Sustainability Report 2016

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Sustainability Report 2016 12
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ABOUT THIS REPORT
3.1 The Scope of the Report
The principal activities of Towngas and its
subsidiaries (collectively, the “Group”) are the
production, distribution and marketing of gas,
water supply and emerging environmentally-
friendly energy businesses in Hong Kong and
mainland China. The report addresses material
issues that have arisen from the Group’s main
operations. In addition, we have widened our
focus to cover our sustainability performance
outside Hong Kong, particularly our diverse and
ever-changing key businesses in mainland China.
Readers can find examples of the issues we face in
mainland China, as well as how we have performed
in dealing with them, through case studies and
key performance indicators. For more information,
please refer to the
, as well as the
.
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
(Towngas) has long been a leading pioneer
of sustainability reporting in Hong Kong. Our
Sustainability Report 2016 (the report) represents
an opportunity for us to tell the story of the
Group’s achievements in 2016 and to evaluate
how we are progressing as we strive for greater
business sustainability.
It is our belief that the report is a highly effective
way to engage our stakeholders on the issue
of sustainability. Its transparency allows them
to gain a comprehensive understanding of our
operations and what impact they have, as well as
to establish a solid platform from which we can
improve our performance.
The scope of the report runs from 1 January
2016 to 31 December 2016, unless otherwise
specified. To ensure the information presented
is of the greatest accuracy and highest standard,
our Green Development Steering Committee,
which is chaired by the Executive Director and
Chief Operating Officer – Utilities Business, has
provided direction on how to plan the report, given
feedback and reviewed the Group’s performance
based on our material aspects.
Detailed information about our financial
performance and how we conduct our business
can be found in Chapters 4 and 5, and although
statistics are presented in absolute figures, they
have been normalised to portray a comparable
picture where necessary or appropriate. For more
information about our business initiatives,
financial data and the entities included in the
consolidated financial statements, please refer to
the .
This report has been compiled in accordance with
the Core Option of the Global Reporting Initiative
(GRI) G4 Guidelines, the associated GRI Oil and
Gas Sector Supplement and the Environmental,
Social and Governance Reporting Guide (ESG
Guide) under Appendix 27 of the Rules Governing
the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange
of Hong Kong Limited (Listing Rules). It was in
compliance with the “comply or explain” provisions
and reported on the “recommended disclosures”
of ESG Guide. The ESG Guide Content Index can be
found on . The report has also been verified
by an independent third party to ensure that it
is complete, accurate and reliable, as well as to
confirm that it adheres to reporting the guidelines.
For the verification statement, please see