For over a decade, CDL has been advocating environmental sustainability in Singapore’s built environment. As buildings contribute about 16% of Singapore’s national carbon emissions, CDL makes every effort to minimise negative externalities and maximise the positive impact our business has on society.
We have been cognisant of the changing environmental landscape especially with greater emphasis placed on climate change issues globally. Our pioneering efforts in championing sustainable developments in Singapore have allowed us to be well prepared for regulatory environmental risks and opportunities as we have already instituted environmental management systems and frameworks early on in our CSR journey.
EHS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
In 2003, CDL set a new industry benchmark as the first private property developer to receive the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System in Property Development and Project Management. In 2008, CDL was awarded ISO 14001 in Corporate Management and Operations for all functions at our headquarters. In 2011, CDL attained the OHSAS 18001 in Property Management certification for 15 buildings as well as re-certified for ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 Quality Management System which were first awarded in 2007.The EHS Management System, which is based on a Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology, is integrated into our business operations. It provides a systematic process to manage CDL’s operational impact on the environment and to continously improve our environmental performance.
TRAINING, AWARENESS AND COMMUNICATION
EHS training and awareness programmes are planned for all CDL employees to raise their EHS awareness and cultivate a "Green & Safe" corporate culture. Employees are also encouraged to attend relevant external conferences and workshops to strengthen their EHS management skills and knowledge. As for our builders, CDL has been facilitating the quarterly CDL 5-Star EHS Review Seminar since 2001 to raise our builders’ EHS standards. Best practices are shared during the review sessions to encourage peer learning.CDL provides various channels of communication to engage our stakeholders and share our commitments, best practices and EHS performance, as well as to solicit stakeholder feedback and suggestions for continual improvement. All CDL employees are encouraged to be forthcoming and to report all incidences of EHS-related accidents, complaints, incidences of non-compliances and non-conformities.
At CDL worksites, the Company also provides a hotline number where the public can make a report and CDL is committed to work with our builders, to prevent potential non-conformances through actions, if necessary.
COMPLIANCE
CDL is committed to full compliance on all applicable EHS legal requirements enforced by the local governing authorities such as BCA, National Environment Agency (NEA), Public Utilities Board (PUB), Workplace & Safety Health Council (WSHC), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and other relevant enforcers where appropriate. CDL actively ensures that all our activities and operations comply with existing legal and regulatory requirements through constant monitoring, evaluation and auditing of our implemented EHS management systems. In 2011, CDL received a fine for mosquito breeding at an open landscaped area near one of our buildings. Since then, CDL has been working together with relevant parties to maintain vigilance during the daily inspection.CDL proactively influences and engages our stakeholders, including our architects, builders, designers, engineers and surveyors to embrace safe and environmentally-friendly designs and best practices at the planning stage. CDL continues to ensure compliance during the construction and operational phase. This is done through the CDL 5-Star EHS Assessment System and regular inspections.
EHS AUDITS
The Company is subjected to annual external EHS audits which are conducted by an accredited third party auditor during renewal and surveillance visits.CDL has put in place internal audits to ensure the Company’s EHS management systems conform to the ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 9001 international standards. Typically, each project development is to be audited at least once in its project cycle and each audit shall cover all three stages, i.e. planning, procurement and construction.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
As part of the ISO 14001 framework, CDL identifies significant environmental aspects for our business operations that can potentially have critical negative environmental impacts. The risk level of the environmental aspect is determined using a risk assessment technique consisting of the likelihood of the occurrence, severity of the impact and control measures.CDL actively evaluates the key significant environmental aspects at our worksites, investment buildings and Corporate Office. From our continuous assessment, we know that energy use, water use, waste generation and carbon emissions are the most significant environmental aspects. CDL also includes other aspects such as paper use, waste paper recycling, noise, biodiversity and safety management.
CDL regularly implements and evaluates measures to mitigate all significant environmental aspects. This is done through setting objectives and targets, establishing programmes and/or putting in place work procedures and work instructions. The guiding principles behind mitigating measures is to follow the hierarchy of control, starting with elimination, and then moving to substitution, isolation, use of engineering control, use of administrative control and last of all, use of personal protective equipment.
CDL has set specific environmental objectives and targets at our worksites, investment buildings and the Corporate Office. Management review is conducted annually to assess the environmental performance for continual improvement. For more information on the environmental objectives and targets, please click here.
CDL 5-STAR EHS ASSESSMENT SYSTEM & EHS EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The CDL 5-Star EHS Excellence Award was introduced in 2005 and is an integral part of the CDL 5-Star EHS Assessment System initiated in 2001 to provide CDL with an independent audit tool for assessment of our builders’ EHS management and performance.The Award recognises builders who have excelled in the CDL 5-Star EHS Assessment over a one year period. Each quarter, audits are conducted by an independent EHS audit firm accredited by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), after which the results are presented to the top management of the builders during the quarterly CDL 5-Star EHS Seminars. These seminars are a valuable platform to promote sharing of best practices to encourage better EHS performance amongst the builders.
In 2011, in line with the national productivity drive, CDL introduced the inaugural CDL Productivity Excellence Award at the annual award ceremony which recognises our builders for their excellent performance in EHS. This inaugural award went to Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd for The Arte and Tiong Seng Contractors (Pte) Ltd for Parc Emily, recognising their concerted efforts to drive productivity on-site, through the adoption of technology, innovative methods of construction and efficient designs. The prestigious CDL 5-Star EHS Excellence Award went to SsangYong Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd for W Singapore Sentosa Cove and Tiong Seng Contractors (Pte) Ltd for Shelford Suites.