Direct Environmental Impact
We are committed to conserving resources and reducing carbon emissions for the well-being of our stakeholders and future generations.
Mitigating our carbon footprint
We are also cognisant of the direct environmental impact resulting from our operations across our network. As our business continues to grow, we seek to mitigate our carbon footprint by building a more energy- and resource-efficient real estate portfolio and encouraging environmental stewardship at the workplace.
Our direct impact on the environment results primarily from consuming resources, including energy, water, paper and other supplies. The waste products resulting from the extraction, production, transport, consumption and disposal of our resources include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, wastewater and office waste. As such, we concentrate our efforts on optimising energy use, conserving water, reducing paper consumption and diverting office waste from landfills.
Achieving carbon neutrality
In 2021, UOB became the first Singapore bank to achieve operational carbon neutrality for our own footprint, including our Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 (business air travel) emissions. As part of UOB Group, UOB Thailand is committed to maintaining our carbon neutrality as we move towards a low carbon economy. In this regard, we have established a decarbonisation roadmap for our real estate portfolio through the deployment of energy conservation measures, use of renewable energy and power purchase agreements (PPAs), and carbon offsets. We are also looking into identifying and measuring the other categories of our Scope 3 emissions.
We aim to reduce energy consumption and use renewable energy to mitigate the majority of our operational carbon emissions. However, we recognise that there will be hard-to-abate emissions (in particular Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions) which may only be addressed through the use of carbon offsets. We seek to ensure that the carbon offsets we purchase are real, quantifiable, additional, permanent and registered with international standards.
Our long-term roadmap to maintaining carbon neutrality
Energy conservation and resource management
We work actively to achieve measurable reductions in energy and resource consumption by adopting new and efficient technologies to upgrade our current systems Example include:
- Smart lighting systems with highly-efficient light-emitting diodes (LED)
- Smart lift destination control systems
- Retrofitting air-conditioning systems
Green building certifications
To achieve holistic sustainability performance for our properties , we use leading green building certification schemes, such as the Singapore Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark, for our newly-acquired or retrofitted buildings and office spaces. This helps to benchmark the green efforts of our Group portfolio wherever applicable.
We received our first BCA Green Mark Certification in 2019. We adhere to the requirements of the latest green building rating criteria including the BCA Green Mark 2017 for the design of systems in our buildings.
Related
Net Zero Commitment
Our commitment is grounded in the need for a just transition that continues to support socioeconomic growth and improve energy access in ASEAN.
Sustainable Procurement
We seek to address the ESG risks and effects of our operations in a manner consistent with our values.
Workplace Safety, Health and Well-being
We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment where our colleagues can perform at their best
Net Zero Commitment
Our commitment is grounded in the need for a just transition that continues to support socioeconomic growth and improve energy access in ASEAN.
Sustainable Procurement
We seek to address the ESG risks and effects of our operations in a manner consistent with our values.
Workplace Safety, Health and Well-being
We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment where our colleagues can perform at their best
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