Swire Properties Rises To No. 2 Position Globally In Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2023

Swire Properties is celebrating its latest, significant sustainability milestone, as the Company advances to the number two position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) - Real Estate Management and Development industry. The Company ranked fourth place globally in the Real Estate Industry of DJSI in 2022.

From over 260 companies from around the world who were assessed in the category, Swire Properties ranked No. 1 globally in the Environmental Dimension score and fifth in the Governance & Economic Dimension score for its exceptional environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) performance.

Swire Properties has been a DJSI World constituent company for seven years in a row and is the only Hong Kong constituent company listed in DJSI World in the Real Estate Management and Development industry.

“We’re extremely proud of our achievements in the DJSI 2023. The No. 2 ranking confirms that all our efforts to integrate sustainability into every facet of our business are making a difference. With this milestone achievement, we are a few steps closer to realising our Sustainable Development (SD) 2030 vision, to become a global sustainability leader in our industry,” said Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties.

“Our sustainability achievements wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of all our colleagues who champion the cause. We are grateful for the close collaboration we enjoy with our tenants, partners and suppliers collectively to improve our ESG performance. Moving forward, we’ll continue to expand our capabilities, to innovate and experiment, and to pioneer new ground in the sustainability space. We are excited to see that sustainability has become a key focus for many organisations and we look forward to working closely with all our stakeholders to create vibrant and sustainable communities.”

Significant SD Achievements

The Company’s sustainability work has produced a host of technological advancements and game-changing initiatives that have set new standards for the industry, and beyond. These include: the 15-year partnership with Tsinghua University to spearhead research on state-of-the-art energy efficiency solutions for buildings; and tenant-engagement programmes such as the Green Performance Pledge and Green Kitchen Initiative that harness the collective power of tenant-landlord collaborations to drive positive ESG impact.

In terms of decarbonisation, Swire Properties has also kicked off an Internal Carbon Pricing (ICP) pilot as a strategic planning tool – linking each unit of carbon emissions to a fixed cost. This effectively incentivises low-carbon operations and decision-making through better accountability of the Company’s carbon emissions, which facilitates the transition to a low-carbon economy. To support its science-based targets, the Company has created a dedicated fund from the ICP mechanism to invest in decarbonisation projects.

Swire Properties is also taking the lead in an emerging area of sustainability – nature and biodiversity; and is a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The Company actively participated in the formulation of the TNFD’s framework and will publish its nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities in its Sustainable Development Report 2023, in line with the TNFD.

Leading Positions – Global & Local SD Indices

Swire Properties’ sustainability achievements continue to be recognised at both the international and local levels this year. Aside from the DJSI, the Company was named Global Sector Leader (Mixed Use Sector) for the seventh consecutive year in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) and retained its Global Development Sector Leader (Mixed Use Sector) title for the fourth year in a row.

Locally, the Company ranked No. 1 for the sixth year in a row in the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index (HSSUS), obtaining the highest score among all assessed Hong Kong-listed companies, and maintained the highest “AAA” rating which was only awarded to two companies in 2023.