Implement ESG Practices for All Employees to Ensure the Sustainability of Our Planet

— Joanne Ho, Chief Sustainability Officer at CTCI

CTCI is an international turnkey engineering group ranked as “Taiwan’s number 1 and among the world’s top 100.” In addition to our consistent operational performance, we also made early investments in ESG sustainability issues. Not only are we Taiwan’s first engineering company to issue an ESG report, but we have also consistently received recognition for our sustainable performance over the years. Our most recent representative achievements include being selected as a component for The Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index for 8 consecutive years and receiving the highest honor of being in the top 1% of the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook in 2023. We have maintained our position as a global leader in the construction engineering industry and are the only engineering services company in Taiwan to achieve this recognition. Furthermore, three of our Group’s listed companies have consistently ranked in the top 5% of the “Corporate Governance Evaluation.”

Sustainable Innovation Strategy: Creating Green Engineering and Collaborating for Supply Chain Sustainability

Net zero carbon emissions are a global trend, and CTCI sees itself as a “Guardian of Sustainable Earth,” committed to integrating sustainability issues into the core business of engineering. CTCI is committed to creating environmentally beneficial “green engineering” around the world through three main aspects: “green technology, green contracting, and green investment.” By providing customers with net zero EPC value engineering services, CTCI applies the most advanced and environmentally friendly green technology from the design stage, proposing various energy-saving and carbon-reducing solutions (E-design stage, P-procurement stage, C-construction stage), and promoting a low-carbon supply chain. The benefits of carbon reduction  are not only shared by CTCI, but are also shared by the clients at their operational stage and even the final dismantling stage. These measures help achieve carbon reduction and make a concrete contribution to the global environment.

The following are some of our outstanding “green engineering” achievements. In terms of the application of “green technologies” in projects from 2020 to 2022, we have helped clients cut CO2 emissions by 22.2 million tonnes (equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of about 57,000 Da’an Forest Parks). In terms of “green contracting” projects, we have seen a 396% growth in backlogs between 2015 and 2022. In terms of “green investments,” CTCI has invested in the generation of 1.43 billion kWh of bioenergy and 110 million kWh of solar energy generation in year 2022. Additionally, CTCI invested in waste treatment, wastewater treatment, and solvent recycling to manage resources more efficiently and promote recycling.

In addition, CTCI is actively building a green supply chain and enhancing its sustainable influence. This includes requiring all suppliers to adhere to the Supplier Code of Conduct and sign the “Corporate Sustainable Management Commitment” since 2016. Beginning from 2022, new and key suppliers are required to sign the “Vendor’s Commitment to Corporate Sustainable Management and Net Zero.” The signing rate is 100%. In 2023, CTCI established the “Supplier Net Zero Alliance” to collectively strive for reduction goals based on alliance objectives and implementation procedures. The reduction efforts are carried out in stages and are tailored to the size of the suppliers. Carbon management capacity building plans and incentives will be in place to support suppliers and steadily help CTCI’s supply chain make progress towards achieving net zero emissions.

Protecting Biodiversity: Promoting the “Dingli Green Water Vitality” Initiative

For over 40 years, CTCI has been deeply involved in the field of water resources. Through various projects that benefit the environment and ecology, such as industrial wastewater and domestic sewage recycling, CTCI has achieved numerous milestones in Taiwan and around the world. To enhance our employees’ awareness of the “green water culture,” CTCI has introduced the “CTCI Biodiversity Project: Green Water for Vitality.” This project emphasizes ecological protection in the design, procurement, and construction work carried out at the company’s headquarters, global operational bases, and all project sites with the goal of achieving biodiversity objectives. CTCI is actively expanding its influence to stakeholders and partners, while utilizing existing environmental education platforms to integrate conservation concepts into the general public’s awareness, and to work together to protect biodiversity.

Additionally, CTCI has set a goal to achieve No Net Loss (NNL) and meet the Zero Deforestation standard for its operation sites by 2030. By 2050, the aim is for operation sites to attain a Net Positive Impact (NPI), and for the value chain to achieve No Net Loss and comply with the Zero Deforestation standard. Furthermore, CTCI participates in external initiatives by signing the “Business for Nature Make it Mandatory” statement from Business for Nature, demonstrating our commitment to safeguarding biodiversity and aiming to reverse the trend of nature loss by 2030.

