Macao’s first carbon neutral exhibition, the 2022 MIECF (Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition), was held Dec. 9-11 at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Expo, concluding successfully recently.

“This milestone of holding Macao’s first carbon neutral exhibition at Cotai Expo is a far-reaching development in Sands China’s long-term dedication to sustainable operations in Macao’s integrated resort industry,” said Dr. Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. “This key strategic initiative demonstrates the industry’s collective effort to promote green MICE development and supports the Macao government’s target of net zero emissions for ‘Building a Green Macao with a Low Carbon Footprint’ – while linking into the carbon neutrality goals of the central government’s 14th Five-Year Plan.”

Carbon neutrality is achieved by calculating a carbon footprint and reducing it to zero – through in-house efficiency measures combined with support to external emission reduction projects, such as wind, solar or hydroelectric energy plants.

In order to help reach carbon neutrality for the 2022 MIECF, four parties collaborated to purchase 600 tonnes worth of carbon offset certificates: Sands China Ltd., the Macao Fair and Trade Association (MFTA), the event project manager, and the main contractor for the exhibition. The carbon offset certificates will support the Inner Mongolia Wuliji Wind Farm Project under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). The joint initiative was carried out under the guidance of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), the event organiser, and Macao Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA).

In addition, Sands China’s operations teams executed the MIECF event with the Green Meetings principles of the Sands ECO360 global sustainability strategy – which utilise a variety of proactive measures to decrease the carbon footprint of events.

The theme of the 2022 MIECF is “Commitment to Green Development, Moving Towards the Dual Carbon Goals.” Its forums and exhibitions highlight topics that include carbon neutrality, green mobility, and technological innovation – in order to assist visiting experts, scholars and traders to gain forward-looking information on environmental protection, aimed at creating green business opportunities.

The holding of Macao’s first carbon neutral exhibition at Cotai Expo follows Sands China’s memorandum of understanding with MFTA, which was signed June 1 during GED2022 (Global Exhibitions Day), marking their joint commitment to promoting and strengthening the sustainable development of the convention and exhibition industry in Macao.

Sands China has maintained a steady commitment to the continuous strengthening of its environmental sustainability, ensuring that it sets realistic, practical and achievable targets that will grow over the coming years. The company believes in the importance of championing the industry’s best practices and demonstrating its commitment through improving its own sustainability performance.

Sands China’s carbon footprint has seen a 32 per cent decrease in Scope I (direct) and Scope II (indirect) emissions since its baseline year of 2018, which includes the impact of the operational downturn associated with the global pandemic. The 2025 target is to further reduce them by 17.5 per cent, with an objective to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Since 2019, Sands China’s various measures have resulted in 26 Million kWh of annualised energy savings and its solar thermal hybrid system generated 275 GJ (gigajoules) of renewable energy in 2021. And to further support the production of green energy, Las Vegas Sands purchased 40,000 MWh worth of renewable energy certificates (I-RECs) in 2021 from a hydropower station in mainland China to help offset Sands China’s operational emissions.

Eco-minded initiatives like these have earned recognition for Sands China over the years. The company is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index, and is ranked in several other indices: 9th in the 6th Hong Kong Business Sustainability Index (HKBSI), 8th in the 2nd Greater Bay Area Business Sustainability Index (GBABSI), 17th in the 1st Greater China Business Sustainability Index (GCBSI) and 9th in the 1st Hotel Business Sustainability Index (Hotel BSI). Sands China is also a qualified constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series.