Developer and operator of casino resorts around the world, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), outlined what progress the business registered on its environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives set out for the 2021-2025 period in its 2022 (ESG) report.
The 2022 ESG report tracks the progress on the ambitious goals LVS has set out for its performance by 2025, striving to reach certain targets based on three pillars – People, Communities and Planet.
“We set targets that push the company to achieve tangible results, and the work we have outlined toward these ambitions has put us on a solid track to reach our goals,” commented Katarina Tesarova, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer of LVS, pointing to a “full range of core priorities” under these three pillars “that have also produced significant impact” and are reflected in the report.
Workforce Development
Sands’ corporate responsibility program through 2025 seeks to invest $200 million in workforce development initiatives, and in 2022, the hospitality operator invested $56 million to reach a total of $113 million since the start of the program in 2021.
Money invested in People in 2022 supported core initiatives aimed at advancing team members and local talents such as the Sands Academy Team Member training and development program and the Sands China financial support, invitational matching, and training and development (F.I.T.) program for small and medium enterprises.
Volunteer Work for Communities
Under the Community pillar in 2022, Sands exceeded the target set out for 2025 by reaching 192,330 Team Member volunteer hours contribution to date. Contributions included extensive volunteer support for Macau initiatives related to the pandemic such as community testing and vaccinations.
The target set for the end of the five-year program is 150,000 volunteer hours in support of local communities and having reached it in 2022, the company plans to set a new 2025 target this year and will reveal the new target in its 2023 ESG report.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy Use Reduction
Using its 2018 greenhouse gas emissions reduction level of 17,5% as a baseline for its 2025 emissions reduction goal, Sands reported that its emissions remained significantly below the baseline in 2022, achieving a 50% reduction.
Sands implemented numerous emissions reduction projects while its property visitations were impacted by the pandemic to ensure the business remains on track to meet its 2025 target when visitations are expected to pick up and the business is expected to increase energy consumption.
In 2022, energy use was reduced via the installation of property controls across 3,300 hotel rooms which allowed the consumption to be reduced while guests are away, and the shift from hard-to-convert incandescent and fluorescent lighting to LED solutions.
In addition, the company purchased 151,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy certificates and generated an additional 235 megawatt hours from solar panels, while Sands properties began transitioning their fleets to electric vehicles.
Sands’ ESG achievements in 2022 were recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World for a third consecutive year and the DJSI North America for the seventh time, while Sands China appeared on the DJSI World for the first time and the DJSI Asia Pacific for the second.