YING LI INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE LIMITED

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

57

SUSTAINABILITY

REPORT

ABOUT THIS REPORT

Board Statement

The Board of Directors ("Board") recognises and values the importance of the sustainable performance of Ying Li International Real Estate Limited ("Ying Li" or the "Company" and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") and oversight of all environmental, social and governance ("ESG") matters, including without limitation to this Ying Li Sustainability Report 2022 ("SR" or the "Report"), various policies against ESG, stakeholder engagement and climate change. In order to ensure the material impacts of Ying Li are covered, the Board has the responsibility to regularly review, monitor and evaluate material ESG issues.

Reporting Scope

Ying Li publishes sustainability reports on an annual basis and they are included in Ying Li's Annual Reports ("AR").

The scope of this Report is to summarise Ying Li's sustainability performance between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 (the "Reporting Period") unless otherwise indicated. It includes the operations and activities in Singapore headquarters and Chongqing offices, as well as investment properties and sales properties1 that are under the Group's direct operational control.

Reporting Standards and Principles

This Report has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative ("GRI") Standards, the Listing Manual of Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited ("SGX-ST") (Rules 711A, 711B and Practice Note 7.6 Sustainability Reporting Guide), and Rule 13.91 and Appendix 27 Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting Guide of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited ("SEHK")2.

GRI is widely accepted as a global standard for sustainability reporting. During the preparation for this SR, we applied GRI's principles for defining report content and report quality by considering the Group's activities, impacts and substantive expectations and interests of its stakeholders.

The seven principles listed below have been observed in this Report:

Stakeholder

We consider the interests of a wide range of stakeholders, mainly shareholders, investors, employees,

Inclusiveness

customers, builders and suppliers, and regulatory authorities.

Materiality

We identify the environmental, social, and governance-related topics that are most material to us and our

stakeholders, through a materiality assessment and is reliably reflected in this SR.

Sustainability

Apart from material environmental, social, and governance-related factors, we also consider potential

Context

contribution to fight climate change.

Completeness

We incorporated material topics, topic boundaries, significant impacts and stakeholder feedbacks into

this SR while adhering to the six other reporting principles to enhance its completeness.

Quantitative

We commit to quantifying the data accurately with clarification as far as practicable.

Balance

We present the positive and negative aspects of our business in a transparent manner.

Consistency

We adhere to the same reporting approach as the previous year to ensure clarity and comparability for

our readers.

Restatement

Water consumption intensity was re-stated due to the alignment of reporting boundary to exclude activities of tenants and sold properties' occupants in the Report.

  1. Including portions of Ying Li International Financial Centre (IFC)/Ying Li IMIX Park Jiefangbei (IMIX Park JFB), Ying Li International Plaza/Ying Li IMIX Park Daping (IMIX Park Daping), Ying Li International Hardware and Electrical Centre (IEC), San Ya Wan Phase 2 (Lion City Garden). For the avoidance of doubt, all ESG data related to the activities of tenants and sold properties' occupants are not included in the Report.
  2. As Ying Li is a subsidiary company of China Everbright Limited (CEL, 0165.HK), this Report also follows SEHK's rules in providing supplementary ESG information to help fulfil CEL's ESG disclosure obligations.

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Accessibility and Feedback

We warmly welcome your feedback on the Report and our sustainability-related approaches. Please share them with us through email to ir@yingligj.com.

Our AR and SR are accessible through our corporate website: https://www.yingligj.com/ar.

OUR APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY

Stakeholder Engagement

Ying Li truly understands that feedback from stakeholder is very valuable to its business development as well as sustainability performance. Therefore, we have set up numerous engagement channels to allow regular communication with stakeholders to have a better understanding of their expectations regarding the impacts on the economy, environment and society, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of our sustainability priorities and measures.

The table below shows how our approach and rationale is set out against different stakeholders and the feedbacks we have received from them.

