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ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY:
BUILDING A HARMONIOUS ECOSYSTEM

We believe that we can develop the economy while protecting the environment. For CITIC, protecting the natural environment is not only about fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, but also closely related to sustainable corporate development. We are committed to working out the best in green management, operation and office practices, as well as providing high-quality environmental protection services so that we can continue to improve our competitiveness. We are also committed to preventing pollution to pave the way to a “beautiful China”.

Performance

Environmental Business Platform – CITIC Environmental Performance Overview

Water Management
  • CITIC Environmental Technology focuses on the investment, construction and operation of environmental protection businesses, such as water and hazardous waste, as well as research and development, production and application of advanced membrane materials. It has more than 65 sewage treatment plants across the country with a daily sewage treatment capacity of more than 6 million tonnes.


 
Energy Saving Service
  • CITIC Energy Conservation Technology invested
    in a number of furnace combustion control system upgrade projects in Daye Special Steel, Xingcheng Special Steel, etc. In 2019, 57.38 million cubic metres
    of gas consumption was saved, which was equivalent to about RMB 12 million.
 
Solid Waste Management
  • Chongqing Sanfeng Environment is currently investing in 41 domestic waste incineration power generation BOT projects. In 2019, the facility was put into operation, capable of processing about 6 million tonnes of domestic waste, as well as to generating 2 billion KwH of electrcity by domestic waste incineration; Chongqing Sanfeng Environment has been included in the CITI index of green suppliers chain, ranking first in the environmental protection industry.
 
Energy Management
  • In 2019, Guangdong Ake had about 270 building energy management projects, covering 13.5 million square metres building area in total, helping to save about RMB270 million; the area of smart heating management platform is about 40 million square metres. It helps to save approxiately 54,000 tonnes of standard coal, an equivalent to reducing 132,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Green management

We strictly comply with all environmental laws and regulations in the countries and regions where we operate. We have also improved our environmental management system and established a green development plan as a solid foundation for the continuous improvement of our environmental performance. Additionally, we actively support green finance and provide financial protection for the development of low-carbon industries. We are committed to optimising the ecological environment and carried our various publicity campaigns to increase environmental protection awareness. In 2019, the Company had no major environmental incidents.

Improving the environmental management system

To improve resource utilisation and thus increase resource efficiency, CITIC Heavy Industries established a scientific energy management system in 2019. Together with a professional team and “Internet +” energy management system, the energy management system efficiency increased significantly. While achieving good economic and safety results, the Company helped to promote energy conservation and consumption reduction. CITIC Heavy Industries also developed an “Assessment Methods for Comprehensive Saving Plan 2019”, covering more than 119 energy consumption quotas, to audit energy consumption by category for strengthening energy cost control. The Company focuses on monitoring and analysing energy consumption processes, and sent a total of 132 letters to 12 major production units for checking unusual use of energy throughout the year. This has greatly strengthened the awareness of the main energy consumption units on cost reduction and energy efficiency. Every week, the Company conducts on-site energy leakage inspections for each energy-using unit. A total of 106 inspections were performed throughout the year, with a total of 139 corrections and 65 on-site rectifications.

CITIC Titanium, a subsidiary of CITIC Metals, developed the “Safety and Environmental Protection Management Targets and Assessment Indicators 2019”, which set safety and environmental protection work indicators for staff at all levels across the operation, from the Company’s managers to various workshop teams, making safety everyone’s responsibility. In 2019, the synchronisation rate of environmental protection facilities, the rate of harmless solid waste disposal, and the compliance rate of radioactive material management reached 100%.

Financial protection for a low-carbon environmental industry

In terms of green credit, CITIC Bank implemented relevant regulatory requirements, and increased its support for green, low-carbon and circular economy. To prevent environmental and social risks, the Company improved its environmental and social performance, thereby optimising its credit structure, improving its service, and promoting mode of development transformation. Under the aim of controlling risks and developing sustainable business, CITIC Bank progressively has been moving towards green finance by including more sustainable businesses in its customer structure. As of the end of 2019, CITIC Bank’s green credit loan balance was 65.148 billion yuan, an increase of 3.51% over the previous year. CITIC Bank strictly follows national macroeconomic and industrial policies to control credit distribution to “high pollution, high energy consumption” industries. Under these polices, the Company will tighten credit to “high pollution, high energy consumption” businesses, while relaxing credit to leading sustainable businesses.

