Creating a Sustainable and Responsible Business by Managing our Environmental Impacts
We take responsibility for the environmental impact of our activities. As such, we endeavor to use energy and manage wastes in ways that ensure long term sustainability of the organization.
We have compost bins to recycle food waste into natural fertilisers. This saves food from being thrown away and eventually incinerated, and cuts waste. Small bins are placed around the office to encourage staff to throw their fruit peelings, teabags & tea leaves, and apple cores. The recycled food waste, after going through the composting process, can be used as fertilisers for our plants.
In January 2018, we sealed the deal with Urban farming Partners (UFP), a Dutch public-private partnership, to develop a large scale integrated commercial farm using our building’s space. This farm has a potential capacity of over 1000 tons of healthy and fresh, ready-to-eat produce for the Singapore market.
We also have a rainwater harvesting system to recycle rainwater. Harvest water can be consumed at the point of harvesting, reducing the need for public water supply network. We conserve potable water by using rainwater on non-potable usage (toilet flushing, general washing, irrigation, etc.). By collecting rainwater, we reduce runoff, thus decreasing the strain on public sewer and stormwater network. Importantly, we add value and self-sustainability to the organization’s development. Our in-house rainwater tanks currently stands at 6 nos. and has the total capacity of 9.6m3.
Every year, we participate in Earth Hour where the whole office building – with full support from our tenants – switches off all its lights for one designated hour. We reach out on social media (we have over 1,500 followers on Facebook) to encourage our staff and other followers to participate in meaningful events such as this, as well as raise awareness on other environmental preservation habits.
In 2012, we started a programme to improve our energy performance. Each year, HSL consumes approximately 409,000 kWh of electricity, costing us over (S$100,000) every year. Since implementing the Energy Management System, our kWh per Working Man Hour of 1.25 at the start of 2011 was reduced to 0.63 in February 2013.
HSL is the first Singaporean company to obtain the ISO 50001 certification, in its efforts to differentiate ourselves as a progressive company with environmental consciousness. This extends beyond prioritising fuel-saving equipment from environmentally conscious vendors, to our office design and policies. We also involve employees by having training sessions on how they can do their part in conserving energy when in the office.
In HSL, we incorporate sensors that automatically turn off lights in the absence of activity as well as glass walls to reduce the need for energy used for lights. In order to maximize efficiency of energy, HSL dedicates spaces to employees working overtime so as to ensure energy is not wasted unnecessarily.
We are a responsible organization that takes its impact on the planet seriously. We strive to reduce our energy consumption which will not only cut costs but also improve our environmental performance, especially in reducing our emissions of carbon dioxide which contribute to global climate change. By taking action to reduce this impact, we can lead others by example and build a reputation as a responsible business.