STAKEHOLDERS

HOW WE LISTEN

WHY WE DO IT

WHAT YOU'VE TOLD US

Builders and

Daily project meetings

Ensure construction/maintenance/

• Ability to meet the Group's

suppliers

Periodic evaluations on

renovation projects are completed

quality standards

supplier performance

on time, with quality, and at a

• Ability to meet the Group's

reasonable cost

delivery timelines

Customers

Road shows

Safeguard

investment

value of

Optimising customer service

Feedbacks

customers

• Increase in investment value of

Company website

Ensure customer satisfaction is

properties

upheld

Emergency preparedness

Ensure service standards

Employees

Internal updates and

Improve

employee

capabilities

Health and safety

communication

through

internal

and

external

Career progression

Events and functions

trainings

Benefits and rewards

Improve employee well-being

• External and internal courses

through

managing

health

and

safety

Regulatory

Regular updates and

Adhere

to

environmental

Compliance with relevant laws

authorities

communication

regulations

for

building

and regulations

(Governments, SGX,

Reports and compliance

construction

MOM, IRAS)

Periodical meetings with

Good

relationship

between

government bodies

continuous

sponsors

and

the

Group

  • Dialogue with SGX
  • Active participation in SGX events to increase visibility and transparency

Shareholders and

SGX announcements

• Committed

to

delivering

Long-term profitability

investors

Shareholder meetings

economic value to our capital

Sustainability matters

Annual reports

providers

through

a strong

Group performance

against

Company's website

financial performance

and our

targets

Regular updates and

diverse methods of engagement

• Compliance with all

relevant

communication

requirements

YING LI INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE LIMITED

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

59

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Materiality and Targets

According to our annual review and current stakeholder engagement, our principal business and operational risks did not encounter significant changes during the Reporting Period. As a result, our materiality aspects have remained the same as previous years and we have continued to direct our sustainability strategy as shown in the matrix below.

The aspect boundaries "within" the organisation are limited to Ying Li and its subsidiaries, whereas the aspect boundaries "outside" the organisation include builders and suppliers, customers, regulatory authorities, shareholders and investors.

HIGH

Sustainable growth

Green construction

Energy saving design

Managing our carbon footprint

Energy efficiency

Water conservation

MEDIUM

Performance appraisal

Skills competency and employee training

Employee diversity and inclusion

Encouraging work life balance

Managing building contractors

LOW

stakeholders

Emergency

preparedness

Responsible supply

to

chain

Importance

Relevance to Ying Li

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We have set up long-term goals for Ying Li below, according to the thirteen material aspects listed in the matrix above. Relevant ESG performance data are available in Appendix A: Sustainability Scorecard.

ESG

MATERIAL

RELEVANT GRI

FACTORS

TOPIC

MATERIAL TOPIC

TARGET

VALUE CREATED

Sustainable

Yes

GRI 302: Energy 2016

To create long-term sustainable

Clear

governance

structure

growth

GRI 303: Water

growth in economic, environmental

is set out to incorporate ESG

and Effluents 2018

and social aspects.

considerations into the formulation

GRI 305: Emissions 2016

and implementation of our business

GRI 306: Waste 2020

strategies.

Green

Yes

GRI 302: Energy 2016

To

enforce

green

construction

Minimised

environmental

construction

materials,

installations

and

implications by seeking Leadership

practices in our projects.

in

Energy

and

Environmental

Design ("LEED")

certification

for

our portfolio as far as practicable.

Energy saving

Yes

GRI 302: Energy 2016

To prioritise energy saving designs

Maximised energy saving as early

design

in our projects.

since the design stage by seeking

LEED certification for our portfolio

as far as practicable.

Emergency

No

/

To

conduct

more

employee

With

the

emergency

response

preparedness

trainings

to

enhance

their

procedures

set

out as

part

of

preparedness and response in case

our safety management, we will

of various emergencies.

consider

providing

emergency

preparedness-specific trainings.

Managing

No

/

To

ensure environmentally

and

Established strict guidelines as part

building

socially

responsible

actions

are

of our subcontractor management

contractors

taken by building contractors.

to ensure the quality of their

products and services.

Responsible

No

/

To

prioritise

environmentally

and

Established strict guidelines as part

supply chain

socially responsible suppliers.

of our subcontractor management

to ensure the quality of their

products and services.

Managing our

Yes

GRI 305: Emissions 2016

To provide the tools to better

Keeping account of our Scope 1 to

carbon

monitor and evaluate our carbon

3 emissions to better monitor our

footprint

footprint in order to minimise our

impacts on the environment and

carbon emissions.

society.

Energy

Yes

GRI 302: Energy 2016

To adopt energy saving installations

Installed

energy

efficient

lighting

efficiency

and enforce energy saving policies

installations

to

reduce

energy

within the offices, malls and

consumption.

development projects.

Water

Yes

GRI 303: Water and

To adopt water saving installations

Installed

water

efficient

fittings

conservation

effluents 2018

and enforce water saving policies

and water meters, and raised

within the offices, malls and

awareness among stakeholders to

development projects.

conserve water.