The Company will also strengthen the risk management assessment to “high pollution, high energy consumption” businesses by increasing its review of their environmental and social risks, such as compliance, site selection, production technology, resource consumption, and pollutant emissions. At the end of 2019, the total balance of green credit loans was RMB46.53 billion.

During the year, CITIC Securities assisted the China Three Gorges Corporation, Guangzhou Metro Group and other companies in issuing green bonds of a total amount of RMB49 billion. The funds raised were all used for green industry projects in accordance with laws and regulations and the approval of regulatory authorities.

China Securities issued 19 green bonds for 12 enterprises, including Dongguan Rural Commercial Bank, Guangzhou Metro Group and Three Gorges Group, etc. The total amount is RMB9.032 billion.

CITIC Trust cooperated with Bayan Zhuoer Hetao Water Affairs Group to raise funds to support its water treatment project. Wuliangsu Lake is located in Urad Front Banner, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia and is one of the eight largest freshwater lakes in China. Since the 1990s, the lake’s water has been seriously polluted, and its ecological functions have been degraded. Through comprehensive management in recent years, the environment has improved significantly.

CITIC Finance has strengthened its financial services for environmental protection enterprises supported by CITIC Strategy. In 2019, it issued loans of approximately RMB2.461 billion to environmental protection member enterprises.

 

CITIC Resources Plantation Nursery in Seram Oilfield

 

Optimising the ecological environment

CITIC Resources Seram Oilfield has carried out a two-year afforestation plan within the operating area since 2017. As of the end of 2019, 450 hectares of plantation nurseries in the oilfield had been completed as scheduled.

Since 2013, CITIC Mining International has conducted coral reef reproduction tests in the project ports every three years, and the results show that the coral coverage is increasing. In June 2019, we found that the coral regeneration area reached 2.1 hectares, far exceeding the original 1.72 hectares when the project started. 

Coral reef coverage at CITIC Sino Iron project ports is increasing

 

Public environmental protection activities

As an eco-friendly enterprise, CITIC Environment actively engages in environmental education, while carrying out high-quality environmental protection projects. In 2018, CITIC Envirotech established a special environmental protection charity fund to support community education, community environment and related community charity activities in the Pearl River Basin. In 2019, the Environmental Protection Public Welfare Special Fund and the Qianhe Community Public Welfare Foundation of Guangdong Province jointly built a community-friendly space for children “Xiaohe’s Home @ CITIC Envirotech”, which aims to increase public environmental awareness and promote children’s environmental protection education. During the year, various activities were organised, including the “Multi-source” Water Conservation Annual Conference jointly organised by various NGOs, “South Guangdong little reporters - community environmental trip”, and “World Water Day 2019 – Clear Water in Nansha” Forum and other activities.

“Xiaohe’s Home @Envirotech conducted training for environment protection volunteers.
 
CITIC Environment organised environment protection publicity event with kindergarten themed “Examine River Water Quality on 5th June World Environment Day”
 
CITIC Envirotech participated in “Multi- source” Water Conservation Annual Conference
 
CITIC Envirotech participated in the “Clear Water in Nansha” Forum

Green operations

We adhere to green operation principles throughout our corporate production and business management processes with a view to occupying the leading position in the industry to support national industrial transformation and upgrade. We also use strict pollution prevention and control measures as well as strengthen the development and application of environmental protection technologies to reduce our pollutant emissions and waste, thereby improving the efficiency of resource and energy utilisation and achieving green low-carbon development.

Continuous reduction of pollutant emissions

We attach great importance to the balanced development of economy and environmental protection and advocate clean production,the circular economy, energy conservation and emission reduction. Our dual methods, technology and management, in the green development model have helped us continuously reduce waste gas emissions, wastewater and solid waste.

Air pollutant control
 

Initiatives

Achievements

CITIC

Resources

Yuedong Oilfield purchased steam to provide a heat source for
crude oil production at the onshore central processing station and
phased out the original three coal- fired boilers.

Achieved zero GHG emissions by the coal-fired boilers at the onshore central processing station.

