“This report delivers an initial view of our unified company’s performance across a comprehensive set of sustainability indicators,” says John D. Williams, non-executive chairman of the Domtar management board. “It marks a pivotal milestone in our journey following the May 2025 release of our 2030 sustainability strategy and sets the stage for continued progress.”

The report overviews that strategy, and its data disclosures address environmental, social and governance indicators that align with internal and external priorities identified during strategy development. Disclosures cover energy use, carbon emissions and other environmental impacts, forest management and fibre procurement, safety, community investments and the company’s workforce profile.

These disclosures will be an important internal performance-management tool as the company continues to pursue its 2030 targets, along with a resource to understand Domtar’s practices, objectives and progress over time. Future reports will be tied more specifically to tracking our progress on those targets.

“While we’ve set ambitious targets for ourselves, the strength of our starting position and momentum is evident in the outcomes and recognition detailed in this report,” Williams adds. That includes Domtar’s ranking as one of the “Private 25 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” by Corporate Knights in 2025.

Qualitative content within the report is structured with reference to the three strategic pillars of Environmental Stewardship, Our People and Communities, and Responsible Business. It highlights long-standing and deeply rooted commitments across the company’s operations to invest in innovation and performance improvement and to foster greater resilience.

“We are consolidating our sustainability report and unifying our CDP submissions, ensuring everyone can evaluate our environmental performance holistically as an integrated company,” says Sabrina de Branco, global chief sustainability officer.

“One of our key priorities is achieving full compliance with applicable recognized international reporting standards by 2030,” de Branco adds. “While this report marks a solid starting point, it’s only the beginning. We are committed to advancing our sustainability strategy, driving continuous improvement in both performance and transparency over the next five years and beyond.”

View the full and summary reports: Sustainability.domtar.com

Learn more:

• Domtar’s Sustainability Strategy
• Domtar Sustainability Strategy Overview Video
• Our Sustainability Strategy: A Commitment to Environmental Stewardship
• Our Sustainability Strategy: Our People and Communities

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At Trane Technologies, we are proving that a robust sustainability strategy embedded in a business plan can drive significant value and growth. Our commitment to sustainability has not only enhanced our own operations; it has helped our customers operate more sustainably and propelled our financial performance and innovation to new heights. 

A clear business strategy 

Sustainability is about the long game, and so is growth. While Trane Technologies was launched just over five years ago, our sustainability-focused business trajectory was set in motion nearly two decades ago.

When we became Trane Technologies in 2020, investors already valued our focus as a climate innovator and the alignment of our investment and business strategies. We embraced global megatrends, using them as a catalyst for new ideas and focusing our investment on sustainable innovation. Today, 100% of our portfolio is focused on improving energy efficiency for our customers and driving more sustainable outcomes.

This focused strategy and continued customer demand for more sustainable solutions has delivered differentiated financial performance, including a compound annual revenue growth rate of 12% since 2020 and a 286% increase in total shareholder returns over the same period – almost three times the rate of the S&P 500. 

A strong business case for sustainability 

One common misconception is that sustainability is more expensive. Based on our experience, sustainability pays off when it’s built into the business. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative (we are a participating member), every dollar invested in building modernization returns an average of $3 in energy savings over five years. Add to this the fact that energy costs are rising and many buildings waste an average of 30% of energy after the meter as a result of inefficiency. This convergence of rising operating costs and the need for greater efficiency is the sweet spot for technology and innovation in our business.

Today, thermal management systems in our commercial HVAC portfolio are 70% more energy efficient than they were six years ago, and many offer heat recovery and energy storage to enhance energy optimization. 

We see these results in our own operations like our La Crosse, Wisconsin facility – established more than 100 years ago – now operating with our Trane Thermal BatteryTM Storage Source Heat Pump system, a first-of-its-kind solution to advance and integrate electrified, low-carbon heating and cooling and energy storage into a single solution. The new system saved 15 million gallons of water in 2023 – a reduction of 85% from the prior year – and is estimated to reduce the overall energy use of the building by 28% compared to the previous system. This same century-old facility, where Trane got its start, manufactures some of the most efficient (and largest) chiller systems we make for high-tech semiconductor and data centre industries, pushing us forward as we deliver a new wave of efficiency for a rapidly changing world. 