Skills

Yes

GRI 404: Training and

To provide a wider range of training

Procedures

in place

for setting

competency

Education 2016

types to

enhance

employee

up

internal

trainings,

subsidies

and employee

competency.

available for external trainings.

training

Performance

Yes

GRI 404: Training and

To

ensure

that

employees'

Appraisals are conducted annually

appraisal

Education 2016

performance

is

monitored,

for each employee.

reviewed

and

evaluated

without

prejudice or discrimination.

Employee

Yes

GRI 405: Diversity and

To build a diverse and inclusive

As stipulated in the Staff Handbook,

diversity and

Equal Opportunity 2016

office

environment

for

our

recruitment,

remuneration,

inclusion

employees.

promotion,

and

benefits

are

not

discriminated in any way.

Encouraging

Yes

GRI 401:

To optimise schedules to prevent

Periodic gatherings, competitions

work-life

Employment 2016

overtime

work and

introduce

or activities are organised to

balance

physical activities to promote well-

advocate

physical

and

mental

being.

well-being.

YING LI INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE LIMITED

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Supply Chain Management

Procurement and supply chain management are an integral part of Ying Li's business operations. We strive to incorporate our sustainable practices into our supply chain in an effort to build and maintain a sustainable connection with our stakeholders. Our requirements and expectations of our suppliers are laid forth in our Supplier Management Policy (供方管理制度) and the Bidding and Procurement Management Policy (公司招标采购管理制度). The products and services provided by our suppliers are mainly related to office supplies, property maintenance and retrofitting projects.

We have maintained good relationships with our suppliers and subcontractors, continuously improved the bidding and procurement management system with environment and social considerations, and further strengthened strategic cooperation with outstanding partners for the sake of shared development under a strict supplier evaluation system, increasing the overall capacity of the supply chain.

Number of Suppliers by Geographical Region

China: 161

Singapore: 24

Ying Li selects suppliers who will best meet its requirements and deliver value at an acceptable level of risk. We consider our suppliers as valued business partners and have built a variety of efficient communication channels with them in order to achieve shared goals for long-term sustainable development. We collaborate extensively with our suppliers to understand their sustainability policies, initiatives and monitoring systems, whist assisting them in complying to our standards. This collaboration can increase Ying Li's ability to negotiate and manage risk and supplier relationships, which can result in tangible commercial benefits for each business. Through year-round operational, business and executive reviews, Ying Li regularly enhances its Supplier Management Policy and the Bidding and Procurement Management Policy for strategic suppliers to consistently measures supplier's performance and drive improvements and alignments. At the same time, suppliers' feedback will also be taken into consideration as this provides a candid two-way communication and continuous improvements to Ying Li in the long- run. We believe that a reliable supply chain that meets our sustainability requirements would undoubtedly contribute to the seamless running of our business.

The intellectual property rights ("IPR") of Ying Li is fundamental to our business. We pledge to protect our IPR including trademarks, copyrights, designs and patents by proper registration, as well as to ensure our suppliers will recognise and respect the Group's IPR. Similarly, we have confidential measures in place to safeguard customer's data and privacy.

OUR GOVERNANCE

An effective and robust corporate governance structure is crucial to our business success. It promotes and safeguards the interests of shareholders and attract other new stakeholders. Ying Li is committed to sustain a rigorous framework of corporate governance that can uphold the Group's credibility and reputation.

Our commitment to sustainability begins at the top. Based on our Organisation Structure and Employee Responsibilities Policy (组 织架构及岗位职责汇编), the Board actively promotes the success of the Group by directing and overseeing the Group's sustainability strategies to ensure they act in the best interests of the Company and its stakeholders. Besides, the Board is also responsible for reviewing and monitoring corporate policies and strategies.

LEADERSHIP

ORGANISERS

EXECUTIVES

The Board and CEO formulate related

Corporate Social Responsibility

Assigned staff at the subsidiaries are

strategies and guidelines.

("CSR") Coordinator helps organise

responsible for the organisation and

and coordinate the CSR efforts of all

implementation of CSR initiatives.

departments and subsidiaries.

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Sustainability Strategy

Sustainability has been the core of Ying Li's business and will continue to be integrated into the Group's decision making. Our sustainability strategy aims to manage our business in an ethically, socially and environmentally responsible manner, while creating shared value for our stakeholders. The Board conducts regular board meetings to review and enhance the alignment of our ESG matters with market trends, international standards and relevant laws and regulations.

We have committed to the following focused areas to fulfil our sustainability vison and improve our sustainable performance for the future.

