Melissa Vergel de Dios, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Investor Relations at PLDT and Smart, explains how the PLDT Group has embedded sustainability in its long-term strategy

PLDT and Smart highlight the importance and integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in the group’s long-term strategy. As the country’s largest integrated telecommunications company, the PLDT group recognizes the importance of understanding and managing its impact to people and planet.   

Speaking at the recent ‘ESG SUMMIT: Future Roadmap for Net-Zero Economy’ organized by Trueventus Foundation, Melissa Vergel de Dios, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Investor Relations at PLDT and Smart, underscored the integration of sustainability in the group’s DNA, “At PLDT and Smart, sustainability is not a standalone project. It is our culture. It is embedded in everything we do – in our daily operations, decision-making, and engagements in and out of the organization.”   

To operationalize this thrust, Vergel de Dios added that PLDT and Smart have included Sustainability in their CEO scorecard and have crafted ESG-focused key performance indicators across company units and functions. PLDT and Smart also crafted awareness programs and learning courses, as well as facilitated dialogues with employees to nurture a workforce that champions sustainability. Going beyond the organization, the PLDT Group also expanded its sustainability culture to include stakeholders in the value chain.   

Speaking to fellow corporate sustainability professionals, Vergel de Dios shared how ESG strategy should be part of business interactions with different stakeholders and customer communities. “In the case of the PLDT group, we touch different lives – our customers, suppliers, and retailers. If we are able to reach out to them and explain what sustainability is about, then they become our force multipliers,” Vergel de Dios explained.   

With support of the PLDT Board led by Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio has identified sustainability as one of the key pillars that underpin the PLDT Group strategy. In line with this, the Group crafted a decarbonization roadmap which aims to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by around 40% by 2030. It also continues to support the Sustainable Development Goals across its products and operations.