CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Building a sustainable community for our future generations
OUR CSR APPROACH Sustainability is an integral part of our business planning. We aim to achieve excellent corporate governance, maximise economic and social value to the community, as well as reduce our impact on the environment. Under the guidance of our long-standing mission, Building for Tomorrow, the Group manages its operations by taking investors interests, the overall development of society and the well-being of the environment into consideration. CSR STRUCTURE The Wharf CSR Steering Committee, chaired by the Group's Chairman, formulates the overall CSR strategy of the Group and aligns CSR goals and commitments with business development. WHARF CSR STEERING COMMITTEE CROSS-BUSINESS UNIT CSR GROUP CSR GOVERNANCE BODIES OF EACH BUSINESS UNIT * Duties and responsibilities of each business unit may differ based on corresponding business nature The Group dedicates its resources to five focus areas: Business Development, Business-in-Community, Environment, People, and Products and Services. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT We recognise the importance of a robust governance structure, sound risk management, and internal control systems, as well as high standards of ethics and integrity to the success of our business. Detailed discussion can be found in the Corporate Governance Report on Pages 87 to 102 of the Group s Annual Report 2016. BUSINESS-IN-COMMUNITY We believe that helping the community grow is as important as the success of our business. In addition to the financial support of various community programmes, we encourage our employees to promote our care-for-others spirit by volunteering their time and efforts. Project WeCan Project WeCan ( PWC ) is a Business-in-Community initiative launched by Wharf in 2011. It is a pioneering multifaceted school improvement project that aims at empowering local secondary school students with disadvantaged backgrounds through learning opportunities. In 2016, seven new partners joined this open platform to provide financial and volunteer support, benefiting a total of 43,000 students. 70 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 71
Number of PWC schools, students beneficiary and partners (2011, 2016) 51 Schools 11 Schools 10,000 Students 10,000 Students 2011 2016 11 Companies 1 University 31 Companies 3 Consulates 5 Universities 3 Organisations To enable more students in PWC schools to overcome financial difficulties and pursue their higher education goals, the WeCan Scholarship Scheme, set up in 2015, continues its mission and to date empowered 131 PWC students to study in local universities. A signature event of PWC, the Young Innovators Bazaar 2016 attracted over 1,000 students from 41 schools to participate. With support and advice from schools and corporate volunteers, students were mentored on a wide range of skill sets including leadership, entrepreneurship, project management, communication, collaboration, and sales and marketing. Number of schools and participants in Young Innovators Bazaar 2013-2016 2016 2015 2014 2013 Schools 41 25 14 11 Students Over 1,000 900 200 200 Youth development In 2011, the Architectural Design Internship Programme was established to identify and support exceptional architectural postgraduate scholars. 20 deserving students have been awarded the opportunity to gain exposure to international practices at leading architecture firms worldwide since then. Art and culture The Group believes art and culture brings diverse benefits to our society. Each year the Wharf Hong Kong Secondary School Art Competition receives overwhelming participation from the territory s young artists. Besides cash prizes and book vouchers, the top 18 finalists are entitled to join an enriching overseas arts and culture exchange. They are also eligible to apply for the Wharf Art Scholarship to pursue a fully subsidised bachelor programme on art related disciplines at a tertiary institution of their choice. 72 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 73
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OUR ENVIRONMENT With the extensive reach of our business, the Group is devoted to making a positive impact in the face of climate change. Across our business units, we act responsibly by reducing and managing waste and carbon emissions from our operations. The Group is among the first to disclose its GHG emissions on the Carbon Footprint Repository for Listed Companies in Hong Kong1. Strengthening our resilience and using sustainable resources are intertwined with our business, therefore, we go beyond compliance with legislation and adopt international standards in managing the use of water, energy, as well as protecting the environment. Environmental initiatives are well in place in our business units commensurating with their scale and operations. For instance, upgrading the lighting and air-conditioning system, changing conventional water taps to automatic sensor faucets, organising waste recycling and collection programmes, and raising awareness and fostering behavioural change among employees. More details are on the website of the Environmental Protection Department, HKSAR Government, http://www.carbon-footprint.hk/pdf/cfr00004-15-1.pdf 1 74 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 75
OUR PEOPLE Employees are the most valuable asset for the Group. The Group aims to remain an employer of choice by executing a fair and transparent recruitment process, compensating employees with welfare packages commensurate to their qualifications and experience, and promoting a safe and friendly workplace. Training and development To enhance the competence of our talent, the Group and our business units offer training programmes covering a wide spectrum of topics such as skills enhancement, professional development, occupational health and safety, anticorruption and other relevant legislation. The Wharf Institute of Service Excellence (WISE) provides service training to our frontline staff at shopping malls, including image and grooming, service skills, complaint handling, and telephone manner. Staff engagement and wellbeing We value employees feedback and suggestions regarding our business operations and other specific issues. Engagement channels such as staff newsletters, staff surveys, town hall meetings and the Intranet platform are used to communicate with our employees across the business units. The Management reviews and provides solutions to address concerns. At the group level, the Wharf Staff Recreation Committee regularly organises recreational activities to foster the holistic wellbeing of our employees. 1,100+ VOLUNTEERS 12,000+ VOLUNTEER HOURS 76 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 77
OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES The Group benchmarks against international best practice and complies with relevant laws in guiding its decisions and day-to-day management. The Group observes a high standard of business ethics in our marketing campaigns by providing transparent and fair information to enable customers to make informed decisions. To protect customers personal information, the Group follows a standard procedure in handling customers information. Customers information is only accessible by authorised personnel, and all staff are prohibited from disclosing any customers information to third parties without customers consent. Supplier management The Group and most of our business units work with suppliers who share our CSR values. Vendor management systems are in place to assess the suppliers social, environmental and technical capabilities. Their performance is evaluated against a set of KPIs to ensure alignment with legislation and our requirements. CSR REPORTING In the second half of 2017, the Group will present its third standalone CSR Report in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework. The reporting scope this year covers major Hong Kong operations for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2016 2. The Company aims to extend it to include Mainland China operations in the future. Wharf has been selected as a constituent in the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Benchmark Index since 2011 and was listed on the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index in 2015 and 2016, an index that covers the top 30 leaders in corporate sustainability in Hong Kong. 2 Reporting period for Wharf T&T is from 1 January to 9 November 2016. 78 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 The Wharf (Holdings) Limited Annual Report 2016 79