Our Environmental Protection Policy guides us in managing the consumption of resources and reducing the environmental impact stemming from our daily operations.
In FY2022, a proposal from our Wuhan production hub to undertake independent research and development of cyanide-free electroplating won first place in our Global Innovation Award. Electroplating is an important production method for applying thin, even layers of precious metals onto jewellery pieces. Many plating baths contain cyanides of other metals (such as potassium cyanide) in addition to cyanides of the metal to be deposited. Since cyanide is a toxic substance that can contaminate drinking water, our team of researchers were determined to investigate other more environmentally responsible techniques.
During the year, the winning team carried out tests to develop a hard gold electroplating potion that does not contain cyanide so it is both safer to use and reduces impact on the environment. By year end, we have already deployed this innovative approach in seven tanks at Wuhan production hub. We have also successfully obtained patents for the potion in the Mainland and Hong Kong in March 2022 and September 2021, respectively.
We have introduced several paperless initiatives in our retail network to reduce waste, such as e-invoices and e-warranty cards. Under a new initiative, those customers who opt not to receive a jewellery box when purchasing online through our official WeChat shop will receive an award of 1,000 credits, amounting to RMB 20.
In the design of Chow Tai Fook's new exquisite shop, we are incorporating elements inspired by forests and trees with the aim of creating a new shopping environment that is simple, natural, and green. We plan to use environmentally-friendly materials for fittingout the new shop, including High Density Polyethylene (“HDPE”) made from recycled bottle caps and water-based porcelain wall film that meets national environmental standards.
We take a focused approach in combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions through energy conservation initiatives at our production hubs and Point of Sales (“POS”), as most of our GHG emissions come from electricity consumption at our production hubs and POS.
Our air emissions are mainly generated from our jewellery production process, which primarily comprises moulding, ultrasonic cleaning and hard gold electroforming. Air emissions generated include NOx, SOx, VOCs, dust and acidic gases.
Our jewellery production processes involve the consumption of water for moulding, hard gold electroforming, and gold plating. The production process requires the use of chemical substances containing slight traces of heavy metals and gypsum, which results in the production of acidic, alkaline, and gypsum wastewater discharges.