Sustainability is central to Sino Group’s vision of Creating Better Lifescapes and integral to the Group’s business and operations — from architectural planning and green property management to exploring innovative solutions to build a healthier and more sustainable community.
Sino Group seeks to make sustainability a driver of its business. It unveiled the Green Upcycled Room at Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel in 2018, the first green-themed room in Hong Kong, heralding the Green Journey Programme. Joining hands with various partners and artists, the Group seeks to demonstrate the boundless possibilities of upcycling through the green-themed room, replete with handmade upcycled furniture and art pieces. Hotel guests are also invited to join a host of activities at the hotel to experience green living and urban farming.
In 2020, the Group unveiled the Sustainability Vision 2030, the blueprint charting the sustainability course towards 2030 and beyond. It entails the Group’s vision in crucial areas such as decarbonisation, renewable energy, plastic reduction, green building and innovative solutions, all these contribute to a more sustainable future. In its most recent effort, the Group unveiled its Decarbonisation Blueprint, a holistic roadmap to achieve net zero carbon by 2050, through work in three key areas: Development, Operations and Collaborations.
Taking a further step, the Group adopts a circular economy approach to reduce carbon footprint and municipal waste.
Circular economy helps to mitigate environmental impacts while creating new opportunities through driving greater resource productivity and promoting sustainable production and consumption. Ecobricks, unveiled by Sino Group and local start-up EcoBricks Limited in June 2022, is a shining example. It is a breakthrough solution to upcycle all the seven types of plastic, including mixed and composite plastic, into sustainable construction materials, presenting a viable circular economy solution to urban plastic waste.
The low-energy, 100% cold production process entails no heating or melting of waste plastic, eliminating emission of pollutants. Up to 50% of aggregates in concrete bricks can be replaced with plastic waste, meaning that up to 2,000 kg of plastic waste can be diverted from landfills for every 100 square metres of EcoBricks produced, equivalent to 200,000 plastic bottles.
Over 15,000 EcoBricks have been applied at Gold Coast Piazza to pave the promenade and line the Leaf Path. The bricks have been upcycled from the plastic from over 560 old washing machines, equivalent to 5,400 kg of plastic waste. The Group is planning to deploy EcoBricks at other suitable properties, including The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong, as well as strengthening engagement with tenants and customers in supporting plastic upcycling and circular economy.
The Green Journey Programme was expanded to the residential properties under the Group’s management in January 2022, engaging a wider audience to build a sustainable future together. Organised by the Group’s property service arm, Sino Property Services, the Green Journey Programme was introduced to the residential properties under its management in January 2022, to encourage waste reduction at source and waste recycling.
Eco Market was staged at Hong Kong Gold Coast and six properties on 25 June 2022 for residents to sell second-hand items to give used items a second life. The Sino Property Services team has collected used items from colleagues and sold over 400 pieces of second-hand items at their booth in Eco Market. Proceeds and unsold items are donated to Christian Action, a long-standing recycling activity partner, for distributing to people in need and reselling at its Community Sales Outlets.
Additionally, residents have been invited to participate in the ‘Everything English Book Drive’ by HumanKind, through which over 1,500 books have been collected and donated to local communities and under-resourced schools. Sino Property Services is also collecting disposable eye care products under EcoDrive Hong Kong’s ‘Start Small, Start Now’ eye care recycling programme, to collect and recycle used plastic products.
Sino Group is committed to promoting circular economy through working with different stakeholders and supporting start-ups by applying innovative solutions to sustainability and environmental issues. Together, we Create Better Lifescapes.