Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Economic Prosperity
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Human Rights
• Health & Safety
• Fairness in the Workplace
• Community Partnerships
• Customer Welfare
• Energy and Carbon Management
• Water Stewardship
• Responsible Resource Use and Waste
• Compliance
• Ethical Business Practices
• Leadership & Management
• Transparency & Reporting
• Risk Management

Environmental Achievements

• Sunbird Waterfront became the first major resort in Malawi to operate on solar energy during daylight hours.
• Planted 1000 trees at 3 schools in Chintheche, Nkhatabay
• Planted 7,600 tree seedlings on Zomba Mountain

Social Achievements

• K200m invested in human capital development
• K1.5bn staff welfare & K180m staff health investment
• 70% vacancies filled from within Sunbird
• 80% employee satisfaction rating and 1.5% staff turnover rate
• K15 million donations to cyclone Freddy victims
• Provision of free treated water to communities around Sunbird Nkopola and Livingstonia
• Donation of 100 school bags, uniforms and shoes at Koche Primary School
• Donation of text books to Masasa Primary School in Mzuzu
• Donation of 500 books collected in our hotels and resorts through the Children’s book drive campaign
• Embarked on high tea series engagement where leading women inspire other women to be driven for success and empowerment

Governance Achievements

• Release of first Sustainability Report & commencement of formal sustainability journey
• 100% compliance with the Malawi Bureau of Standards Audit
• 100% operating licences renewal rate
• Corporate governance training for directors
• 2-day board and senior management sustainability training and workshop conducted
• 33% female board representation
• 67% board independence

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Economic risks including increasing interest rates, exchange rates, weakening GDP and rising inflation impacting profitability
• Funding/Liquidity/Credit risks including inadequate working capital, inadequate project funds, high levels of borrowing, and limited of debt collection
• High energy costs including water, electricity and fuel
• Procurement risks relating to quality, rising food costs, inability to stock key amenities and unreliable supply chains
• Lack of access to reliable energy
• High cost of energy
• High carbon footprint not meeting the expectations of stakeholders
• Lack of access to reliable water
• High cost of water
• Water-borne diseases
• Brand & reputation risk due to greenwashing
• Adverse impact of chemical use on human health & environment
• Marine & terrestrial degradation and pollution
• Biodiversity loss
• Penalties, lawsuits, labour unrest. or closure due to non-compliance
• High cost of compliance
• Legal non-compliance
• Changing regulatory environment
• Bribery and corruption
• Lack of policies & monitoring mechanisms
• Inexperienced leadership & management resulting in poor performance
• Inaccurate & incomplete reporting
• Excluding ESG risks from enterprise risk management may result in inadequate identification, assessment, and management of key risks
• Fragmented ICT systems and processes
• Outdated technology and systems
• Lack of automation in business processes

Mitigation Strategies

• Low carbon & social impact development projects & initiatives
• Increase number of suppliers of critical amenities
• Local supplier development
• Improve customer engagement & retention strategies
• Hedging strategies
• Consider green funding
• Extend renewable electricity across hotels & resorts
• Tree planting for water conservation
• Water efficient technology
• Rainwater harvesting
• Behavioural campaigns
• Refillable dispensers & water bottles
• Behavioural campaigns
• Reduce, reuse & recycle of all waste
• Sustainable procurement
• Use of biodegradable laundry chemicals & cleaning agents
• Partnering for sustainable fishing
• Tree planting & reforestation
• Circular economy initiatives
• Prioritising compliance issues & reporting
• Voluntary adoption of sustainability best practice frameworks & standards
• Robust and fit-for-purpose governance structures
• Whistle-blowing and anti- money laundering policy
• Anti-corruption & fraud hotline & training
• Sustainability training and skills development across Sunbird
• Sustainability-related performance KPIs
• Update Board charter & committees’ terms of reference to include sustainability
• Identify opportunities to improve collaboration across departments & functions
• Invest in connectivity, WiFi & enabling technology
• Automate critical business operations
• Continued implementation of new ERM
• Incorporation of ESG into risk management
• Develop and update relevant risk policies and procedures

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Prioritising procurement from local suppliers (23.3% of total procurement)

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Opportunities

• Renewable electricity
• Energy efficiency
• Sustainable finance options

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality v2.0 Framework, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards for the Hotels and Lodging and the Restaurant industries, ESG Book, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards (planned for 2024)

Awards & Recognition

• Second best employer in the category of Industrial Relations and Staff Engagement organized by Employers Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM)