2015 Sands ECO360 Report | A Letter from our Chairman

On behalf of the entire executive team, I am pleased to share the 2015 Sands ECO360 Report. The past year marked the achievement of a significant milestone – completion of Sands ECO360’s strategic five-year plan. This report is a reflection of our journey.

While we started with baseline sustainability efforts in 2007, we accelerated our strategy around four pillars of the current Sands ECO360 Global Sustainability program in 2011. We also set five-year goals for carbon emission and water consumption reductions, along with recycling (diversion) rate improvement.

The results of these efforts have been impressive, and we continue to strive for high achievement on all fronts. We exceeded our carbon footprint target, reducing emissions by 8.1% in existing resorts and by 19.6% in newer properties. We also completed more than 300 energy efficiency projects globally and reduced our electricity consumption by 247 million kWh since 2010. Finally, we improved our diversion rate by 11.5% and 12.2% at our existing buildings and newly opened properties, respectively, meeting our target. Yet, we still have more work to do. After experiencing challenges in reducing water consumption, our progress has been slower than expected and we remain dedicated to achieving the goals we set.

Since 2011, we also opened several new properties incorporating our most advanced internal green building standards, with each new development surpassing the previous one in efficiency. Once in operation, each property has remained focused on conservation of natural resources. Transparency and accountability remain our primary objectives. Of our nine properties worldwide, eight hold at least one environmental certification. We also re-certify our resorts regularly to keep up with industry advancements.

Read Sheldon's complete message in the 2015 Sands ECO360 Report