CapitaLand Group supports Earth Hour in 20 countries
- Holistic approach to environmental sustainability with ISO 14001 certified system to track energy, water usage and carbon emission intensity
- Adopted LED lighting technology at most of its Singapore properties
- Collected and recycled more than 15,000 light bulbs from CapitaMalls in Singapore last year
Singapore, 26 March 2014 – CapitaLand Limited is pleased to announce that 230 of the Group’s properties worldwide will be participating in World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Earth Hour 2014 on Saturday, 29 March 2014. The Group has reiterated its support for Earth Hour, pledging to go ‘beyond the hour’ with year-long sustainability initiatives. This is the seventh year that the Group is participating in the annual global sustainability movement to show its commitment towards protecting the environment.
This year, CapitaLand Group properties in 20 countries – Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, China, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam – will be playing their part in environmental protection. Participating properties will be turning off their façade lights and non-essential lighting for extended hours throughout the night, beginning 8.30pm (local time) on Saturday, 29 March 2014. Emergency lighting and security systems will function normally to ensure that safety and security are not compromised.
Mr Tan Seng Chai, Chairman, CapitaLand Sustainability Steering Committee and Group Chief Corporate Officer, CapitaLand Limited, said: “CapitaLand was one of the first companies in Singapore to support WWF Earth Hour in 2007 and we are pleased to play our part for the seventh year with year-long sustainability activities. Leveraging our international portfolio of properties across 20 countries, we hope our commitment to WWF Earth Hour will inspire companies to share our focus on protecting the environment.”
He added: “The recent dry spell in Singapore highlights the importance of resource conservation, and reinforces our efforts to future proof our properties and processes. As one of the largest real estate developers in Asia, water and energy usage, waste management, as well as carbon emissions are some of the key data CapitaLand monitors closely as part of our standard operating procedures in Singapore and overseas. This is part of our holistic environmentally sustainable strategy which includes an Environment, Health and Safety Management System, and environmental targets that are linked to key performance indicators. It reiterates the importance of engaging our stakeholders so that we all can play our part, big and small, in preserving our environment for the next generation.”
During the dry spell in Singapore, more than 30 CapitaLand Group properties made special efforts to save water which included the shutting off of external water features and the postponement of non-essential cleaning such as façade and carpark cleaning. A majority of the Group’s Singapore properties with external water features, including Bugis Junction and Clarke Quay, temporarily shut off these features. Regardless of the dry spell, the Group continuously taps innovative technology in its effort to conserve water, with features such as water condensation recovered from AHUs (air-handling units), water recycling and rainwater harvesting at many of its Singapore properties.
Apart from shutting off its non-essential lighting at its properties in support of Earth Hour every year, the Group has adopted LED lighting technology at most of its shopping malls, office buildings and serviced residences in Singapore to reduce its energy usage. Despite higher upfront costs, energy savings from installing LED lighting can range from 30% to 85%. Alongside the adoption of LED lighting, CapitaMalls in Singapore have also extended their recycling activities beyond paper, plastic and metal recyclable waste to include light bulbs for tenants during store renovation, and during CapitaMalls Asia’s asset enhancement initiatives and regular maintenance. In 2013, more than 15,000 light bulbs were collected across 11 CapitaMalls in Singapore, amounting to over 4.5 tonnes of glass and more than 5.5 tonnes of metal for recycling.
In 2012, CapitaLand Group registered cost avoidance in excess of S$35 million for utilities since 2009, and increased operational efficiency (per square metre) since 2008 with reductions in energy and water usage by 11.7% and 16.1% respectively. It has also reduced its carbon emission intensity by 16% since 2008 during the same period.
CapitaLand Group supports Earth Hour 2014
In Singapore, 37 CapitaLand office buildings, residential showflats, Ascott serviced residences and CapitaMalls will be taking part in Earth Hour 2014. CapitaLand Group is also a venue sponsor for the WWF Singapore’s Earth Hour roadshows this year. These venues include JCube, Capital Tower, Raffles City Tower, Six Battery Road, One George Street, Twenty Anson and Wilkie Edge. CapitaCommercial Trust (CCT) is also participating in I Light Marina Bay for the first time this year. Organised by Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore, i Light Marina Bay is Asia’s first and only sustainable light art festival. CCT’s office buildings such as Twenty Anson, One George Street and Wilkie Edge are participating in i Light Marina Bay’s ‘Switch Off, Turn Up’ campaign by switching off their façade and non-essential lights from 7 to 30 March 2014.
