Shangri-La Asia Limited released its first sustainability report outlining the company's progress in the areas of environment, health and safety, employees, supply chain and stakeholder relations for 2010. 

The report will be issued every two years to track improvements in its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.

Titled Enhance, Enrich, Embrace, the report shows Shangri-La's commitment to environmental protection and resource management, a focus on social development through investments made in the welfare of colleagues and business partners and Shangri La's Care for People Project committing each hotel to education and health projects in local children's organisations over a minimum of five years.

Highlights include:

• EarthCheck, the global benchmarking and sustainability certification programme, confirmed that Shangri-La reduced its CO2 emissions by seven per cent, energy consumption by five per cent and water consumption by six per cent per guest night in 2010 over 2009 based on 64 operating hotels.
• Out of 40,800 permanent colleagues, people with disabilities (PWD) compose over one per cent of the headcount, progressing further towards the company's target of two per cent.
• Sixteen per cent of hotels have been certified with OHSA 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Administration), including 10 hotels that were newly certified in 2010.  Sixteen hotels are scheduled for certification in 2011.
• One hundred per cent of all group contract suppliers adhere to the company's code of conduct with regular external audits being performed to ensure consistency and compliance.
• All hotels comply with eco-friendly packaging of bathroom amenities made of Plastarch material, which decomposes by almost 70 per cent in 80 days.
• Over HK$2 million has been invested by hotels on various health and education projects offering over 3,300 children better school facilities, enhanced learning environments and hotel service skills.

The company launched its first CSR initiatives in 2005, which were streamlined and refined in 2009 with the hiring of a dedicated CSR officer.  The programme's three main areas were formalised in 2009 with Sustainability, Embrace and Sanctuary.

"Shangri-La has made a long term commitment to operate in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner. We are pleased to present this report which will serve as a benchmark for monitoring our development and progress," said Greg Dogan, president and chief executive officer of Shangri-La International Hotel Management Limited.  "The report is another step towards our goal of being leaders in corporate citizenship and sustainable development and improving the quality of life for the communities in which we do business.

The report references the Global Reporting Initiative's Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (G3) in order to accurately present economic, social and environmental performance.  This report meets GRI's Application Level C, and covers 44 GRI performance indicators.  All indicators have been selected for their relevance and where the most updated and accurate information for reporting is available.  Information on GRI is available at www.globalreporting.org

The 2010 Enhance, Enrich, Embrace sustainability report is available at:

www.shangrila.com/en/corporate/aboutus/socialresponsibility/stakeholder