraCapital aims to help the country build vital infrastructure to support economic growth.

The company develops airports, common towers, and bulk water supply facilities.

Aboitiz Equity Ventures and its subsidiaries empower and promote the social and economic inclusion of everyone in the workplace.

These companies practice zero tolerance for discrimination based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, political, economic, or any other status.

AboitizLand designs and builds communities that are sensitive to their surrounding ecosystem.

These projects include Seafront Residences, which implements the Pawikan Conservation Program in partnership with the University of the Philippines. The company’s impact on the real estate value chain has over 100,000 sqm gross leasable area (GLA). It has completed 17 communities that are designed to meet the needs of the market for a sustainable township that has access to transportation, electricity, and other community infrastructures

Aboitiz InfraCapital develops and builds vital infrastructure.

The company builds airports, common towers, and bulk water supply facilities to meet the needs for transportation, communication, and water services for cities and communities to achieve economic development.

We implement resource efficiency and management through our Race to Reduce Campaign.

We monitor our consumption of electricity, water, paper, and other waste and developed a unified waste management framework called Wealth Out of Waste that aims to increase efficiency, engagement, and even revenue. It also allows us to identify gaps and consolidate our existing efforts in a single direction, maximizing our positive impact both internally and externally.

Pilmico makes use of agricultural waste such as rice husk as an alternative to bunker fuel for its 6.25-MWh biomass facility.

The facility energizes the operations of the company’s farms, saving up to 60% of the bunker fuel use and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The waste ash is further used as an aggregate for cement used for concrete works needed in its facilities.

In 2019, AEV signed on as the first Philippine company to support the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

The company joins more than 930 international supporter organizations, with a combined market capitalization of USD11 trillion, that commit to developing voluntary and consistent climate-related financial risk disclosures.

Our GHG Sequestration Program is implemented through A-Park’s tree growing projects and our Groupwide Simultaneous Tree Planting.

The program has expanded to the rehabilitation of protected forests and watersheds, mangrove ecosystems, riverbanks and wetlands, and upland farms that promote conservation, agroforestry, and soil erosion prevention.

Biodiversity helps ecological systems continue its services for the communities.

AboitizPower’s Therma South, Inc. has built a temporary enclosure to protect pawikans and their nests near its facility. The company continues to look for ways to enhance its environmental management and marine protection endeavors, especially through its Cleanergy Park in Punta Dumalag, Davao.

Aboitiz has partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to rehabilitate wetlands and rivers.

Boracay’s Balabag Wetland Park is a resting place for migratory birds, and where other aquatic and flora species can thrive. In 2019, Aboitiz and the DENR also signed on for #WOWSanJuanRiver or the San Juan River (Manila Bay) Rehabilitation Project. The project’s main objective is to restore to life the entire stretch of the 11-kilometer Pasig River tributary, and it involves pollution control through clean-up, rehabilitation, and preservation.

The Aboitiz Cleanergy Park is an outdoor biodiversity reserve located in Davao City

The Park is home to the critically endangered hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), endemic and migratory birds, and marine species. It has been assigned by the DENR as the Pawikan Rescue Center of Davao City.

A-Park, the Aboitiz Group’s reforestation program, helps in the conservation and regeneration of terrestrial and bird species.

Aside from the biodiversity benefits, A-Park also enriches the soil to retain nutrients and absorb water and carbon. It was cited by a local expert as a bird-watching haven owing to the wide variety of animal habitat types combined with the area’s relative isolation and secure environment. The Park has a mangrove reforestation site, nursery, a botanical garden for the propagation of 29 native tree species, and 100 species of birds. Since 2014, the Park has nurtured and released more than 4,939 hatchlings, planted 13,992 mangroves, and rescued 16 hawksbill sea turtles.

A-Park, the Aboitiz Group’s reforestation program, helps in the conservation and regeneration of terrestrial and bird species.

Aside from the biodiversity benefits, A-Park also enriches the soil to retain nutrients and absorb water and carbon. It was cited by a local expert as a bird-watching haven owing to the wide variety of animal habitat types combined with the area’s relative isolation and secure environment. The Park has a mangrove reforestation site, nursery, a botanical garden for the propagation of 29 native tree species, and 100 species of birds. Since 2014, the Park has nurtured and released more than 4,939 hatchlings, planted 13,992 mangroves, and rescued 16 hawksbill sea turtles.

We partner with national and international organizations to promote global governance, peace, and strong institutions.

The Aboitiz Group promotes the rule of law and ensures equal access to justice by leveraging on partnerships with national and international organizations.

Our governance policies include anti-corruption and anti-bribery, and we observe strict compliance with our own Code of Ethics in dealing with internal and external stakeholders.

Aboitiz Group CEO Sabin Aboitiz is a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council

The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is tasked to provide private sector perspective towards achieving free and open trade and investments in the Asia Pacific region. Every year, ABAC submits to APEC leaders a report that outlines key recommendations focused on trade and investment in goods and services, removing barriers behind the border, at the border, and across the border. ABAC writes to and engages with Ministers, especially those responsible for trade, finance, SME, energy, food security, health, and women to address urgent challenges. The Council also participates in APEC committee meetings including sub-fora discussions, as well as initiatives of APEC economies.

We maximize collaborations and strive to be the partner of choice towards achieving the goals.

We aim to maximize the potential of collaborations and partnerships to make a greater impact. Active participation and leadership in organizations such as the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) and Pilipinas Kontra Gutom (PKG), country representation in the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) thru Aboitiz Group President and CEO Sabin M. Aboitiz, and most recently, signing the company’s commitment to the UN Women Empowerment Principles. The company strongly believes that a successful sustainability agenda can be achieved through inclusive partnerships – at the global, regional, and local levels – built upon shared values, visions, and goals.

To further expand the reach of partnerships, Aboitiz Foundation developed the KINDer app

KINDer is a fundraising platform where anyone can start and manage campaigns, engage with supporters, and support important causes. The aim is to increase partnerships for causes that address SDG concerns. The app enables all of its users to be agents of social progress.

To know more about the causes you can support, please visit kinder.aboitiz.com.