The very founding of Sunway in 1974 was based on the concept of sustainable development. It all began with the transformation of Sunway City Kuala Lumpur from a tin-mining wasteland into an integrated, sustainable township today.

As part of our corporate strategy and social responsibility to drive long-term success, we continuously align our commitment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets.

The pursuit of the sustainability agenda has always been in the corporate DNA of Sunway, deeply inculcated into our culture and value system. This stems from the leadership of our founder and chairman Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah who firmly believes that we can all do well by doing good.

To cultivate and preserve our culture and commitment to the agenda, we focus our efforts on continuous and consistent communication, starting from the top.

Culture Starts at the Top

At Sunway, our commitment to sustainability follows a top-down approach – starting from our Board of Directors which is responsible for strategy development and compliance oversight to ensure that business operates with integrity and in full compliance with all the applicable laws and regulations.

The Board Sustainability Committee from left to right – Dr. Philip Yeo, Ms. Sarena Cheah, Tan Sri Chew Chee Kin, and Datuk Tong Poh Keow – who guide the sustainability agenda in our company.

In 2020, we established a dedicated Board Sustainability Committee (BSC) to spearhead our commitment to the sustainability agenda, with the role to guide, review and make recommendations on sustainability strategy, ESG targets and performance.

Our centralised Group Sustainability Department (GS) then collaborates closely with the respective sustainability teams of each business division, known as the Management Sustainability Committee (MSC), to ensure the seamless and successful implementation of Sunway’s sustainability strategy and direction.

Regular engagements with the MSC are held to provide our business divisions a platform to discuss pertinent sustainability-related issues and challenges such as data collection, waste management and OHSE best practices.

These engagements also serve as a forum to discuss and leverage collective knowledge and insight to translate challenges into practical solutions and meaningful action.

We believe that promoting such purposeful collaborations will further reinforce our shared commitment to the sustainability agenda throughout the organisation, transcending policy into action.

Sustainability Throughout the Organisation

We also continuously invest in our greatest asset – our people – by providing them resources, and ensuring them access to continuous learning opportunities.

We begin with our on-boarding training Sunway Corporate Orientation Programme for Employees (SCOPE), which plays a key role in building awareness of the UN-SDGs for every single staff in the organisation.

Short learning modules on SDGs and sustainability are also developed in-house by GS in collaboration with Sunway Group Human Resources Department (GHR) for staff to attend at their own pace.

We conduct in-house workshop sessions to introduce, educate and delve into the three pillars of ESG, communicating the Group’s goals and targets on ESG and how everyone can play a vital role to collectively drive towards these targets as an organisation.

We also innovate workplace learning beyond the confines of the traditional office setting. One such example is the Sunway Amazing Race that seamlessly integrates sustainability education with team engagement.

Driving Sustainability, Together

At Sunway, our embrace of the ESG and sustainability agenda is not dependent or driven by external regulatory factors. It is driven internally by a strong and deep conviction to keep doing the right things the right way.

Staying true to our vision – “To be Asia’s model corporation in sustainable development, innovating to enrich lives for a better tomorrow” – we remain committed to advancing the sustainability agenda; by striving to raise and spread awareness, as well as instilling a culture of sustainability in our people and among our stakeholders.