Commitment to green MICE development in Macao
MACAO, Dec. 14,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Macao's first carbon neutral exhibition,
the 2022 MIECF (Macao International Environmental
Co-operation Forum & Exhibition), was held Dec. 9-11 at The Venetian®
Macao's Cotai Expo,
concluding successfully on Sunday.
"This milestone of holding Macao's first carbon neutral exhibition at
Cotai Expo is a far-reaching development in Sands China's long-term
dedication to sustainable operations in Macao's integrated resort industry," said Dr.
Wilfred Wong, president of Sands
China Ltd. "This key strategic initiative demonstrates the
industry's collective effort to promote green MICE development and
supports the Macao government's
target of net zero emissions for 'Building a Green Macao with a Low
Carbon Footprint' – while linking into the carbon neutrality goals
of the central government's 14th Five-Year Plan."
Carbon neutrality is achieved by calculating a carbon footprint
and reducing it to zero – through in-house efficiency measures
combined with support to external emission reduction projects, such
as wind, solar or hydroelectric energy plants.
In order to help reach carbon neutrality for the 2022 MIECF,
four parties collaborated to purchase 600 tonnes worth of carbon
offset certificates: Sands China Ltd., the Macao Fair and Trade
Association (MFTA), the event project manager, and the main
contractor for the exhibition. The carbon offset certificates will
support the Inner Mongolia Wuliji Wind Farm Project under the
Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). The joint initiative was carried
out under the guidance of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion
Institute (IPIM), the event organiser, and Macao Environmental
Protection Bureau (DSPA).
In addition, Sands China's operations teams executed the MIECF
event with the Green Meetings principles of the Sands
ECO360 global sustainability strategy – which utilise a
variety of proactive measures to decrease the carbon footprint of
events.
The theme of the 2022 MIECF is "Commitment to Green
Development, Moving Towards the Dual Carbon Goals." Its forums
and exhibitions highlight topics that include carbon neutrality,
green mobility, and technological innovation – in order to assist
visiting experts, scholars and traders to gain forward-looking
information on environmental protection, aimed at creating green
business opportunities.
The holding of Macao's first
carbon neutral exhibition at Cotai Expo follows Sands China's
memorandum of understanding with MFTA, which was signed
June 1 during GED2022 (Global
Exhibitions Day), marking their joint commitment to promoting and
strengthening the sustainable development of the convention and
exhibition industry in Macao.
Sands China has maintained a
steady commitment to the continuous strengthening of its
environmental sustainability, ensuring that it sets realistic,
practical and achievable targets that will grow over the coming
years. The company believes in the importance of championing the
industry's best practices and demonstrating its commitment through
improving its own sustainability performance.
Sands China's carbon footprint
has seen a 32 per cent decrease in Scope I (direct) and Scope II
(indirect) emissions since its baseline year of 2018, which
includes the impact of the operational downturn associated with the
global pandemic. The 2025 target is to further reduce them by 17.5
per cent, with an objective to reach net zero emissions by
2050.
Since 2019, Sands China's various measures have resulted in 26
Million kWh of annualised energy savings and its solar thermal
hybrid system generated 275 GJ (gigajoules) of renewable energy in
2021.
And to further support the production of green energy, Las Vegas
Sands purchased 40,000 MWh worth of renewable energy certificates
(I-RECs) in 2021 from a hydropower station in mainland China to help offset Sands China's operational
emissions.
Eco-minded initiatives like these have earned recognition for
Sands China over the years. The company is listed in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Asia Pacific Index, and is ranked in several other
indices: 9th in the 6th Hong Kong Business Sustainability Index
(HKBSI), 8th in the 2nd Greater Bay Area Business Sustainability
Index (GBABSI), 17th in the 1st Greater China Business
Sustainability Index (GCBSI) and 9th in the 1st Hotel Business
Sustainability Index (Hotel BSI). Sands China is also a qualified constituent of the
FTSE4Good Index Series.
About Sands China Ltd.
Sands China Ltd. (Sands China or the Company) is incorporated in
the Cayman Islands with limited
liability and is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited
(HKEx: 1928). Sands China is the largest operator of
integrated resorts in Macao. The
Company's integrated resorts on the Cotai Strip comprise The
Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao,
The Parisian Macao and The Londoner® Macao. The
Company also owns and operates Sands® Macao on the
Macao peninsula. The Company's
portfolio features a diversified mix of leisure and business
attractions and transportation operations, including large meeting
and convention facilities; a wide range of restaurants; shopping
malls; world-class entertainment at the Cotai Arena, The Venetian
Theatre, The Parisian Theatre, the Londoner Theatre and the Sands
Theatre; and a high-speed Cotai Water Jet ferry service between
Hong Kong and Macao. The Company's Cotai Strip portfolio has
the goal of contributing to Macao's transformation into a world centre of
tourism and leisure. Sands China
is a subsidiary of global resort developer Las Vegas Sands
Corp. (NYSE: LVS).
For more information, please visit www.sandschina.com.
Media contacts:
Corporate Communications, Venetian Macau Limited
Mabel Wu
Tel: +853 8118 2268
Email: mabel.wu@sands.com.mo
Jesse Chiang
Tel: +853 8118 2054
Email: jesse.chiang@sands.com.mo
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sands-chinas-cotai-expo-holds-macaos-first-carbon-neutral-exhibition-301702839.html
SOURCE Sands China Ltd.