To ensure that sustainable practices transcend various levels from top management to frontline staff, Sino Group has established a Sustainability Academy to cultivate a sustainable mindset among its staff and infuse sustainability into their work and life.

Sino Group’s Sustainability Academy is a group-wide, multi-channel platform that addresses a diverse range of sustainability topics, from low-carbon living, tree management to plant-based diets.

First and foremost, the Sustainability Academy clearly defines the Group’s sustainability initiatives; they are then introduced to staff via the foundational “ESG in Sino” webinar that provides not only ESG knowledge, but also details the Group’s sustainability pillars, strategies, key projects, goals and targets.

Guest speakers and NGOs are invited to conduct webinars on decarbonisation, ESG market trends and green living. One seminar that came across particularly well with staff focused on Hong Kong’s biodiversity, identifying common toxic species and hiking safety. It adopted a soft approach that drove home the message more effectively.

Within the Group, green living has become an important daily routine with regular “Green Tips” sent to staff via email and on-screen pop-up messages.

The Group’s relentless efforts can be seen with over 3,000 accumulated learning hours delivered through the Sustainability Academy in the financial year of 2021/22, an increase of approximately 83% over the previous financial year.

Looking ahead, Sino Group is committed to providing ESG education to its staff. Its dedication is shown in its recent addition of new Sustainability Vision 2030 (SV2030) targets to ensure that 100% of the Group’s employees receive ESG training, and double total staff training hours by 2030 from 2019 levels.

Cultivating a sustainable culture

Eco-friendly activities abound at Sino Group with overwhelming response from its staff. One of them is the Upcycled Christmas Tree and Ornament Design Competition. Over 260 entries were received from more than 730 colleagues and their families to create Christmas trees and festive ornaments from upcycled materials for display at Sino properties. The project also involved a beach clean-up activity during which some of the plastic waste collected from Long Mei Beach in Tai Po was processed and re-used to create upcycled Christmas trees.

Striving for open communication with its staff, Sino Group’s Corporate Town Hall Meeting last year was attended by over 900 colleagues, who joined in-person or online. Business updates, lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and exciting plans for upcoming developments were shared while emphasising a sustainability-oriented mentality.

A project to promote urban farming and social inclusion, Farm Together creates a community that thrives in harmony with nature by involving staff, residents, mall tenants and the wider community. The project includes 17 farms in Hong Kong and one in Singapore, spanning over 54,000 sq. ft. and cultivating over 380 plant and crop species.

Farm Together is more than an agricultural pastime. It brings a refreshing “farm-to-table” concept by engaging mall tenants, and invites mall-visitors to taste and experience in this green initiative.

Held concurrently with Farm Together is a series of informative workshops and fun activities on sustainable living in Sino malls to spread the message and generate a positive impact on society.

Sustainability Vision 2030 points the way

The Group’s sustainability strategy is overseen by the Board of Directors through regular updates from its ESG Steering Committee, under which sub-committees and representatives from business units focus on developing roadmaps and championing initiatives to deliver the goals and targets under the Group’s three strategic pillars that support its mission — Green Living, Innovative Design and Community Spirit.

Sustainability is set to steer the Group’s course for the next decade when it launched its SV2030 in 2020, mapping a clear path with sustainability as the blueprint across the Group’s cross-functional operations.

Results have exceeded expectations with some of the goals set out in its SV2030 having been achieved ahead of schedule in 2022. 15 new goals relating to governance and the Group’s three strategic pillars of “Green Living”, “Innovative Design” and “Community Spirit” have been added to SV2030, bringing the total number of goals to 38.

In the latest Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (‘GRESB’) Real Estate Assessment, Sino Land Company Limited has been recognised as a Global Listed Sector Leader and has achieved the top five-star rating since its first enrolment in 2019, which marks a milestone in the Group’s ongoing efforts to build a more sustainable future. “Creating Better Lifespace” will continue to guide Sino Group as it deploys more innovative solutions to step up sustainability by going further towards decarbonisation, promoting a circular economy and urban biodiversity.