 

CITIC Pacific Special Steel

Daye Special Steel optimised the energy efficiency of the blast furnace,
including increasing the air temperature and air volume, stabilising raw
material structure and improving material quality, as well as increasing the
coal injection ratio and reducing the comprehensive coke ratio. In addition,
the overall recycling level increased by recovering the waste heat of the blast furnace for power supply.

Reduced carbon emissions per tonne of steel produced by 8.95% over the previous year.

 

 

 

 

Sewage and waste treatment
 

Initiatives

Achievements

CITIC Resources

On 9 September 2019, the construction of the “Produced Water Treatment Plant Project at Karazhanbas Oilfield” officially commenced. This project is jointly invested and constructed by CITIC Resources KBM and CITIC Environmental Technology. It is expected to be completed and in operation by the end of 2020.

The project will process the oilfield produced water to provide water for the boilers needed for steam extraction, which will not only greatly reduce the large-scale water outflow problem caused by the reinjection, but also avoid the risk of environmental pollution. The utilisation of produced water also reduces the reliance of Volga River water. It will save more than 6.2 million cubic metres of river water that can be used for local industrial and agricultural development.

CITIC Pacific Special Steel

Xingcheng Special Steel completed its the low emissions modification project.

 

 

The project reduced particulate emissions by 50 tonnes per month, sulphide emissions by 120 tonnes per month, nitrogen oxide by 150 tonnes per month, and the Company’s total pollutants by 44%.

 

 

CITIC Press

CITIC Press is strictly forbidden to use the procedures and processes listed on the environmental protection department emission inventory, such as the traditional UV process and screen-printing process. In terms of printing inks, environmental protection inks such as vegetable oil inks are required.

The use of non-fluorescent paper has been increasing year by year; during the year, over 20% of non- fluorescent paper was used in book publishing.

 

 

 

 

CASE STUDIES
CITIC Mining International: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

In recent years, the Australian government has forecasted the climate in northern Australia, indicating that the region’s average temperature will continue to rise in the future, and extreme marine climate events will increase, which means that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will become increasingly important.

CITIC Mining International adheres to an operation model that has high energy-efficiency, low-pollution and efficient production. Although the output of the CITIC Australia mine project continued to increase in 2019, the emission monitoring report released by the Australian Clean Energy Regulatory Authority shows that the total emissions of the project during the financial year were still below the government’s guaranteed baseline.

The project power plant uses combined cycle power generation technology and incorporates a waste heat recovery system into the design, which is estimated to save about 440,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions each year. By benchmarking with other mining power plants in Australia, the unit emissions of CITIC Mining International Combined Circle Power Plant for the financial year 2018 to 2019 were 0.424 CO2e, which was lower than the industry average of 0.587 CO2-e.

In 2019, we quantified the expected energy savings of the energy recovery unit of the desalination plant. This recovery unit uses energy recycling technology to use the residual pressure in the wastewater stream to pressurise the feedwater by about 50%. This alone reduces the project’s emissions by approximately 27,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

CITIC Mining International will continue to improve its production processes and increase investment in environmental protection to ensure that total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 will continue to be lower than the guarantee baseline set by the government.

The Sino Iron project combined circle power plant
Effective resources and energy saving

We are committed to advancing our technology to improve our resource efficiency and reduce resources and energy consumption by strengthening our energy management, upgrading production equipment, optimising production capacity and introducing innovative production technologies.

 

Initiatives

Achievements

CITIC

Resources

Yuedong Oilfield has adjusted its operating parameters and operating schemes by reducing the electric heating operation current and optimising the electric heating operation according to the production conditions, thereby reducing power consumption.

 

The unit consumption of liquid electricity decreased by 1.69 kilowatt-hours per ton year-on- year, and the total electricity consumption decreased by 381,000 kilowatt-hours when the amount of fluid increased.

Yuedong Oilfield started a comprehensive natural gas utilisation project by operating the C29 gas well to transfer the natural gas from Island C to Island B’s steam injection boilers. In addition, some boiler equipment on the oilfield island has been upgraded.

It saved 1,790 tonnes of fuel during the year.

