Together to make sustainable living more accessible

Earth Day is an annual global movement for committing to protecting the environment on April 22. The theme of World Earth Day 2023 is ‘Invest in Our Planet’, which reminds us of the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG). ESG considerations are now top priorities for businesses in Hong Kong and beyond. In the field of real estate, property developers have the advantage of well-developed networks that allow them to proactively engage and communicate their sustainability initiatives with a range of stakeholders. Sino Group takes the initiative of joining forces with different stakeholders to align its sustainability practices with societal needs.

In line with its vision of “Creating Better Lifescapes”, Sino Group has been a staunch supporter of sustainability and integrated the concept into its businesses and operations. Its zealous efforts to systematically implement ESG through, for instance, its published Sustainability Vision 2030 (SV 2030), map a clear path towards sustainability as the blueprint covers the Group’s cross-functional operations.

Vivian Lee, Group General Manager of Corporate Marketing, Communications and Sustainability, says “Sino Group believes that businesses play a key role in creating a more sustainable future. Sino Group is committed to working closely in creating shared value with all our stakeholders, including employees, tenants, customers, and business partners, and integrate sustainability into their lives.”

Corporate sustainability in practice

At the corporate level, Sino Land, a listed company of the Group, has set up a Sustainability Academy to ensure that sustainable practices transcend various levels. As Melanie Kwok, Assistant General Manager of Sustainability at Sino Group, says, “It is a group-wide, multichannel platform that addresses a diverse range of sustainability topics, from low-carbon living, tree management to plant-based diets. We provide not only ESG knowledge, but also details the Group’s sustainability pillars, strategies, key projects, goals and targets. Colleagues are encouraged to foster a sustainability-oriented mentality through town hall and mini-town hall meetings.”

Engaging tenant and customers to experience green wellness

Sino Group is also leveraging its strength as a large-scale property developer as the springboard for more collaborations in sustainability. Melanie Kwok says, “As an example, food waste management is one of the major environmental issues, we encourage all our stakeholders to reduce waste generated in our daily operations by scaling up the recycling programme among our tenants and managed properties, in particular of those small- and medium-sized F&B outlets who may not have enough resource on its own.” Farm Together, a project to promote urban farming and social inclusion, was also introduced to create a community that thrives in harmony with nature by involving staff, residents, mall tenants and the wider community. It brings a refreshing “farm-to-table” concept by engaging mall tenants and invites mall-visitors to taste and experience in this green initiative.

Partnerships help inspire sustainable development

Nowadays, more and more companies are practicing sustainability initiatives. Yet SMEs may not have sufficient resources to join the journey. Collaboration is the way to drive sustainability. Vivian Lee says “We believe innovation and public engagement are the foundation of a sustainable future, and dedicated to promoting a circular economy by collaborating with environmental partners. One example is working with local sustainability-focused startup EcoBricks to upcycle plastic waste otherwise bound for landfills into sustainable construction materials.”

When it comes to protecting and promoting biodiversity, Sino Group has also joined hands with Hong Kong Innovation Foundation, Ocean Park Hong Kong, local start-up Archireef and the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel to launch “Coral REEFStoration” – Hong Kong’s first cross-sector coral conservation project aimed to restore coral reefs in the southern waters of Hong Kong and raise public awareness of marine conservation.

Internationally recognised ESG performance

Given these continuous ESG efforts, Sino Group has achieved outstanding performances in many international ESG Ratings, and is the first developer in Hong Kong to be ranked among the world’s Top 100 Most Sustainable Corporations at the 19th Annual Global 100 Launch. Notably, Sino Land has achieved its first “AA” ESG rating from MSCI, which is positioned as “Leader” among peers, and included in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2023 for the first time.