Executive Committee Hans Sy and GUUN CEO Shinji Fujieda shake hands during the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore waste management solutions, recycling waste paper and plastics into “fluff fuel” for alternative energy
SM Prime has entered a joint venture
with GUUN Co. Ltd (GUUN), with SM Prime
holding 70% of the equity of the Philippine joint
venture company.
GUUN Co. Ltd is headquartered in
Yokohama City, Japan, and operates material recovery and recycling facilities, along with
environmental solution services. Invited by the
government of Cebu in 2014, GUUN initiated
the production of fossil alternative fuels called
“fluff fuel” from non-recyclable waste materials,
aligning with its mission to “maintain harmony
between the earth and society by creating a
happy environment for the future.”
United in this mission,
SM Prime partnered with GUUN
to actively participate in developing infrastructure for systematic
waste management and resource
recovery, following the best practices of Japan. The joint venture
aims to reduce the landfill impact
from both SM Prime and non-SM
Prime managed properties, complementing the material recovery
facility operations of the Local
Government Units (LGUs).
GUUN’s “fluff fuel” is
produced from non-recyclable and hard-to-recycle wastes
through sorting, curating, and formulation to meet chemical limits.
It serves as an alternative to solid
fossil fuels like coal, fueling cement kilns and industrial boilers in
paper manufacturing and power
plants. This approach has proven
effective in controlling landfilled
waste in Japan, offering a second
life for waste as productive fuels
and creating opportunities for
waste pickers to become formal
waste sorters in these facilities.
“Fluff fuel” is one of the
various solutions to control waste
buildup in Japan. The partnership
between SM Prime and GUUN
will explore further implementation of recovery or reduction techniques, ensuring that waste is no
longer wasted.
SM Prime Holdings
Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans Sy, emphasizing a
commitment to a positive impact
on local communities, shared, “It
is exciting for SM Prime to partner with GUUN Japan with a joint
mission to bridge the gap
between society and the environment in the Philippines
through investing in their
pioneering solid waste management technology, which
will eventually benefit all the
communities that SM Prime
serves.”
Underscoring their
dedication to making a positive impact on the Philippines, GUUN Co. Ltd. CEO
Shinji Fujieda stated, “At
GUUN, we are ready to make
every effort to contribute significantly to the Philippines
and evolve the resource circulation system. The partnership with SM Prime leaves
us with no doubt that we can
succeed.”
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Toni
Yulo-Loyzaga emphasized
the importance of such partnerships in advancing sustainable waste management
practices. She said, “The
DENR continues to collaborate with development partners and the private sector in
tackling the challenge of solid
waste management. Implementing industrial-scale,
appropriate transition technologies for segregation and
processing is a crucial step
toward achieving a circular
economy. Partnerships like
the one between SM Prime
and GUUN play a vital role
in shaping a sustainable future.”PR
