CapitaLand is top winner at BCA Green Mark Awards 2020 with Green Mark Platinum Champion recognition
- CapitaLand Group has won over 130 Green Mark Awards to date in Singapore and overseas
- To launch new CapitaLand Sustainability Masterplan in 4Q 2020 with ambitious targets and to galvanise the Group’s sustainability efforts to maximise impact
Singapore, 19 August 2020 – CapitaLand is the top winner at the Building Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) Green Mark Awards in 2020. CapitaLand won the BCA Green Mark Platinum Champion Award, a recognition for organisations that have achieved a substantial number of BCA Green Mark buildings at Gold level and higher. The award also recognises developers with strong commitment towards corporate social responsibility and outstanding achievements in environment sustainability. CapitaLand and its real estate investments trusts have received over 130 BCA Green Mark Awards in Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia and Vietnam so far.
This year, a total of 29 CapitaLand properties in Singapore, Malaysia and China have received or have been recertified with BCA Green Mark Awards. This includes one Green Mark Platinum Super Lower Energy Award and five Green Mark Platinum Awards. To date, CapitaLand has a total of 24 Green Mark Platinum Awards. This year, four properties in Singapore have also received Universal Design Mark Awards including a Universal Design Mark Award Platinum for Jewel Changi Airport.
Notably, LogisTech is the first logistics building in Singapore to receive the BCA Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Award. This is one of the highest accolades for energy efficiency in the BCA Green Mark Award scheme. The development underwent a major upgrade to achieve best-in-class energy efficiency standard, including installation of solar panels at its rooftop to generate clean energy to power the building.
The five other properties that have received BCA Green Mark Platinum Award are retail malls Bugis+ and JCube; a data centre 9 Tai Seng Drive; an industrial property Corporation Place; and an upcoming integrated development Rochester Commons. Bugis+ and JCube were amongst the first CapitaLand malls in Singapore to receive the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award. This is the first time 9 Tai Seng Drive and Rochester Commons have received a BCA Green Mark Award. 9 Tai Seng Drive is a six-storey data centre in Singapore. It is CapitaLand’s first data centre to receive the BCA Green Mark Platinum Award. The data centre features an efficient water-cooled system, LED lighting and an efficient uninterrupted power supply system. Condensate from the building’s air conditioning system and water from the cooling towers are also recycled.
Ms Lynette Leong, Chief Sustainability Officer, CapitaLand Group said: “We place sustainability at the core of what we do, and we are heartened by BCA’s recognition as a Green Mark Platinum Champion. It endorses CapitaLand’s position as a responsible real estate company and a sustainability leader. As one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups with a global portfolio, we are not resting on our laurels and will continue to set the bar with more ambitious sustainability targets.”
“We will launch a new CapitaLand Sustainability Masterplan in 4Q 2020, which is a blueprint and strategic roadmap to direct and galvanise all of CapitaLand’s sustainability efforts across the Group to maximise impact. It will enable us to engage our multiple stakeholders and elevate our commitment to push boundaries in sustainability as CapitaLand continues to deliver sustainable financial returns to our stakeholders in the long term,” added Ms Leong.
"As one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups with a global portfolio, we are not resting on our laurels and will continue to set the bar with more ambitious sustainability targets. We will launch a new CapitaLand Sustainability Masterplan in 4Q 2020, which is a blueprint and strategic roadmap to direct and galvanise all of CapitaLand’s sustainability efforts across the Group to maximise impact."
Greening CapitaLand’s portfolio
As of 31 December 2019, 97% of CapitaLand’s existing offices, malls, integrated developments and serviced residences in Singapore (by m2) have achieved a green rating. Over the past decade, CapitaLand’s efforts in sustainability have reaped tangible benefits and other positive externalities for the Group. In CapitaLand’s 11th Global Sustainability Report released in May 2020, the Group reported that it has achieved utilities cost avoidance of S$208 million in 2019 since 2009. In 2019, the Group’s energy and water consumption intensities were reduced by 19.2% and 22.4% respectively from the base year of 2008. CapitaLand also achieved a 29.4% reduction in carbon emissions intensity since 2008.
The Group has also secured S$2.82 billion through sustainable finance to date. This includes a S$500 million sustainability-linked bilateral loan from United Overseas Bank, the largest sustainability-linked bilateral loan in Singapore’s real estate sector. CapitaLand Group has also secured S$1.2 billion in green loans which will be used to accelerate its efforts towards greening its global portfolio by 2030.
CapitaLand Furthers Its Use Of Renewable Energy
Part of CapitaLand Group’s efforts to green its portfolio includes the use of renewable energy. Over 21,000 solar panels have been installed atop CapitaLand’s six industrial properties[1] held under Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (Ascendas Reit) in Singapore. It is the largest combined rooftop solar facility in Singapore by a real estate company and will enable CapitaLand’s corporate offices in three locations in Singapore to be 100% powered by renewable energy by end 2020 through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) from the clean energy generated. As such, CapitaLand will reduce over 700 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions generated annually from 400 four-room HDB flats’ electricity consumption[2].
With the RECs, the common facilities' electricity usage at three of Ascendas Reit’s buildings at one-north in Singapore will also be 100% powered by renewable energy, starting with Neuros and Immunos in 2020 and extending to Nexus@one-north by 2021 and Nucleos by end 2022. After 2022, a projected total of 2,400 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be avoided each year, equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity consumption of about 1,300 four-room HDB flats in a year.
Ascott Centre for Excellence, the global hospitality training centre of CapitaLand’s lodging business, has been 100% powered by renewable energy since 2018 by purchasing electricity generated from renewable sources. CapitaLand now has 16 properties in Singapore, China, Belgium, India and four business parks in India that are fully or partially powered by renewable energy.
Please refer to the Annex for the list of CapitaLand properties that have received BCA Green Mark and Universal Design Awards in 2020.
[1] The six properties are LogisTech, 1 Changi Business Park Avenue 1, 9 Changi South Street 3, 2 Senoko South Road, 40 Penjuru Lane, and Techpoint.
[2] Average annual electricity consumption of a four-room HDB household is based on Singapore’s Energy Market Authority’s 2019 Singapore Energy Statistics.