CITIC Heavy Industries

The Company effectively monitored the high electrical loads period and increased the load utilisation by peak shaving. In doing so, it also reduced the impact on the grid system and ensures the quality of power supply. The cost of electricity was reduced as well. In addition, we introduced the kinetic energy information platform to collect and analyse user power consumption information. This can configure the reactive power compensation devices for power users, strengthen reactive power management, and optimise power consumption methods.

During the year, the Company reduced electricity purchase costs by RMB2.2495 million through electricity trading.

CITIC

Dicastal

 

The Company optimised and upgraded the compressed air system of the industrial park. This included the reconstruction of the outdoor main pipe network, modification of radial pipe network into a ring shape, and set up gas storage tanks at key nodes of the pipe network to buffer the compressed air flow, thereby balancing the compressed air pressure at the end of the pipe network. In addition, the internal pipe network of the air compressor station has also been modified to avoid transmission bottlenecks and unnecessary abrasion. The Company also replaced the manual drain valves with zero air loss drain valves to reduce the consumption of compressed air during the drainage process. 

Improved the gas supply quality at the production site and reduced the set pressure of the air output from the compressor.

CITIC Pacific Special Steel

Xingcheng Special Steel completed the construction of energy-saving projects, including the cold junction optimisation of the power generator, the frequency conversion of 400 sintering fans, and the use of energy-saving water pumps.

During the year, the steel output increased by 8% with a total natural gas consumption drop of 3.5 million cubic metres over the previous year. The blast furnace exhaust rate was effectively controlled, and the rate in October was 0.11%, the lowest on record.
Green office

We continuously improve the Company’s office system so that all documents (except confidential documents), briefing notes, and information in the system can be electronically stored, printed, and circulated. We strongly encourage the use of video and telephone conferencing and to minimising printed paper in meetings. We centralise our management of consumables and control our supply, including printing paper, ink cartridges and other materials. In addition, we and our subsidiaries put up water conservation and electricity saving posters in office areas to provide our staff with environmental protection tips.

Green building design

High-rise buildings consume relatively more resources and energy. Therefore, it is necessary to seek low-carbon and sustainable energy-saving ways to protect the environment. Since the construction of CITIC Tower, its green, eco-friendly and intelligent design and construction concept has been leading the development trend and attracted high attention from the industry. On 23 August 2019, CITIC Heye was invited to attend the RICS Green Economy and Asset Efficiency Summit to share sustainable green building concept and their practical application at CITIC Tower. CITIC Heye will continue to learn from domestic and foreign best practices to bring green buildings and green development to life. The Company will also use innovative energy saving and environmental protection methods to improve its operating strategy and promote green buildings and green construction.

Green construction
Extensive use of prefabrication technology in civil engineering, mechanical and electrical systems, steel structure, curtain walls, decoration and other sub-projects not only improves the accuracy and quality of components and effectively shortens the construction period, but also reduces construction waste by 90% and saves water consumption by 80% compared with projects using traditional methods. This new way of green construction has truly achieved energy savings for a better environment.

Green technology
The adoption of 4 + 1 grade filtration system to control indoor PM2.5 within 50μg/m³ and thus improved indoor air quality, while the use of double hollow glass curtain walls and three-layer glass, together with high thermal and airtight performance, to save energy by 7.7% compared with the national standard. Using innovative and advanced integrated air-conditioning systems with “ice storage + large temperature difference + low-temperature air supply + variable air volume + PLC” to greatly reduces the operating costs of HVAC systems, saving 25.7% of energy compared to the national standard; Installing ultra-thin integrated LED Lamp panels save 15.8% of energy compared with the national standard. The elevator system uses carbon fibre belt technology to reduce the load on the building and achieve low power consumption, high stroke, and high-speed operation. It also uses energy feedback technology to effectively save electricity and costs.

Green operation
CITIC Tower brings the green building life cycle to life, as it ensures energy saving, efficiency as well as safe and smart operations. The use of smart cloud and IoT technology to integrate the building energy management system (BEMS) and “Smart Panel” power monitoring system ensures energy saving and efficiency, while the smart inspection and alarm, two-step authentication security system and fire protection system ensure safe and smart operations. Together, these systems form a safe, reliable, interconnected, and highly efficient intelligent control system, which makes CITIC Tower an internationally leading, intelligent green building.