New World Department Store China : NWDS Receives Multiple Sustainability Recognitions, Winning the Honorary Title of “Hong Kong Green Organisation” for the First Ti...

24 May 2017

(24 May 2017 - Hong Kong) New World Department Store China Limited ('NWDS' or the 'Company'; Hong Kong stock code: 825), one of the largest owners and operators of department stores in Mainland China, is pleased to announce the Company's first winning of the honorary title of 'Hong Kong Green Organisation' from the Environmental Campaign Committee to recognize its achievements in adopting green operations. The Company also received the 'Bronze Award for Volunteer Service' from the Social Welfare Department for the fourth consecutive year in recognition of the volunteer team of Hong Kong Office for their enthusiastic participation in voluntary work and the care they show to the people in need.

NWDS has been committed to constructing green offices over the years. In addition to the sustainability blueprint such as the 'Sustainability Policy' and the 'Green Office Policy', the Company has also carried out internal carbon audit for two consecutive years. These were put in place to ensure constant monitoring, which could help achieve the Company's carbon reduction targets. In FY2016, the Company realized widely-recognized achievements by lowering its annual average carbon intensity by 7.8% year on year, in which its annual average electricity consumption per square meter and total A4 paper consumption dropped by 5% and 13.8% respectively. To further actualize the Company's environmental directives, the Hong Kong Office implemented various green office practices such as advocating staff to use less paper and switch off unnecessary lights during lunch hour. Thanks to the joint efforts of its staff, the Company received the 'Wastewi$e Certificate' and the 'Energywi$e Certificate' from the Environmental Campaign Committee in 2015 and 2016 respectively. These honors are a testimony to the excellent performance of the Company in green operations, which also led to its first winning of the honorary title of the 'Hong Kong Green Organisation'.

On top of encouraging its staff to act green, the Company also proactively mobilizes them to take part in community work to cultivate good corporate citizenship. The Company set up its first nation-wide NWDS Volunteer Team in 2013 to organize various charitable and voluntary activities for the under-resourced. Last year, the team organized 344 voluntary activities in total. Amongst them, the volunteer team of Hong Kong Office collaborated with non-profit organizations such as the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, etc. in an array of voluntary activities. Visits to Hello Kitty Go Green Organic Farm, Noah's Ark Hong Kong and bread-making workshops, etc. were held to care and nurture under-resourced children and to unleash their potentials. The volunteer team of Hong Kong Office contributed a total of 310 volunteer service hours, which earned it the 'Bronze Award for Volunteer Service' from the Social Welfare Department for the fourth consecutive year.

'Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification' is led by the Environmental Campaign Committee alongside the Environmental Protection Department and in conjunction with nine organizations. It aims to benchmark organizations with substantial achievements in green management, to encourage and recognize organizations in adopting sustainability measures in the five criteria of environmental protection including waste reduction, energy conservation, carbon reduction, improvement of indoor air quality and promoting products to adopt environmental practices. The 'Certificate for Volunteer Service', on the other hand, was initiated by the Social Welfare Department in 1998. Based on the total number of volunteer service hours contributed during the year, the certificate is presented to individuals or groups every year to encourage their community efforts.

Ms. Violet Chan, Deputy General Manager of Corporate Communication and Investor Relations and Chairman of Sustainability Steering Committee of NWDS, said, 'NWDS has been proactively integrating a philosophy of sustainability into its corporate culture and business operations. Environmental protection and caring for the community are both the most important aspects in our sustainability efforts. Going forward, we will formulate guidelines on green procurement and food waste recycling so that stores and offices across the country can put these into action more effectively and improve the Company's green performance. Concurrently, as a customer-facing department store operator, we hope to organize more community activities to better engage with the local communities as well as integrating green elements into our voluntary activities. These initiatives are set for the sustainable development of the Company and the community as a whole.'

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