In Malaysia, Gurney Plaza and Queensbay Mall in Penang have organised mass cycling events on 22 March and 29 March respectively to promote a greener and healthier lifestyle. CapitaFrog, CapitaLand Group’s green mascot, will also be making special appearances at The Mines in Selangor from 28 March to 30 March to spread the green message among shoppers. Shoppers who submit photos taken with CapitaFrog stand to win CapitaFrog plush toys. For more photo opportunities, shoppers can visit East Coast Mall in Kuantan from 15 to 30 March where they can strike poses in the speciallydecorated Green Hug Photography Corner. In addition, The Mines and East Coast Mall will be holding workshops on selected days to share tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle effectively.
In China, 98 CapitaLand Group properties will be taking part in Earth Hour. Going beyond the hour, Raffles City developments and CapitaMalls across China have lined up a series of activities to rally shoppers to jointly champion the environment cause. For instance, shoppers at Raffles City Chengdu and Raffles City Ningbo will receive reusable eco-friendly shopping bags. On 29 March, CapitaMall Wusheng in Wuhan will set up stationary bicycle stations for shoppers to have an opportunity to light bulbs with electricity generated from cycling. The activity is meant to raise awareness of clean energy and promote cycling as a means of green transportation. Over in Dalian, CapitaMall Peace Plaza is staging an eco-awareness exhibition until 20 April, on top of organising a mask design competition aimed at drawing attention to the hazards of air pollution. Highlighting another form of pollution – light pollution – is a photo exhibition at CapitaMall Crystal, Beijing, held in conjunction with Lomography, which will run until 30 March. At CapitaMall Jinniu in Chengdu, young shoppers will be given pots of plants to help cultivate a respect and love for nature among children growing up in the city.
Ascott China will be organising several green events for its serviced residence guests in 13 cities on 29 March 2014. ‘Trash to Treasure’ activities will be held in 10 properties across Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu and Xi’an where serviced residence guests will tap their creative juices to turn unused items into ‘treasures’. Candlelight dinners and environmental movie screenings will be held in six Ascott properties in Shenzhen, Tianjin and Dalian. In Shanghai, three Ascott properties are inviting serviced residence guests to a cooking lesson where they will prepare vegetarian meals while Ascott Guangzhou is organising a visit to the Southern China Botanical Garden for long stay guests and their families.
CapitaLand China’s township developments in Chengdu, Shenyang and Wuxi will also be participating in Earth Hour for the first time.
Beyond the hour, whole year long
CapitaLand Group marks the fourth anniversary of its ‘Wear Less Day’ and ‘Wear More Day’ initiatives this year. ‘Wear Less Day’, inaugurated in Singapore in 2011 in conjunction with Earth Hour, has become a monthly event at all CapitaLand Group offices in Singapore and Ascott serviced residences worldwide since 2012. Every first Friday of the month, staff play their part in conserving energy by ‘wearing less’ or ‘wearing more’ as air-conditioning and heating in participating CapitaLand properties are adjusted to consume less energy. As part of its ISO 14001 certified Environment Management System, the Group has standard operating procedures to set the indoor air-conditioning temperature at about 24°C daily in public spaces at its shopping malls and office buildings in Singapore to minimise resource usage. The Group has also committed to achieve green building ratings for its properties in Singapore by 2020 and overseas by 2030.
Going beyond the Hour, CapitaLand China will be organising a series of green activities throughout 2014, including "Book Exchange” and “Green Sports” events at CapitaLand Hope Schools and battery recycling activities at the Beau Monde residential development in Guangzhou in May.
CapitaLand Group has been recognised for its sustainability efforts by Corporate Knight’s Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World 2014, RobecoSAM’s Sustainability Yearbook 2014, and the Dow Jones Sustainability World and Asia Pacific Indices 2013/2014.