Also, in order to enhance employees’ awareness of relevant issues, CTCI has continued to organize various activities. For instance, the Urban Explorers: Biodiversity Collaboration Project, scheduled for implementation in 2023, aims to promote ecological conservation in collaboration with the local Zhishan Cultural and Ecological Garden and the nine major cultural exhibition halls. Additionally, the Miaoli EfW plant, operated by CTCI Group, integrates with nearby habitats and nature such as the Zhonggang River Mangrove Forest, the Purple Crow Butterfly, and migratory birds to develop ecological environmental education programs. The Keelung EfW plant, under the theme “The Return of the Black Kite,” addresses the issue of the endangered black kite in Keelung. Moreover, the Linkou Water Resources Recycling Center established a rhinoceros beetle rehabilitation area using evergreen ash and actively invites elementary school students to participate, thus promoting environmental education at the grassroots level.

Deepening of Sustainable Organization: Toward a Vision of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Following the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and aiming to make sustainability the core competitiveness and DNA of the company, CTCI has established three main pillars: “applying green and friendly technology; cultivating engineering talent; and promoting sustainable engineering and social welfare.” We are working towards the sustainable vision of ‘strengthening the company’s operational resilience, fulfilling our social responsibility, and practicing green engineering. Besides participation in public infrastructure projects, industry-academia collaboration, academic incentives, and volunteer assistance to the underprivileged, we also strive to foster closer integration between the “CTCI Education Foundation” and the local community. This involves connecting philanthropic networks and platforms both within and outside CTCI, all aimed at bringing about positive societal changes. We also actively extend our social impact through our core business in “green engineering,” encompassing areas such as social care, support for public welfare organizations, green consumption, the promotion of local culture and ecological awareness, volunteer engagement, and the advancement of sustainable engineering education.

Since CTCI’s 8,100 employees come from 20 different countries, CTCI not only practices a diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) workplace system, but also actively assists colleagues in establishing a work-life balance. This is achieved by organizing various multicultural activities and continuously implementing various benefits policies. These policies range from flexible working hours and health lectures to Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). Recently, CTCI has introduced welfare measures that exceed legal requirements, including offering 10 weeks of maternity leave for female employees and 10 days of paternity leave, along with pregnancy checkup accompaniment for male employees. These initiatives aim to create a safe work environment for colleagues to thrive and grow within the CTCI family.

Practicing Sustainable Education: Cultivating Global Talent, Sharing Common Benefits and Prospering Together

CTCI is committed to nurturing and retaining talent and has launched the “CTCI University” online platform, allowing colleagues from around the world to learn anywhere and at any time. Besides the specific elective professional courses, all colleagues need to take the mandatory courses that covers major Groups topics such as group strategic consensus, culture and brand, digital transformation, sustainability, and net zero.

In order to expand our social influence, we have launched the “CTCI Learning” platform, which contains selected courses from CTCI University. CTCI Learning is freely accessible to the general public, industry professionals, and members of the supply chain for educational purposes. Within the network, there is also a dedicated section called the “Sustainability and Net Zero Zone”, which combines international trends and sustainability issues to further enhance our impact in the field of sustainability. In addition, CTCI also established the “CTCI Education Foundation” in 2015, which is dedicated to promoting lifelong education and nurturing talent. It continues to collaborate with various sectors to organize a variety of seminars and activities.

In response to the global challenges of net zero emissions, CTCI has partnered with the CTCI Education Foundation to organize the “Taiwan Sustainability Engineering Symposium,” with the goal of guiding the engineering industry to align with international sustainability trends. The CTCI Education Foundation’s years of dedicated efforts in sustainability have been recognized by the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),” making it the 11th NGO observer in Taiwan. CTCI Education Foundation will also participate in the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Diverse Communication Channels: Continuously Expanding Sustainable Influence Towards the Net Zero Vision

In June 2023, CTCI published its 2022 CTCI Sustainability Report, which comprehensively documents the company’s sustainability achievements over the past year. Since 2018 when CTCI began to align with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) principles, an independent TCFD report was published in 2023. Furthermore, CTCI has integrated the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) management concept, which combines the economic, environmental and social aspects, and has published the Sustainable Impact Valuation Report 2022 based on a profit and loss approach. Through these disclosed information and channels, stakeholders will have a better understanding of CTCI’s sustainability efforts.

Looking ahead, under the mission of being a “Guardian of Sustainable Earth”, CTCI will continue to promote “ESG engagement of all members” and collaborate with clients and supply chain partners to implement the value engineering service of “net zero EPC.” We will strive to create green engineering projects worldwide that balance both economic and environmental benefits, expanding the influence of sustainable engineering and taking significant steps towards reaching the 2050 net zero vision.