Watsons Philippines is putting more electric trucks on the road, turning an initial four-vehicle experiment with logistics provider Mober into a potential blueprint for greener deliveries nationwide.
The health and beauty retailer said the pilot is an important first step toward expanding electric vehicle (EV) use across its supply chain, eventually reaching areas beyond Metro Manila.
The four electric trucks, deployed to move products from distribution centers to stores across the capital, completed 109 trips from March to May and avoided an estimated 656 kilograms of carbon emissions.
For Watsons, the early numbers offer a practical test of how EVs can work in day-to-day retail logistics, where delivery schedules, distance, payloads, and operating costs matter as much as emissions.
Sharon Decapia, senior assistant vice president for Marketing, PR and Sustainability at Watsons Philippines, said the company is already looking beyond the initial deployment.
“While four vehicles mark the initial deployment, we’re actually working to have a longer vision for expanding these electric vehicles in the near future,” she said.
Watsons Managing Director Danilo S. Chiong described the rollout as a “baby step,” but said the partnership could eventually extend to the South and North Luzon zones and, later, the Visayas.
“Sustainability is not a standalone initiative. It’s part of how we do business and the choices that we make every day,” Chiong said.
Mober is also pushing an inclusivity angle by encouraging more women to train as EV truck drivers, broadening the partnership beyond its environmental gains.
The initiative forms part of Watsons’ “Look Good, Do Good and Feel Great” strategy, which seeks to weave sustainability into everyday operations rather than leave it parked in the corporate responsibility department.
