Milestones and Achievements
Milestones and Achievements

We have accomplished a number of achievements on sustainable development and associated initiatives.

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Listing of all history and milestones sorted by years

  • 1995

    Hong Kong
    1. Founding member of the HK-BEAM Society
      We are a founding member of the HK-BEAM Society which set up the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM). All of our wholly-owned Grade-A office buildings have achieved the highest rating of BEAM, with One Island East having attained the highest platinum BEAM standard.

  • 1998

    Hong Kong
    1. First developer in Hong Kong to employ an Environmental Affairs Manager
      We believe we are the first property developer in Hong Kong to employ an Environmental Affairs Manager to ensure that environmental considerations become an integral part of our decision-making process, management and culture.

      We are also one of the very few companies investing resources in an in-house team, the Technical Services Department, to research, analyse and make recommendations to enhance our environmental performance and to ensure sustainable practices.

  • 2002

    Hong Kong
    1. Launched the Environmental, Health and Safety Database
      As part of a Swire Pacific initiative, we established a group-wide Environmental, Health and Safety database portal for storing and processing key environmental performance indicators. We actively coordinate and administer this comprehensive database.

  • 2003

    Hong Kong
    1. Launched our first Environmental, Health and Safety Report
      Our Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) report is an effective channel to annually update our stakeholders on the environmental and safety performance of our assets, operations and business activities, as well as identify future challenges and articulate our goals for the future.
    2. Launched the Safety Management System
      In 2003, we launched a Safety Management System (SMS) for our offices and managed properties (including commercial and residential premises). Our SMS Steering Committee oversees safety plans, sets safety targets, evaluates contractors’ safety performance and promotes systematic reporting. Our SMS Steering Committee also manages contingency plans to deal with emergencies and health hazards that may impact our property portfolio and/or the people in the premises, including pandemics.

  • 2004

    Hong Kong
    1. Issued Employee Safety Handbook
      In 2004, we issued a pocket-sized employee safety handbook to all our technicians and security supervisors to help them manage and monitor safety hazards. The handbook covers important safety information, such as safety rules, government regulations and our in-house guidelines on electrical safety, protective gear and working with powered tools.

  • 2007

    Hong Kong
    1. ‘Best in Class’ benchmarking exercise
      We started a 'Best in Class' exercise with leading property development and management companies in Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK to benchmark and share the best practices adopted by industry leaders. In the exercise, we were identified as an industry leader in improving building operations and efficiency through knowledge-based energy management, and using building management system and operational data to detect and analyse faults. The exercise highlighted that we could benefit from applying a lifecycle analysis of energy initiatives in our premises. In 2009, the exercise expanded to 20 leading property development and management companies in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, the US and Australia.
    2. Green roof project at Festival Walk
      We pioneered a green roof project at Festival Walk to reduce electricity consumption, as well as provide aesthetic benefits and reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect. The project can save up to about 60 kWh/sqm of energy per year, which equates to a reduction in CO2e emission of about 9,000 kg per year.

  • 2008

    Hong Kong
    1. Energy Efficiency Research Fund with Tsinghua University
      We established our first energy efficiency research fund of HK$1 million per annum over three years with Tsinghua University. The fund supports extensive onsite energy consumption monitoring, analysis and research on our commercial buildings. The goal of the research is to develop a thorough understanding of commercial building energy consumption patterns and saving techniques so that codes of practice, energy saving standards and operational guidelines can be developed for property management professionals. The research, conducted at Festival Walk from 2007 to 2009, resulted in a total reduction of 9 million kWh of electricity and 6,300 tonnes of CO2e.
    2. Free energy audits for office tenants
      We are the first property developer to offer a free energy audit service to our office tenants, who consume for the majority of energy used in our office buildings. By helping our tenants understand their energy consumption patterns and identify energy saving opportunities, we are able to play a key role in influencing outcomes that benefit the environment.
    3. Green Hong Kong • Carbon Audit
      We signed up to the Green Hong Kong – Carbon Audit and Carbon Reduction Charter, an initiative of the Hong Kong Government Environmental Protection Department. Through this programme, we report our greenhouse gas emissions and share our reduction initiatives with other businesses, universities, green groups and professional bodies, which enhances the transparency and accountability of our carbon footprint.

  • 2009

    Hong Kong
    1. BEAM Interior Standard
      Our corporate office at One Island East in Hong Kong piloted the BEAM Interior Standard. The office received the Interior Platinum rating, the highest rating of the scheme, for our use of recycled materials and installation of fixtures for improved water management and energy efficiency.
    2. Intelligent Building Control Research Fund with Hunan University
      We underwrote our second energy efficiency fund with Hunan University to conduct new research into intelligent building controls that optimise building energy efficiency and thermal comfort levels. With capital of HK$3 million over three years, the project aims to unlock the capability of existing automated Building Management Systems by developing tools that enhance the building’s control systems.

  • 2010

    Hong Kong
    1. Building the Second Energy Efficiency Research Fund with Tsinghua University
      We underwrote our third energy efficiency fund, and also our second with Tsinghua University to conduct research into integrated design and whole process management of high efficiency buildings. Providing HK$2.5 million per annum over three years starting from 2010, the fund marks our ongoing commitment to developing and trialing cutting-edge energy efficient technologies and process.

  • 2011

    Hong Kong
    1. Won Safety Leadership Award
      The Company came 2nd runner-up under the ‘Client-Developer Category’ in the Safety Leadership Awards 2011. The Awards are jointly organised by the Lighthouse Club and the Construction Industry Council.
    2. Launch of new “living report”
      We launched a new “living report” format for our annual Sustainable Development Report on our corporate website. This interactive web version will be updated periodically as new information becomes available.
    3. Won Best Green ICT Certificate of Merit Award
      The Company won the Best Green ICT Certificate of Merit Award for its original Paperless Front Desk System in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2011. The system has helped improve the efficiency of Swire Hotels’ front-desk operations without using paper.
    4. Won Sustainable Hotel Award
      The Upper House was selected as the winner for the 2011 Sustainable Hotel Awards under the category of ‘Sustainable Project Design by HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific)’.
    5. Won Hong Kong Volunteer Award (Corporate Award)
      We received the Fourth Hong Kong Volunteer Award (Corporate Award), presented by the Agency for Volunteer Service in recognition of our commitment and efforts to support corporate volunteer work.
    6. Establishment of a Joint Research Centre for Building Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
      The Company established a Joint Research Centre for Building Energy Efficiency and Sustainability with the Building Energy Research Centre of Tsinghua University. Swire Properties will offer US$1 million per annum in funding for an initial three years for further research into building energy efficiency and for promoting sustainable development in the property industry.