Everbright Environment Receives "Best Social Responsibility" Award for Three Consecutive Years, Wang Tianyi, Chairman of the Company Recognised as "Asia's Best CEO" for Four Consecutive Years

29 December 2021, Hong Kong – The "11^th Asian Excellence Award", launched by the renowned Asian corporate governance magazine Corporate Governance Asia, recently announced the results. China Everbright Environment Group Limited ("Everbright Environment" or the "Company") (SEHK: 257) received the award of "Best Environmental Responsibility" for the third consecutive year. Wang Tianyi, Chairman of the board of Everbright Environment received the honor of "Asia's Best CEO" for the fourth year running. This reflects the market's recognition of the Company's performance in environment, social and governance ("ESG") and operating management.

The 11^th Asian Excellence Award aims to recognise enterprises and individuals that show strong resilience and maintain high standards of corporate governance amid the tough internal and external challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to set new corporate governance benchmarks in Asia. After undergoing strict assessments over months, A total of 20 companies received the award of "Best Environmental Responsibility" and 47 president(s) (or chief executive officers) received the honor of "Asia's Best CEO". The awardees include well-known companies in China and across Asia, such as China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited, CNOOC Ltd., China Resources Beer (Holdings) Company Limited, Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., and PPT Public Company Ltd. Everbright Environment is the only company from the environmental protection sector on the list.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control worldwide, Everbright Environment achieved "zero infection" cases in working areas across more than 10,000 employees, by taking effective pandemic prevention and control measures. In the meantime, the Company ensured high-quality operation of its environmental protection projects and services to safeguard the environmental health and safety of local communities. The stable performance demonstrates Everbright Environment's emphasis on and continued investment in the environmental, social and governance aspects.

In terms of the environmental aspect, Everbright Environment has been leveraging on its environmental protection projects and services for years to fulfill the goals of reducing pollution and carbon emission. Its waste-to-energy projects and other environmental protection projects not only alleviate environmental problems, such as the garbage siege and burning of straw in open areas, but also contribute environmental value. In the first half of 2021, the Company processed approximately 20 million tonnes of household waste, about 120,000 tonnes of hazardous and solid waste, and approximately 3.75 million forestry waste, which generated more than 10 billion kWh of green electricity, equivalent to saving more than 4 million tonnes of standard coal and reducing more than 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions; additionally, the Company accumulatively treated approximately 800 million m3 of waste water and over 4 million m3 of leachate from waste-to-energy plants, reducing approximately 4 million tonnes of chemical oxygen demand ("COD") discharge.

In respect to the social aspect, Everbright Environment adheres to its core corporate value of "Creating Better Investment Value and Undertaking More Social Responsibility". The Company strives to enhance community engagement through high-quality environmental services. Since 2020, it has been opening up projects for public visits, promoting concepts relating to environmental protection and sustainability. As of now, a total of 138 projects has opened up to the public. Among these projects, the Company's Jiangsu Changzhou Waste-to-energy Project, a benchmark project that solved the not-in-my-backyard effect, was shortlisted in "China's Top Ten Units Opening Up for Public Visits".

In respect to governance, Everbright Environment pursues a high standard of corporate governance, considering it a key to business development and protection of its shareholders' interests. The Company has become a supporter of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure ("TCFD") since 2020, disclosing in its sustainability reports key climate risks, as well as strategies and corporate governance measures taken in response to relevant environmental risks, according to TCFD's risk analysis framework. The Company also follows TCFD's standards to disclose emissions and carbon footprint data of its operating activities. This demonstrates the Company's concrete measures taken to improve its green asset management proficiency, given the rolling out of the country's "Carbon Peaking" and "Carbon Neutrality" ("Two Carbons") strategy.

The pursuit of sustainability requires that we must choose a green and low-carbon development approach. Facing the severe challenges brought by climate change, Everbright Environment will actively respond to global initiatives on climate change management, closely follow China's "Two Carbons" strategy, take its "Three Carbons" development target (to become a carbon-negative enterprise, to develop carbon-zero plants, and to pursue low-carbon lifestyle) as guidance, and follow its "Four-in-One" (environment, resources, energy and climate) development pattern. By continuing to enhance its ESG performance and actively reducing pollution and carbon emission, the Company will promote the concurrent enhancement of economic, social and environmental benefits, continuing to create excellent investment value and undertake social and environmental responsibilities.

Corporate Governance Asia is an authoritative journal on corporate governance in Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific. Having been established for 18 years, the journal is committed to providing news and analysis on corporate governance issues and boardroom performance in the region. The Asian Excellence Awards, a key award series launched by Corporate Governance Asia, are designed to recognise the achievements and excellence in management acumen, financial performance, corporate social responsibility, environmental practices and investor relations. Companies that participate in the award come from multiple Asian countries and regions, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Thailand, among others.