Leading health, wellness, and beauty retailer Watsons is transforming its four branches in Bonifacio Global City into Watsons Greener Stores, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and setting a new benchmark for sustainable retailing in the Philippines. Building on the success of its first Greener Store in San Pedro, Laguna, which launched in June 2024, Watsons is expanding its sustainable retail network. This initiative aims to reduce environmental impact by lowering carbon emissions, conserving water, minimizing landfill waste, and offering more sustainable product choices while supporting Watsons’ global movement toward a more sustainable future.
What Makes a Greener Store?
The four Watsons Greener Stores located in BGC High Street Plaza, Eco Tower, Bonifacio Technology Center, and Forbeswood Parklane are now energy-efficient retail spaces built with sustainability in mind. These stores focus on:
Sustainability Initiatives
As part of their commitment to sustainability, these stores implement waste reduction and recycling programs and integrate energy offsets. Sustainable materials, energy-efficient solutions, and eco-friendly practices are incorporated throughout, including the use of eco-friendly fixtures, energy-efficient lighting, and inverter cooling appliances to minimize environmental impact.
Store and Customer Education
To further promote responsible consumption, customers are encouraged to bring their own bags when shopping to help minimize plastic use. Through the Recycle for Rewards program, shoppers are also invited to return empty beauty and personal care bottles in exchange for shopping points, vouchers, or free items, promoting recycling and circular practices.
Watsons store personnel receive training on key sustainability initiatives, including occupational health and safety, energy savings, and waste management, ensuring they actively contribute to the company’s environmental goals. In-store materials and signage further strengthen these efforts by educating customers about Watsons’ sustainability initiatives, empowering them to make informed, eco-friendly choices with every visit.
Responsible Materials
Watsons prioritizes the use of sustainable materials, including FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)—and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) — certified recycled paper, boards, and responsibly sourced wood for displays and fixtures. To reduce environmental impact, marketing materials are also made from eco-friendly Solidus, replacing PVC-based Sintra boards.
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
The Greener Stores save energy by using LED lighting, smart meters, and inverter appliances. They also offset their electricity-related carbon footprint by purchasing Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), which helps reduce their reliance on traditional power sources such as coal and oil while supporting the use of renewable energy.
Waste Diversion
Operational waste is sorted for recycling or upcycling, and some electrical components are repurposed to minimize waste. Additionally, all store fixtures can be reused and refurbished for other Watsons stores, further supporting sustainability and reducing environmental impact.
Beyond infrastructure, Watsons is making sustainable shopping more accessible by offering a curated selection of Sustainable Choices products at BGC Greener Stores. Customers can choose from Clean Beauty, Better Ingredients, Refill Packs, and Better Packaging options, all made from responsibly sourced materials, further encouraging eco-friendly habits.
“Our vision is to create more Watsons Greener Stores, reducing our environmental impact and embedding sustainability into our daily operations. This transformation is not just about infrastructure but about fostering a culture of sustainability,” said Sharon Decapia, SAVP for Marketing, PR & Sustainability.
To celebrate the launch of the BGC Greener Stores on April 26, Watsons hosted a walking eco-tour for customers, influencers, and residents of BGC. The tour took participants through all four stores, showcasing BGC’s eco-friendly spaces and educating them on sustainability while highlighting how Watsons is making sustainable choices more accessible.
Watsons continues to set new standards in health and beauty retail, with more Greener Stores in the works to drive a positive impact on the planet.
To learn more about Watsons’ sustainability efforts, visit any Watsons store nationwide or shop conveniently via the Watsons App.
About Watsons Philippines:
With over 8,000 stores and 1,500 pharmacies in 15 Asian, European and Middle East markets, Watsons is No.1 Personal Care and Beauty retailer in Asia*
We are here to help our customers look good, do good and feel great, every day – by providing a market-leading variety of brands and products, plus personalized advice and counseling in health, beauty and personal care.
Watsons is part of the AS Watson Group, the world’s largest international health and beauty retailer operating over 16,500 stores under 12 retail brands in 28 markets, with over 130,000 employees worldwide. For the fiscal year 2023, AS Watson Group recorded revenue of US$23 billion. Every year, it is serving over 5.5 billion shoppers via its O+O (Offline plus Online) platforms, providing tech-enabled retail experience to customers offline and online.
*Campaign Asia-Pacific’s Top 50 Brands survey with 10,000 respondents across 6 Asian countries
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