Environmental Protection

We realise that we do leave behind a carbon footprint through the use of natural resources, even though unlike an industrial enterprise, we do not impact the environment directly or significantly. Hence it is our responsibility to properly and thoughtfully manage our consumption and its negative impact on the environment.

As a statutory body, we also believe in setting a good example of promoting a “green” business culture.

In a world increasingly threatened by climate change, adopting a green policy or a strategy to conserve natural resource will allow us to achieve a number of desirable outcomes:

• Project a positive, caring image among the public.
• Encourage environmental protection among private enterprises by actual example.
• Cut costs across the board and not just in the most obvious energy sector.
• Improve the well-being of employees by minimising environmental hazards.
• Boost stakeholders’ trust.
• Contribute towards sustainable development.

As a responsible corporate citizen and a statutory body, we encourage the practice of the Four Rs of reduce, reuse, repair and recycle among our staff, our stakeholders and in our dealings with the public. We believe that it is only through conserving natural resources that we can sustain economic development and keep open opportunities for now and for generations to come.

Principles

The Workplace

While the nature of our operations does not have a direct and obvious impact on the environment (unlike that of a power plant), environmental protection nevertheless touches every aspect of life, both business and personal. Our “green” policy focuses on the workplace as a platform to launch all initiatives, to both engage our people and raise awareness internally and externally. We apply the Four Rs to our daily activities in the areas of:

• Waste management – from classification of rubbish to reduction of usage
• Conservation – from switching off electrical appliances not in use to using energy-saving models
• Supplies – where practical, purchasing environmentally friendly supplies
• Suppliers – requesting major suppliers to advise us of their environmental policies as a means of raising awareness. (In the absence of other compelling factors, we prefer vendors that are environmentally conscious in their business process and activities.)
  

In addition, we:

• focus on green initiatives that will result in savings without compromising output;
• use existing resources such as building management to manage waste; and
• measure results in terms of absolute and relative savings or other quantifiable indicators, track the outcomes over time and review initiatives at least once a year.
  

Hand in hand with practising environmental protection is the need to let the community know that we support and embrace that cause. Once again, since we are not a business exerting an obvious or major direct impact on the environment, we prefer the simpler approach of:

• making known our “green” intentions by partnering with outside experts or like-minded organisations;
• promoting the civic-mindedness of our employees by engaging them in the community’s environmental causes.

• Approach
• Corporate Governance
• People and the Community