Case study: How BEWG utilises clean energy
BEWG (Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited) is a leading provider of professional, wide-ranging water environment services, including urban water services, watershed water services, industrial water services, seawater desalination, environment sanitation and solid waste, clean energy and technological services. Actively exploring opportunities to establish a whole environmental protection industry chain, BEWG focuses on the utilisation of clean energy. Tweet This!
This case study is based on the 2016 Sustainability Report by BEWG published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Abstract
BEWG’s clean energy business has expanded to 10 provinces and 2 autonomous regions, with the overall clean energy power generation capacity invested, constructed and operated reaching 2GW. In order to utilise clean energy BEWG took action to:
- utilise solar energy
- promote wind power generation
- combine photovoltaic power generation and fish farming
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) BEWG has identified;
- How BEWG proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by BEWG to utilise clean energy
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2016 Sustainability Report BEWG identified a range of material issues, such as business compliance, environmental protection awareness raising, product and service quality, offering environmentally friendly products and services, occupational health and safety. Among these, utilising clean energy stands out as a key material issue for BEWG.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups BEWG engages with:
Stakeholder Group | Method of engagement |
Shareholders and Investors | · Shareholder conferences · Regular reports and announcements · Investor communication meetings · Official website |
Government and Regulators
| · Routine Reports · On-site inspection · Supervision of the products and services · Policy advices through industry associations |
Customers
| · Customers satisfaction survey · Executives visits · Face to face interviews in communities · Hearings |
Employees | · Congresses of staff · Employee satisfaction survey · Communication mechanism about career development · Employees’ caring activities |
Value Chain Partners | · Open tendering · Cooperation within industry · Industry seminars · Sharing and promoting research achievements |
Communities | · Face to face interview in communities · Public benefit activities · Social impact evaluation |
Environment | · Environment impact assessment · Public investigation of projects’ environmental impacts · Environmental public welfare activities · Connections with environmental NGOs |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics BEWG conducted a stakeholder survey through an online survey platform, and received 377 pieces of stakeholder feedback from 19 provinces.
In its 2016 Sustainability Report BEWG reports that it took the following actions for utilising clean energy:
- Utilising solar energy
- In Hebi City, Henan Province, BEWG built a 100MWp photovoltaic power plant on the barren hills near the Baisi village in Miaokou Township. BEWG’s goal, is to exploit the place’s potential in rich solar energy. A key solar energy project for the province, the power plant not only made good use of the barren hills, but also created jobs and contributed to the development of the local economy. In addition, BEWG built a photovoltaic power plant on top of the wastewater treatment pool of the Jiacheng wastewater treatment plant in Shenzhou, Hebei Province. The photovoltaic power plant did not affect the normal operation of the plant and achieved both economic and environmental benefits, by utilising the electricity generated at the site. The project is expected to generate 341,000 kwh of electricity, equivalent to annual savings of 106.7 tons of standard coal – significantly reducing BEWG’s energy consumption.
- Promoting wind power generation
- In Binzhou City, Shandong Province, BEWG operates the Lusa 48MW wind power generation project. The project was officially launched in May 2016 and, since 31 December 2016, the Lusa 48MW wind power generation project has generated 35,397,000 kwh of electricity.
- Combining photovoltaic power generation and fish farming
- In Yingshang County, Anhui Province, BEWG designed and built a 150MW photovoltaic power plant over a fish farm, covering 500 hectares of water surface of the Jiaogang Lake. By installing photovoltaic power generation units on top of the fish farm, BEWG achieved the combined production of electricity and fish, optimising space use and saving land resources. The photovoltaic power generation units are adjustable, to create the ideal environment for fish in the water beneath and increase the fish farm’s yield. As a consequence, the complete and full- dimensional development of photovoltaic power generation and fish farming is achieved. The project’s actual power generation exceeded the designed capacity, because of the exceptionally good quality of its construction and the outstanding performance of its equipment. It is estimated to be able to generate 70,000,000 kwh of electricity per year.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
1) Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported
2) Disclosure 302-1 Energy consumption within the organization
3) Disclosure 302-4 Reduction of energy consumption
4) Disclosure 302-5 Reductions in energy requirements of products and services
Disclosure 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Business theme: Infrastructure investments
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- Business theme: Infrastructure investments
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Business theme: Infrastructure investments
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- Business theme: Infrastructure investments
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Business theme: Infrastructure investments
Disclosure 302-1 Energy consumption within the organization corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Business theme: Energy efficiency, Renewable energy
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Business theme: Energy efficiency, Transport
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
Disclosure 302-4 Reduction of energy consumption corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
Disclosure 302-5 Reductions in energy requirements of products and services corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Business theme: Energy efficiency
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by BEWG, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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