A compelling demand for innovation 

It’s estimated that electricity could represent up to 70% of final energy demand by 2050. The falling costs of renewables and increased availability of storage solutions make it possible to achieve the massive expansion of clean power systems this transition will require. 

In the Netherlands, we helped Organon, a global pharmaceutical company, optimize the heating and cooling needs of its largest production site while supporting its goal to be carbon neutral by 2035. With the implementation of three high-efficiency heat pumps with energy recovery, Organon is saving nearly 7,700 gigajoules of energy a year – equivalent to almost 243,000 cubic metres of gas. 

As electrified and highly efficient systems are coupled with AI-enhanced solutions and autonomous controls, they can optimize for numerous variables such as weather, pollution, occupancy and building design. As a result, the ability to optimize energy performance is being supercharged.

Reducing emissions related to the use of our products remains our biggest decarbonization opportunity and is what drives our Gigaton Challenge to reduce one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from our customers’ footprint by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline). In addition to that, reducing the carbon intensity associated with our products’ life cycles is increasingly important to our customers’ sustainability and resiliency goals. That is why we expanded our 2030 Sustainability Commitments with a goal to reduce embodied carbon by 40%. Already, our focus is driving innovation in product development with an eye toward designing products for circularity, and upstream with some of our most significant material suppliers of low-carbon steel, aluminum and copper.  

This level of improvement and achievement does not happen overnight; it is the result of a clearly defined strategy, strong demand and consistent commitment to innovation.

A purpose-driven culture 

We believe that innovation and growth come from everyone, so we actively nurture a distinctive culture. Our employees embrace our sustainability-focused purpose, as shown by our latest annual employee-engagement survey score of 82 out of 100, placing us in the top quartile of external benchmarks. Additionally, our sustainability index, reflecting team sentiment on our sustainability efforts, increased by two points, making it one of our highest engagement areas.

We embed sustainability into our everyday work and operating model. Our Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability has been at the heart of our sustainability efforts for 15 years. This dedicated team shapes our sustainability strategy, oversees product stewardship, and drives education and advocacy to elevate sustainability standards both within our company and globally.

Across the company, we encourage salaried team members to set at least one sustainability goal each year, integrating these objectives into their annual plans. And we’ve rapidly grown a global network of almost 1,000 Sustainability Ambassadors who help identify and replicate sustainable business practices across our global footprint.

What may seem like simple steps to engage our workforce in our sustainability strategy has a very real impact on scaling our efforts and empowering our people to own the actions that will help us grow.

A bright future

The combination of what we’ve accomplished – and commitment to the transformative potential of technology and innovation – is why I joined Trane Technologies at the start of 2025. We have a reputation as a strong operator dedicated to continuous improvement. We are known for credible action through climate innovation and advocacy, bold sustainability commitments that are leading our industry, and a highly engaged global workforce that is propelled by our purpose. 

This consistency and intentionality translates into growth, demonstrated in our latest Sustainability Report. As one of our external financial analysts put it, “Right place, right time, right culture to capitalize.” We couldn’t agree more.

The post Sustainability as a catalyst for growth: The Trane Technologies approach appeared first on Corporate Knights.

• One of 44 global signatories to pledge to WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment covering a whole life carbon emissions approach 
• First Singapore company to externally assure its TCFD framework
• Raised Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions intensity reduction target to 63% from new baseline year 2016, validated by Science Based Targets initiative 
• Achieved 42% reduction in carbon emissions intensity from 2007 levels in 2021
• Over S$34 million in energy savings from energy-efficient retrofitting and initiatives across all its commercial buildings from 2012 to 2021
• Secured over S$3 billion of sustainable financing since 2017

City Developments Limited (CDL) has published its Integrated Sustainability Report (ISR) 2022, its fifteenth sustainability report since 2008. Themed “Zero in on Future Value”, the digital report communicates CDL’s progress towards its material Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals and targets under the CDL Future Value 2030 Sustainability Blueprint. Aligned with global climate goals, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the blueprint remains integrated into the company’s business strategies and operations.

