Sands China Ltd. has continued to progress on its sustainability commitments leading to garnering renowned accolades.
In 2021, Sands China made significant strides in achieving measurable advances in categories like its employee development program, corporate citizenship and philanthropy, and supply chain management.
Through such dedicated efforts, the company was recently recognised by the S&P Dow Jones Indices by qualifying as a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index, making it the only integrated resort company included in the DJSI Asia Pacific.
The prestigious index recognises the world’s leading companies for their performance in environmental and social issues, as well as practices for responsible governance.
Sands China’s inclusion in the index is a testament to its industry-leading performance in environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts. In the world Consumer Services space, Sands China was one of only three companies named in the Asia Pacific index.
“Environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility are core values of our company,” said Sands China Ltd. President Dr. Wilfred Wong.
“We are therefore very pleased to be recognised by Dow Jones in the DJSI Asia Pacific. Our gratitude and congratulations go to our hard-working and dedicated team members for their daily efforts to put our corporate values into practice, making our properties exemplary in our industry.”
Sands China executes the People, Planet and Communities corporate social responsibility platform of parent company Las Vegas Sands through a variety of initiatives that include programmes such as the Sands ECO360 global sustainability programme; the Sands Cares corporate giving and community engagement programme; and the Sands China Academy, a team member professional development programme.
Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research, S&P Global, said: “We congratulate Sands China Ltd. for being included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for Asia Pacific. A DJSI distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability leader in your industry. The record number of companies participating in the 2021 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment is testament to the growing movement for ESG disclosure and transparency.”
Sands China’s strong track record in sustainable business performance through the economic value and social impact it has delivered is part of its commitment to serve the Macau community and contribute to making it a better place to live and work.
Leading the way with solar thermal-heat pump hybrid energy plant
Sands China has always sought to align its operational strategy with global frameworks and to focus on the topics where it can have the greatest positive impact.
Therefore, as it commits to providing the highest standards of professional conduct, Sands China is now operating the first solar thermal-heat pump hybrid energy plant in Macau’s hospitality and integrated resort industry at The Londoner Macao.
The energy-efficient plant generates both heating and cooling for 2,000 hotel rooms of the Sky Tower at Sheraton Grand Macao, eliminating the need for a natural gas boiler. It is also the industry’s largest such energy plant in Southeast Asia.
Sands China’s move to further adopt renewable energy into its resort operations aligns with the company’s Sands ECO360 global sustainability strategy. This, along with other continuous eco-conscious efforts, helps the company take advantage of opportunities to reduce its environmental footprint, further improve energy efficiency and create a positive impact in the local community.
“We are very excited about embracing renewable energy in our business operations wherever possible to mitigate impact from fossil fuel energy sources, and this aligns with our commitment to environmental leadership in the market and to building a sustainable future,” Dr. Wong said.
Community outreach activities
Sands China considers initiatives like its new Sands Cares Family Health and Wellness Series as central to its commitment toward social causes and community involvement.
This year, the leading integrated resort developer launched the Family Health and Wellness Series: The Londoner Discovery Journey, which aims to strengthen family bonding and parent-child communication, and to promote family health. Community outreach activities like this are part of Sands China’s commitment to the local Macau community and to the promotion of social integration.
During The Londoner Discovery Journey, participants were invited to visit some of The Londoner Macao’s Instagram-worthy locations, such as the Tea Cups, Londoner Guards and Londoner Taxi. They completed fun missions throughout the journey in order to win the prize of one night of accommodation at The Londoner Macao, and enjoyed afternoon refreshments and entertainment at Portuguese restaurant Chiado.
Providing unique career development opportunities
As Macau’s leading integrated resort developer, Sands China supports Macau’s transformation into a world centre of tourism and leisure, and considers the cultivation of local talent to be an important component of that process.
The company values local university students and graduates as representing the future of the city.
Through the Integrated Resort Career Exhibition Exclusively for University Students at The Venetian Macao’s Adelson Advanced Education Centre, the company offers university students and graduates a platform to learn more about the abundance of career options available in the integrated resort industry and to provide them with opportunities to accrue valuable work experience, paving the way for their future careers.
Enhanced disaster and pandemic prevention efforts
Sands China Ltd. is strengthening its disaster and pandemic prevention programme in collaboration with Macau Red Cross in light of the particularly severe typhoons that have hit Macau in recent years and the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic.
The company initiative consists of packing and distributing sanitisation and emergency typhoon response kits and offering a free community seminar on typhoon preparedness and epidemic prevention.
Sands China sees it as its responsibility as a company and member of this community to help those who may need extra assistance and attention.
As Dr. Wong has said, Sands China is exerting tremendous effort supporting the community’s needs in the fight against the pandemic.
