BEWG’s ESG rating upgraded to BBB by MSCI 2020-11-26
On 20 November 2020, MSCI updated the ESG rating of Beijing Enterprises Water Group (China) Investment Limited (“BEWG”) to BBB level, making it the highest level listed water company in Greater China Region, and also the only one water company rated BBB in this region.
MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) is a world famous indexation company. The MSCI Global Index is one of the most world influential benchmark indexes for global investment managers. Its ESG rating results are designed to measure the corporate ability in response to long-term financial-related ESG risks, becoming an important basis for global major asset management institutions to make investment decisions.
In this MSCI ESG rating, the scores of all indicators of BEWG have been improved. Among them, the score of "Product Safety and Quality" of BEWG has reached the industry leading level, and the scores of "Water Pressure", "Carbon Emission" and "Biodiversity and Land Use" have also increased significantly. The BBB rating fully reflects BEWG’s outstanding performance in environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance. BEWG’s good sustainable development capabilities have been highly recognized by the capital market, and will also encourage BEWG to continue to sustainable development and enhance its influence on international capital market.
BEWG as China’s leading professional comprehensive water service provider is committed to “clean, governable, collaborative” sustainable development as the important component of group strategy, and meanwhile, supports the United Nations' 17 sustainable development goals. At the beginning of 2020, BEWG launched an ESG improvement plan to increase the level of non-financial information disclosure externally, and fully improve its sustainable development capabilities internally.
In 2020, BEWG improved "corporate governance", "corruption and compliance", "water resources protection", "biodiversity protection", "green management", "employee rights" and "responsible supply chain" in full range. At the same time, by issuing the BEWG Sustainability Report 2019 and upgrading the "Sustainable Development" module of its official website, it fully and accurately displayed the unremitting efforts and fruitful results of sustainable development.
Corporate Governance
ESG is included in group governance philosophy, sustainable development is included in the duties of Audit Committee, and the sustainability management structure is established from up to down.
Transparency Compliance
The Group discloses a series of transparency compliance systems, including the Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption System, the Overseas Anti-Corruption System, the Whistle Blower Protection System, the Reporting and Accusation Confidentiality System and the Fraud and Framing Investigation and Punishment System; publicly demonstrated the Group’s transparency culture. The Group timely updates the penalties announcements in respect of transparency and compliance; there is a channel for complaint in respect of transparency and compliance.
Water Resource Conservation
The Group discloses the BEWG Water Resource Regulations, to enhance water source management, improve water resource utilization and reduce water resource wastage.
Biodiversity Protection
The Group discloses BEWG Biodiversity Protection Regulations, to implement biodiversity protection philosophy into the project construction, operation and management, and persistently perform the sustainability concept.
Greening Management
The Group discloses the Project Low-Carbon Operation Regulations, to practise low-carbon management, insist on green construction and operation, and meanwhile disclosing the Group’s resources and energy management data.
Employee’s Rights and Benefits
The Group discloses the BEWG Employee’s Rights Statement, to implement the human-based management philosophy, and has established a series of systems and mechanisms to protect employee’s rights, occupational health and career.
Responsible Supply Chain
The Group discloses the BEWG Suppliers Regulations, to integrate the sustainable development philosophy into the supplier entry and management requirements, and build a uniform supply chain system with coherent sustainable supply chain values.
In the future, BEWG will uphold the sustainable development philosophy, continue to improve sustainability, insist on the Group’s dual platform strategy, deepen light assets strategic transition, balance between priorities, measure revenue to make expenditure decisions, build the excellent brand of BEWG, realize sustained high quality growth, and contribute solidly to the modernization of human-nature harmony and coexistence.