Mr Sherman Kwek, CDL Group Chief Executive Officer, said, “Sustainability has become mainstream on political and business agendas, with rising expectations for companies to step up ESG integration into their businesses and set clear decarbonisation pathways. As one of Singapore’s pioneers in real estate and green buildings, we have been proactively aligning our business with global and national goals to mitigate the negative impact of climate change. With CDL’s Future Value 2030 Sustainability Blueprint established in 2017 as the bedrock of our ESG goals and strategies, we have a clear carbon-reduction action plan that positions us well towards our net zero goals. Contributing to a sustainable future and embracing a triple bottom line approach will remain integral to our business.”

Blended Reporting Framework and Robust External Assurance 

Over the years, CDL’s robust sustainability reporting has evolved into a unique blended model using GRI Standards as its core since 2008. Providing comprehensive disclosures ahead of growing and diverse expectations, CDL embraced CDP since 2010, Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) since 2013, Value Reporting Foundation (VRF)’s Integrated Reporting Framework since 2015, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Reporting since 2016, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework since 2017, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Standards for Real Estate Sector since 2020 and Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) since 2021.

CDL’s sustainability reports have been externally assured since 2009, and the scope of assurance was expanded to cover SASB and CDSB in ISR 2021. For this year’s ISR report, CDL became the first Singapore company to externally assure its TCFD framework.

Decarbonising and Innovating towards a Net Zero Future 

In 2021, CDL raised its carbon emissions reduction targets and commitments, which includes targets validated by the SBTi, under which CDL will reduce its Scope 1 and 2 Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 63% per square metre (sqm) leased area by 2030 from a 2016 base year. CDL will also reduce its Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services by 41% per sqm Gross Floor Area (GFA) by 2030 from 2016. It will also reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from investments by 58.8% by 2030 from 2016, including hotels managed by CDL’s wholly-owned hotel subsidiary, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Limited (M&C).

In February 2021, CDL became the first real estate conglomerate in Southeast Asia to sign the WorldGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment. This global pledge to achieve net zero operational carbon by 2030 covers new and existing wholly-owned assets under its direct management and operational control. At COP26 in November 2021, CDL joined 44 companies worldwide to extend its pledge towards a net zero whole life carbon emissions approach. CDL pledged to achieve maximum reduction in embodied carbon and compensate for residual operational and upfront embodied emissions via offsetting for new developments by 2030; and for all buildings to be net zero carbon by 2050.

Leveraging Green Finance to Accelerate Low-Carbon Solutions

Since issuing its first green bond in 2017, CDL has secured more than S$3 billion of sustainable finance, comprising a green bond, various green loans and a sustainability-linked loan. In April 2021, its South Beach Consortium joint venture (JV) secured a five-year green loan totalling S$1.22 billion – one of Singapore’s largest green loans. In August 2021, CDL and its JV partner jointly secured green loans amounting to S$847 million to finance two upcoming developments in Singapore – integrated development Piccadilly Grand and Piccadilly Galleria at Northumberland Road and an Executive Condominium at Tengah Garden Walk.

CDL’s ESG performance is widely recognised by leading global sustainability benchmarks. These include the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World by Corporate Knights, where CDL ranked fifth overall and maintained its position as the world’s most sustainable real estate company for the fourth consecutive year. Other notable accolades include maintaining double ‘A’s in the 2021 CDP Global A List for corporate climate action and water security. This makes CDL the only company in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to score ‘A’ for corporate climate action for four consecutive years and water security for three consecutive years. CDL also maintained an ‘AAA’ leader rating by MSCI ESG Research since 2010.

In November last year, CDL was one of 45 global companies and the only Singapore company to be awarded the inaugural 2021 Terra Carta Seal by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, through his Sustainable Markets Initiative. The Seal recognises global companies driving innovation and demonstrating commitment to creating genuinely sustainable markets.

Issued by City Developments Limited (Co. Regn. No. 196300316Z)

CDL’s ISR 2022 can be found at www.cdlsustainability.com

Tracy Yeow

Manager, Sustainability

City Developments Limited

Follow CDL Sustainability on social media:

Instagram: @CDL_sustainability/ instagram.com/cdl_sustainability/

Facebook: @CDLsustainability / facebook.com/CDLsustainability/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cdl-sustainability/

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