Green

Operational

Environmental

Employee

Development

Safety

Sustainability

Motivation

The sustainability strategy is underpinned by our comprehensive internal policies on the following:

  • Safety Management Policy (安全技术管理政策), which covers aspects on safety culture, safety training and development, rewards and penalties, safety inspections, incidence reporting, and emergency response procedures in the event of safety incidents.
  • Subcontractor Management Policy (分包单位管理政策), which covers aspects on subcontractor listing, subcontractor jobs and responsibilities, quality of goods and services delivered, and subcontractor evaluations.
  • Human Resources Management Policy (人事管理政策), which covers aspects on Staff Handbook, department-specific performance evaluations, rewards and penalties.

YING LI INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE LIMITED

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Overview

Ying Li has a strong reputation for innovative design with green and eco-friendly development. We strive to embed green practices into our property development using our integrated business model and operations, from design and construction to operation and management. According to our Design Management System (设计管理制度), Construction Application Management System (开发 报建管理制度) and Engineering Management System (工程管理制度), these show our commitment to ensure our developments and properties are aligned or possibly exceed the regulatory requirements and minimise the impacts on the environment and natural resources as well as being one of the industry good practices on climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

To illustrate our commitment on addressing climate change, we have taken collaborative steps to decarbonise. For example, we actively communicate and cooperate with our tenants to collect feedbacks and their water and electrical consumption data to analyse the necessity to implement any policies or equipment in reaching our climate targets. Posters and guidance signs are posted in all common areas, including lift lobbies and car parks. We also provide technical advice to tenants, if required, to ensure high energy efficiency with our properties.

In 2022, the Group have cooperated with State Power Investment Corporation Chongqing Electric Power Co., Limited (国家电投重 庆电力有限公司) to enhance the central air-conditioning system in Ying Li IMIX Park through the establishment of the SmartEco System. The SmartEco System included a self-monitoring function that allow data and information can be shared more efficiently and accurately. Besides, the SmartEco System can also improve the operating life and reduce the maintenance cost of the air- conditioning system by 20-40% and 10-50% respectively. We have also predicted that 2,221 MWh of electricity consumption can be reduced annually in Ying Li IMIX Park with the help of SmartEco System.

Climate Change

In recent years, climate change has become one of the world's most significant and challenging issues. Reducing and controlling carbon emission have become an inevitable responsibility for all enterprises. Ying Li proactively develops and discloses our climate resilience strategy with reference to the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure ("TCFD") to provide our stakeholders with consistent and comparable information on our climate-related risks and opportunities.

In order to pursue strategies that able to maintain the Group's resilience to climate change, we have conducted a climate change risk assessment with reference to the TCFD recommendations by analysing the potential impacts on different business sector and develop solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

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Below is a summary of the prioritised climate related risks and potential impacts:

TYPE OF RISKS

RISKS

POSSIBLE IMPACTS

Policy and legal

Tightened requirements and regulations on building

Increased capital expenditures in construction and

energy efficiency and green building standards

operations.

Increased risk of non-compliance with stricter

standards and reduced revenue.

Implementation of carbon pricing

Increased capital expenditures in construction

materials, fuel, electricity and waste management.

Stricter requirements and framework on disclosure

Increased capital expenditures to adopt the

of climate resilience strategy

framework and requirement for disclosing climate

risk and strategy.

Necessity to further implement sustainable and

green facilities and strengthen data management.

Risks

Potential

increase

in demand

of

building

modifications and resources for climate resilience

Transition

that may lead to cost implications.

certifications

competitiveness in the industry.

Stricter requirements on our sustainable and

Increased

capital

expenditures

in

improving

green properties in achieving more green building

our sustainability strategy and maintain

Market

Increased expectation from stakeholders

Increase capital expenditures in providing a

detailed climate resilience strategy to gain

confidence from stakeholders, where further

measures and commitment are required.

Potential negative impacts on share price if the

efforts paid in climate risk disclosure could not

meet investors' expectations.

Technology

Stricter technical requirements for construction

Increased capital expenditures in construction

of new energy development are in place due to an

and operations for the procurement of new

increase in demand in renewable energy

technologies.

• Decreased profitability due to an increased cost of

sustainable materials.

Acute

Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather

Decreased revenue due to extreme weather events

events such as typhoons and rainstorms

that would delay construction progress.

Increased capital expenditures for the

implementation of climate mitigation and

Risks

adaptation measures.

• Supply chain disruption occurs more often, leading

Physical

to shortage of key supplies and escalated cost.

Chronic

Increased in average temperature and frequency of

Increased capital expenditures for the

extreme hot days

implementation of mitigation measures required.

