Reporting Guidelines
MTR is a publicly-listed corporation (SEHK: 0066) which abides by the listing rules of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (“HKEX”) including Appendix C2 Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting Guide (“ESG Guide”). In addition, our sustainability disclosure is prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (“GRI”) Sustainability Reporting Standards (“GRI Standards”) and aligns with internationally recognised reporting guidelines and frameworks including the International Association of Public Transport (“UITP”) Sustainability Reporting Guide, ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”), the World Economic Forum’s (“WEF”) Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics and the framework recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”). To enhance our disclosure, we also prepare our Report with reference to the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (“ISSB”) new IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information (“IFRS S1”), IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures ("IFRS S2”) released in June 2023 and the Recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (“TNFD”) v1.0 released in September 2023.
To ease navigation, we have prepared a Content Index for Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. This includes a HKEX ESG Guide Content Index to demonstrate our compliance with the ESG Guide and a GRI Content Index which cross-references the UITP Sustainability Reporting Guide, ISO 26000, WEF Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics and ISSB exposure drafts.
Scope of Disclosure
Our disclosure in this Website covers issues identified as material to the Corporation, i.e., sustainability issues that reflect the Corporation’s significant economic, environmental and social impacts. Headquartered in Hong Kong, we construct and operate mass transit railway systems in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Macao and Mainland China. In addition, we take part in the development and sale of residential and commercial properties in partnership with property developers and offer property management services in Hong Kong and Mainland China. To ensure the accuracy and transparency of the Corporation's sustainability disclosures, we report applicable data from all operations where the Corporation exercises management control, including wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries. Please refer to our corporate website and Annual Report for details regarding our operations in Hong Kong and worldwide.
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Strategic Trends
In 2016, we conducted a study to determine the strategic trends shaping the future of transport and properties globally in the time horizon leading up to 2030. Three megatrends including the associated challenges and opportunities which might be relevant to the Corporation have been identified. Our efforts, plans and progress in response to these strategic trends are updated in our Sustainability Report.
System Resilience for Climate Change
Climate change is a global challenge bringing adverse effects such as more frequent and intense extreme weather events which are posing increasing threats to our operations and services. A more resilient and adaptive railway system and property design is necessary to accommodate the impacts and capture the opportunities brought about by climate change. To this end, we strive to build our agility and preparedness in responding to the challenges of climate change.
Ageing Population
Ageing population is a major global trend affecting all countries and cities. In Hong Kong, the number of elderly persons aged 65 and over is projected to nearly double in the coming 20 years. In light of this, we consider the possible impacts on the operations of our railway network, property businesses and workplace, and put in place relevant measures to build an age-friendly environment across our operations.
Digital Transformation
The evolution of digital technology has accelerated the transformation of a broad range of business functions and processes. Adopting innovative technologies will provide new opportunities to enhance our services, engage with our customers, develop new business models and further improve operational efficiency.
The Sustainable Development Goals
As a global corporate citizen, MTR has a role to play in contributing to the United Nations SDGs, especially through the construction of sustainable urban infrastructure including mass transit systems and property development and management. The SDGs are also considered during our materiality assessment process to facilitate the alignment of our business strategies with global sustainability priorities. We have prioritised SDGs 8, 9 and 11 as our main contribution areas. In particular, the SDG Secretariat has been notified of our overall support for the following three SDGs:
Our network of railway infrastructure and our residential and commercial properties provide the connectivity required to facilitate economic growth and community prosperity, which are important characteristics of a sustainable city. Besides the above three SDGs, our diverse nature of business and operations also supports other SDGs:
For details on our contribution to each SDG, please refer to our annual Sustainability Report.