A Taiwanese company that develops and leases residential buildings and factories won top honours at the Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards (ASRA) 2018 in Singapore on Wednesday.
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Sinyi Realty won five prizes, the highest number among the finalists this year, including the coveted Asia’s Report of the Year commendation.
It also won Asia’s Best Sustainability Report and Asia’s Best Workplace Reporting, and was highly commended for the awards for Asia’s Best Diversity Reporting and Asia’s Best Online Sustainability Report at the ceremony, organised by sustainability consultancy CSRWorks International and supported by the British High Commission in Singapore.
Headquartered in Taipei, with businesses in mainland China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, the 32 year-old real estate brokerage firm is no stranger to ASRA, picking up six nominations at last year’s ceremony, when Thai energy firm The Bangchak Corporation won top honours. Hong Kong developer Hang Lung Properties clinched the top award in the previous year.
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[The awards are] a reflection of the traction that sustainability reporting is gaining in the region, almost if not equaling the status of financial reporting.
Jessica Cheam, managing editor, Eco-Business
At this year’s event, Jessica Cheam, managing editor of Eco-Business, presented the awards as guest of honour.
“It’s encouraging to see the diversity and depth of the reports issued by Asian corporates in this year’s awards. This is a reflection of the traction that sustainability reporting is gaining in the region, almost if not equaling the status of financial reporting,” Cheam told the gathering of 100 business leaders from 15 countries.
Taiwanese companies dominated the ceremony as the country won 10 out of a total of 37 awards this year.
Financial services company Taishin Holdings was selected as the winner for Asia’s Best Materiality Reporting and highly commended for Asia’s Best SDG Reporting while Cathay Financial Holding received highly commended honours for the Asia’s Best Workplace Reporting award.
A representative from Sinyi Realty receives an award from British High Commissioner Scott Wightman for winning Asia’s Report of the Year award. Image: CSR Works International
Taiwan-based multinational electronics company ASUSTeK Computer emerged as the winner for the Asia’s Best Supply Chain Reporting category while CTBC Financial Holding Co, a Taiwanese finance firm, was highly commended for Asia’s Best Environmental Reporting.
Rajesh Chhabara, managing director at CSRWorks International, said: “The winning Taiwanese companies’ reports stood out because of their high levels of disclosure, comprehensive yet easily understood reporting, direct and authentic narrative, effective use of infographics, clarity of targets and goals, good presentation and appealing lay-out.”
An independent judging panel made up of academics, corporate social responsibility experts and sustainability professionals sifted through 400 entries from Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines.
Other winners from around the region included Malaysia’s Sunway Construction Group Berhad which picked up the Asia’s Best Sustainability Report within Annual Report award, Sri Lanka’s Talawakelle Tea Estates winning Asia’s Best Integrated Report, India’s Magarpatta Township Development & Construction Company Limited selected as Asia’s Best First Time Sustainability Report and Singapore’s City Developments Ltd for Asia’s Best Online Sustainability Report.
Chhabara said the awards aimed to raise the bar in reporting and improve the quality of sustainability information for stakeholders.
“Sustainability reporting has become an important tool for investors and stakeholders to assess a company’s full value,” Chhabara said.
“High quality reporting and disclosure allows organisations to communicate how they manage their economic, environmental, social and governance impacts, risks and opportunities to create value in the short, medium and long term,” he said.
