Sustainability governance
Integrating sustainability within our existing governance structure enables the strategic oversight, accountability and reporting necessary to deliver long-term value creation.
Jardines takes a collaborative approach to sustainability, our Group companies are responsible for developing their own industry-specific strategies and initiatives while the Group provides oversight to ensure alignment with the overall sustainability direction.
The Company Board
Sustainability is a regular agenda item at Board and risk management and control committee (‘RMCC’) meetings, both for our individual businesses and at the Group level. Specific items including climate action are raised and discussed regularly at these meetings. Senior management of the Group, some of whom who also sit on the Company’s Board, are also members of the boards of our Group businesses, where they emphasise the strategic significance of sustainability to Jardines. This approach ensures that our commitment to sustainability, including climate action, is consistent across the Group’s businesses and informs major business decisions.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee supports the Board in overseeing and evaluating consolidated Group-wide principal risks and uncertainties, including climate risks. The Audit Committee also has oversight responsibility for reviewing independent assurance obtained by the Group in respect of the effectiveness of sustainability metrics which measure the Group’s sustainability strategy, initiatives and goals, as disclosed in the Company’s annual Sustainability Report. External and internal assurance is conducted on the Group’s sustainability reporting and the effectiveness of its governance, respectively.
Sustainability Leadership Council
The Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) is led by Jardine Matheson Executive Chairman, Ben Keswick. It currently comprises more than 20 members, and its core members include the Jardine Matheson Group Managing Director, Executive and non-Executive Directors, Chief Executives of all the Group’s principal businesses and the Heads of relevant Group functions.
Meeting twice annually, the SLC serves as a collaboration platform for senior management across the Group to exchange insights and perspectives on sustainability strategy, planning and direction for the Group. Emerging sustainability trends, best practices and stakeholder expectations are discussed regularly within the SLC. Group-wide sustainability and climate-related risks and opportunities are also discussed, with the aim of improving the Group’s performance and ensuring consistent integration of sustainability considerations into corporate policies and business operations.
Group companies
The boards of our Group companies are responsible for overseeing sustainability within their respective businesses. Each individual business is expected to develop and implement a sustainability strategy that is aligned to the Group strategy and to set sustainability metrics and targets to effectively address material issues. The leadership of each of the Group’s listed and private businesses reports at least twice a year on the progress of their sustainability agenda to their own boards (in the case of listed businesses) or their respective RMCCs (in the case of private businesses).
Sustainability Working Groups
Designated working groups support each of the pillars of our sustainability strategy. The working groups are comprised of, and chaired by colleagues from across our businesses who are responsible for driving the aspects of their sustainability agendas within their organisations. Working within the purview of each respective sustainability pillar, the working groups support the execution of the Group’s sustainability strategy, as well as identifying, developing and recommending initiatives which will create synergies and strengthen cohesion and cooperation between the Group businesses, as well as sharing knowledge and experience across the Group.
Group Sustainability
The Group Sustainability Team supports the integration of sustainability considerations into the Group’s broader business strategies and operations, and provides advice on sustainability-related issues. It also provides ongoing guidance, advice and support to the Group’s businesses, encouraging consistency in their approach to sustainability. Collaborating closely with various stakeholders including senior leadership, operational teams, and external partners, the team also implements sustainability initiatives and sets appropriate and relevant ESG metrics and targets to track progress on material ESG issues. Sustainability trends are regularly monitored and are incorporated into the Group’s approach to improving ratings, reporting and disclosures.
In addition, the team works with other Group functions including Group Finance, Group Audit & Risk Management (‘GARM’), Group People & Culture, Group Secretariat, Group Legal, Group Tax and Group Communications to progress the Group’s sustainability ambitions, as well as to obtain support on sustainability matters, including budgets and reporting, sustainability risks and opportunities, human capital, corporate governance, business ethics, tax reporting and sustainability communications.
