Delivering growth sustainably

At Swire Pacific, sustainability is not just a choice but a necessity. As the Group Finance Director, my role is to link value, strategic risk management, and sustainability, ensuring long-term value for our shareholders. Our commitment to sustainability is a strategic imperative aimed at delivering sustainable growth in shareholder value. We are dedicated to pioneering sustainable business solutions that foster positive environmental, social, and community outcomes.

Through the delivery of the Group’s sustainability strategy, SwireTHRIVE, we craft roadmaps and transition plans to achieve our environmental aspirations. We understand climate and nature risks and opportunities, and we factor the cost of carbon and nature's impact into our business decisions. We respect and integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into our businesses while investing in our communities through the Swire Trust. The five pillars of SwireTHRIVE can be viewed here.

We apply two key tools – the Sustainable Development Fund and the Internal Carbon Pricing mechanism – to embed sustainability into our financial strategies, budgeting, and investment choices. Our pilot Internal Carbon Pricing mechanism combines a carbon fee and a shadow price approach, enabling us to allocate funds for decarbonisation projects, determine the impact of carbon emissions from investments, quantify carbon risks, and align with our net zero ambitions.

Our Sustainable Development Fund provides financial support for projects yielding long-term environmental benefits. With an annual allocation of up to HK$100 million, this fund drives projects that reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints, supporting our sustainability targets since 2016.

These initiatives align our sustainability targets with financial decision-making, global standards, and robust internal processes and controls.

Sustainability values in practice

At Swire Pacific, we demonstrate our dedication to sustainability through concrete actions and accomplishments. We have continued to make significant progress in achieving the ambitions outlined in SwireTHRIVE. We have achieved this progress by leveraging innovative technologies, engaging and developing partnerships with key stakeholders, driving operational efficiencies, and using renewable energy.

For example:

  • As of Q4 2024, the Group’s total emissions have decreased by 21% 1, and water withdrawal by 10% 2 when compared to the same period last year.

  • By the end of 2024, women held 36% of all management positions, marking a 4% increase year on year.

  • In 2024, Swire Properties obtained the top position globally in the Dow Jones Best-in-Class World Index (formerly DJSI World) in the Real Estate Management & Development Industry category.

Embedding values into action

We have set up a Group Sustainability Committee, chaired by myself, comprising core divisions’ Finance Directors, the Chief Risk Officer, and Sustainability Heads at both the Head Office and operating company levels. This body provides guidance and direction to and from the Board via the Audit Committee. It also facilitates discussions between C-suites and sustainability practitioners, guiding materiality in a more regulated environment.

Finance teams play a key role in implementing mandatory reporting, identifying financially material topics for investors, and ensuring disclosures align with IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards. As we prepare for the shift to IFRS S1 and S2 reporting, upskilling finance and risk teams, and collaborating with other functions will be fundamental to providing decision-useful information to our stakeholders.

Our annual sustainability report is not just a scorecard for our operations, it is also our roadmap to achieving our SwireTHRIVE commitments and highlighting our corporate social responsibility initiatives. We remain focused on the journey and undaunted by the challenges that lie ahead. Collectively, as a Group and in collaboration with our stakeholders, we believe we can deliver on our ambitions to be a leader in sustainability in all the sectors where we operate.