Sino Group initiated the Tree Recycling / Upcycling Programme in Hong Kong in 2018 to make the most of our natural resources. The Group works with arborists and community partners to recycle and upcycle trees on construction sites and premises under management. Trunks, branches and twigs collected are inspected to select pest- and disease-free timber, then sorted and sent for processing for recycling or upcycling.

Instead of being sent to landfills, wood is chipped and processed into mulch for gardens and landscaped areas or dried for upcycling into objects such as fencing, planters, furniture and artwork in partnership with artists, tenants, residents, customers and staff.

Since the programme’s launch, close to 600 trees have been collected, with 306 cubic metres of mulch and compost produced. We are now expanding the efforts to 30 sites and developments.

The Group has come on board as a Science-aligned Signatory of the Net-zero Carbon Charter initiated by the Business Environment Council (BEC) to accelerate net-zero actions. The Group will report its progress in accordance with BEC guidelines annually.

Let’s work towards a sustainable future for Hong Kong together.

Sino Group has integrated sustainability into all aspects of its business and operations, from architectural planning to green management. Olympian City in West Kowloon is exemplary of the Group’s efforts to build a more sustainable community — let’s take a closer look at the work done.

Stepping into the shopping mall, the skylights in the Central Atrium and Concourse are covered by solar control films that lower indoor temperature. The mall features a fully water-cooled air conditioning system that enables further energy saving.

A smart management platform, PlantPro, is being deployed at Olympian City 3, achieving a saving of more than 370,000 kWh in electricity consumption each year. A separate photovoltaic system consisting of 178 rooftop panels helps us to reduce our use of fossil fuels. Another off-grid photovoltaic system is fitted with a charging station for electric vehicles, encouraging use of these more sustainable models.

Additional benefits of the smart system include an early fault detection and warning function that enables preventive maintenance, as well as comprehensive data analyses to optimise system performance.

Outside the mall, Greenery Bridges can lower the indoor temperature by 1–2°C for a further saving on air conditioning. Landscaping accounts for 28 per cent of the site area, helping to clean the surrounding air as well as providing a calming vista for visitors. The thoughtful landscaping includes a smart monitoring system that provides real-time information on tree health. The surrounding area of the mall is also paved with a sustainable material, EcoBricks, upcycled from plastic waste without harmful emissions or pollutants during the upcycling process, presenting a viable circular economy solution to urban waste. The two-phase project at Olympian City has been upcycled from 16 tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent to 1.6 million plastic bottles.

The management team partners with tenants on green leases and green fit-out. The team has also launched initiatives such as a Green Hub for book donations and community recycling of goods. Smart food donation machines in collaboration with local charity Food Angel encourage visitors to support the less privileged in our t, while smart recycling stations for cartons and bottles further cut down on waste. Waste has also been reduced via an improved garbage compactor, which has decreased the volume to send to landfills, cutting our carbon dioxide emissions by 16 tonnes per year.

Olympian City has been recognised at multiple award schemes thanks to this array of green features. It has received BEAM Plus v2.0 platinum certification from the Hong Kong Green Building Council, has been recognised by the Hong Kong Green Organization and has been named a CLP Energy-Saving Enterprise. Most recently, it won the Grand Award of the Existing Buildings Category—Facilities Management at the prestigious Green Building Award 2023.

Sino Land has published its 2023 Sustainability Report with the adoption of eight principal local and global sustainability standards and frameworks. We are one of the first property developers in Hong Kong to report with reference to the final version of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) IFRS S1 and S2 standards, along with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) beta v0.4 framework, and to publish a standalone Climate Action Report in line with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework.

We hold a firm belief that businesses have a key role to play in contributing to a sustainable built environment, and are humbled that Sino Land has been acknowledged with more than 130 awards and recognitions related to sustainability and community engagement efforts during the reporting period.

Thank you for the wonderful support on our sustainability journey. We look forward to continuing to work with you to build a more sustainable future together.