• Supply chain disruption occurs more often, leading

to shortage of key supplies and escalated cost.

• As the frequency of power outage increases, the

government implemented restrictions on energy

usage which affect our daily operation.

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GREENHOUSEGAS("GHG")EMISSIONS WATER RESOURCES

As greenhouse gas emissions is the main source that led to global warming and climate change, we are committed to minimise our carbon footprint by lowering GHG emissions in order to support China and Singapore in achieving carbon neutrality.

Our GHG emissions data is calculated and presented generally in line with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standards issued by the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in order to represent a fair account of GHG emissions and allow aggregation, comparability and trend analysis with historical data.

The Group's major sources of GHG emissions are divided into two categories. Fuel consumption and fugitive emissions are categorised as direct GHG emissions (Scope 1); whilst electricity consumption, water and paper consumption, and air travel by employees for business trips are categorised as indirect GHG emissions (Scope 2 and Scope 3).

According to the Design Management System (设计管理制度) and Construction Application Management System (开发报建管 理制度), Ying Li strives to show its support and commitments by developing long term strategies and policies to actively reduce its GHG emissions.

Water is an elementary natural resource and having access to safe and clean water is a basic requirement for human being. As water is becoming increasingly scarce globally, we are committed to conserving and consuming water wisely and responsibly during our operation.

In Chongqing of the PRC, all of the water consumed by our operations including freshwater, cooling, toilet flushing and landscaping are supplied by Chongqing Water Supply Limited Company (重庆自来水有限公司), Chongqing Zhongfa Water Supply Ltd. (重庆中法供水有限公司) and Chongqing Jiangjin Tap Water Company (重庆市江津区自来水公司).

Ying Li has implemented a series of water management strategies under Construction Application Management System (开发报建管理制度) and Engineering Management System (工 程管理制度) to actively reduce water consumption and increase water efficiency. At our managed properties and offices, water-efficient fittings and water meters have been installed to allow regular monitoring and ensure all usage are tracked and reported. In case of any unusual variation or incidents, we can ensure the equipment can be fixed immediately to avoid unnecessary water consumption. Besides, water-conservation guidelines and slogans are posted in common area, including toilets to increase the awareness among employees, tenants, customers, and communities.

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ENERGY USAGE

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Group regards energy-saving transformation as an important part of its management system as energy consumption has been one of our major operating expenses. Therefore, we aim to beef up our efforts in energy conservation and strive to embed the concepts of sustainability into the design and construction stages.

Ying Li has adopted energy-saving measures in different operations to improve the energy efficiency. We have implemented high energy efficient designs into our building design plans, including using appropriate insulation and ventilation with exhaust heat recycling systems and recycled water systems for air conditioning which maximise the use of efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). Furthermore, smart lighting and efficient LED luminaires are being used throughout our properties to reduce unnecessary lighting and improve energy efficiency with remote control function. We also share updates and provide advice through various communication channels to encourage our tenants to reduce consumption and allow them to understand energy efficient measures in the property and provide technical energy- saving advice if needed. Besides, the Group has continuously cooperated with other specialists to improve the electricity system in our properties to improve energy efficiency.

We are committed to develop sustainable and green properties which not only benefit our tenants, but also the environment. As of 31 December 2022, 22% of our investment properties have been awarded with Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification. Nevertheless, we will continue to improve our sustainability strategy to pursue green building certifications and contribute to raise the industry standards to build a better environment for the future.

The Group is committed to the goal of minimising waste generation and maximising diversion from landfills. As a real estate developer and manager, our main sources of waste are generated from construction and tenant activities. Therefore, we are constantly consolidating ideas and solutions to improve our waste management practice and adhere to the local regulations on waste segregation, collection, and disposal.

As tenant activities are one of the main sources of waste in our managed properties, we have various initiatives to encourage them to reduce, reuse and recycle waste. For example, we provide recycling bins in properties which increase convenience and accessibility for the tenants.

Paper waste constitutes the largest portion of office waste in our operation. We extend the mindset of responsible procurement through our operations, for instance, all the office paper purchased are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. We also encourage our staff to consider environmentally friendly options when purchasing other office supplies. Besides, our office has introduced the use of online servers where all office documents and information can be accessed via laptop and electronic devices. However, in case printing is needed, our offices have posted up advertisements to encourage our staff to use black and white printing, double-sided printing as well as recycled paper for internal documents printing wherever possible.

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Ying Li International Real Estate Ltd. published this content on 06 March 2024 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 06 March 2024 05:44:05 UTC.