Further to joining the global pledge of Business Ambition for 1.5°C in 2021, Sino Land has unveiled its Decarbonisation Blueprint, a holistic roadmap towards net zero carbon by 2050. Collaborating with HKUST to set science-based targets after one year of extensive research, we have set interim targets for decarbonisation, including provisions for climate risk assessment for wholly owned new projects, to enhance the risk management system. The Decarbonisation Blueprint covers 30 areas including energy efficiency, renewable energy and engagement with our tenants and customers.

We have also conducted climate risk assessment to evaluate climate resilience across the Group’s over 170 properties in Hong Kong in alignment with recommendations from the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), enabling the Group to make better informed decisions, plan a forward-looking strategy and enhance climate-related information disclosure.

Sino Land has been ranked among Global 100’s Most Sustainable Corporations at the 19^th Annual Global 100 Launch, becoming the first and only real estate company in Hong Kong to be included in this world-leading sustainability index.

This year’s Global 100 have been selected based on a competitive assessment of 6,720 firms around the world across 25 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance indicators, in particular decarbonising the economy and creating more equitable workplaces. Sino Group has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability and continuous efforts to achieve the 38 goals formulated in its Sustainability Vision 2030.

Sino Land’s Sustainability Report 2022 highlighted progress in environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts during the financial year of 1 July 2021–30 June 2022. Decarbonisation and climate resilience are the key focus areas among the Group’s sustainability efforts, and the team was delighted to report achieving the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target ahead of schedule, with a 40% GHG emission reduction and a similar reduction in electricity consumption compared to our 2012 baseline.

Sino Group has also formulated 15 new goals related to governance and the Group’s three strategic pillars of Green Living, Innovative Design and Community Spirit, bringing the total number of goals under the Sustainability Vision 2030 to 38.

These include reducing Scopes 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 53.1% by 2030 from our 2018 baseline, and electricity intensity by 30% from 2018 levels.

The Group continues to engage our colleagues, tenants, residents and customers in green activities that promote efficient energy use and waste reduction. Notable initiatives in collaboration with community partners include the Everything English Book Drive with HumanKind, in which 38 properties participated; the Collection of Eye Care Used Plastics initiative with EcoDrive Hong Kong and 59 Group properties; Earth Hour 2022 with WWF-Hong Kong and 165 properties; and the Red Packet Recycling and Reuse Programme 2022 with Greeners Action, in which 136 properties participated. Heartiest thanks for all our team members and community partners who took part to help us work towards our SV2030 goals.

Farm Together is Sino Group’s integrated green community project that plants the seeds for sustainability by promoting urban farming, social inclusion and bringing the community closer to nature.

We have converted six urban spaces in Hong Kong and one in Singapore into verdant, functional farms: Sky Farm at Skyline Tower, 148 Farm at 148 Electric Road, Gold Coast Fun Farm and Gold Coast Eco Farm at Gold Coast Residences, Gold Coast Farm and the Butterflies and Herbs Farm at Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel as well as the Fullerton Farm in Singapore.  The farms span more than 2,600 square metres and grow more than 150 plant and crop species.

At 1,100 square metres, Sky Farm is the largest, and is home to more than 40 types of edible crops, including snow jade cabbage, roselle, black peanut and taro winter melon. Our most recent harvest yielded nearly 195 kg of produce, which was used to prepare hampers for guests. We expect to harvest more than 400 kg of produce each year from Sky Farm.

A more compact farm sits atop 148 Electric Road in North Point, spanning 130 square metres. It is growing more than 25 crops, with an expected annual harvest of 100 kg, as well as being a green space where our community and team members can relax while enjoying panoramic harbour views.

We also work with community partners such as Hong Chi Association to promote urban farming and social inclusion.

Through Farm Together, we join hands with our colleagues, residents, tenants, hotel guests and the wider community to build a greener future.

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