Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

Managing Our Environmental Impact

As a low-carbon public transport provider, we are dedicated to managing our environmental footprint and achieving carbon neutrality. Our Environmental & Social Responsibility (“E&SR”) Policy highlights our commitment to managing and mitigating the environmental impacts of our business taking into account resource use, biodiversity and climate change by developing three Environmental and Social objectives. The E&SR Policy lays down a solid foundation to incorporate sustainability considerations into the entire lifecycle of our projects and operations. To supplement the E&SR Policy, we have established a Green Procurement Policy covering specific supply chain-related aspects and a Climate Change Strategy to stipulate our commitment to mitigating, adapting and building resilience to climate change.

In Hong Kong, all designated projects begin with a statutory Environmental Impact Assessment (“EIA”) to engage and consult the public, to evaluate, avoid and minimise the potential environmental impacts, and to identify mitigation measures as required. After approval of the EIA and obtaining an environmental permit for construction and operation, the detailed environmental requirements are specified in contract documents for construction works, including the employment of environmental specialists with the contractors, to ensure that environmental permit conditions can be appropriately managed throughout the construction, testing and commissioning stage. In addition, electronic environmental management systems are put in place to support the planning and implementation of construction activities and mitigation measures during the construction phase for environmental management and auditing submissions.

To promote knowledge sharing and partnership with our stakeholders, we have hosted forums, training and site visits with our employees, consultants, contractors, government officials and industry practitioners under the Knowledge Environment since 2012, and the EPD-MTR Joint Environmental Forum which we have co-organised with the Environmental Protection Department (“EPD”) since 2015. Over the past decade, the Forums covered widely the topics from the latest environmental compliance, green building design and sustainability initiatives, as well as low-carbon construction and innovations in practices. We also keep environmental non-governmental organisations informed about the environmental aspects of new line construction.

In addition, we have established ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management Systems for the Hong Kong Transport Services Business Unit, Property Management Department, Capital Works Business Unit and some of our overseas subsidiaries, to support environmental impact management and drive continuous improvements during the construction and operation phases.

• ISO 14001 for Operations Training Department (Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Training and Related Consultancy Services)
• ISO 14001 for Hong Kong Transport Services Business Unit – Planning, Development and Delivery of Railway Services, and Management of Railway Assets
• ISO 14001 for Capital Works Business Unit – Project Management of Railway Projects
• ISO 14001 for MTR Corporation Ltd.-Investment Property Department and Property Management Department – Design and Provision of Property and Facility Management Services

Decarbonisation Strategies and Planning

We strive to integrating low-carbon measures into our policies, strategies and planning as well as strengthening our resilience and adaptation to climate-related risks.

Recognising climate change as a highly material issue to our business, we understand it brings both risks and opportunities to our existing operations and future development. Our commitment is demonstrated in our support of the Government’s Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2050, which outlines strategies and targets for combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. We also support the International Association of Public Transport (“UITP”) Declaration on Climate Leadership which spells out the industry’s responsibility to act and its commitment to climate leadership.

Our Climate Change Strategy emphasises our commitment to managing and minimising our impacts on climate change through mitigation, adaptation and building our climate resilience. We have developed a long-term decarbonisation roadmap for the operation and development of our railway and property businesses in Hong Kong through conducting a carbon reduction study in which we took into account a comprehensive range of factors including the latest climate science, technology trends, Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2050, and the risks and opportunities for our business.

We are committed to setting science-based carbon reduction targets for the operation and development of our railway network and property portfolio in Hong Kong for 2030 with the longer-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. In 2023, our 2030 carbon reduction targets covering our railway and property businesses in Hong Kong has been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (“SBTi”).

To better manage Scope 3 emission, one of such measures is our collaboration with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ("HKUST") to develop a quantification software to track and benchmark the embodied carbon of our new railway development projects and to explore the utilisation of blockchain technology for carbon footprint reporting in our new railway construction projects. Through this collaborative initiative, we aim to measure our embodied carbon emissions and identify potential areas where further reduction is possible. This information will enable us to incorporate low-carbon construction plans effectively.

Community Participation

With the objectives of raising public awareness towards green transport, we take an active role in engaging the public and working with the technology ecosystem to foster innovation on carbon reduction. In 2021, we introduced Carbon Wallet, an one-stop green lifestyle reward app to promote low carbon lifestyles through actions in recycling, dining, shopping and mobility. Users can earn points for the carbon emissions saved, redeemable for green products and services from our partners. For details, please visit the official website of Carbon Wallet.

To further promote environmental protection to the public in a fun and friendly way, we introduced our Green Ambassador “Green T Baby” in 2023 to engage public with environmental tips and promote MTR’s commitments to carbon neutrality by 2050.

We also support the Environment and Ecology Bureau’s Charter on External Lighting to switch off unnecessary lighting installations in our properties during the pre-set time to minimise nuisance to the surrounding environment.

Railway Operations

A large-scale chiller replacement project has been carried out at stations and depots, aiming to up to a 20% reduction in electricity consumption following the project completion by 2026. We are also transitioning to LED lightings at our stations and trains and optimising operational procedures for our energy efficiency. In Hong Kong, we have adopted regenerative braking technology to convert kinetic energy produced during train braking to electrical energy which is then fed back into the power supply network for other trains.

At our stations, we focus on enhancing energy efficiency in indoor environmental controls, whilst ensuring comfort for passengers and staff. In addition to safeguarding passengers, our platform screen doors help preserve the ambient temperature by minimising air displacement caused by moving trains.

As part of our carbon reduction strategy, we are incorporating clean and renewable energy. Solar system has been installed at stations and depots including Hin Keng Station, Sunny Bay Station, Siu Hong Station, Kwun Tong Station, Tai Wai Depot, Tuen Mun Depot, Pat Heung Depot and Chai Wan Depot to support renewable energy development in Hong Kong. In addition, we continue to explore possible measures to lower carbon emissions of our feeder bus fleet, such as electric buses.

In Hong Kong, we utilise regenerative braking technology to convert kinetic energy from train braking into electrical energy, which is fed to the station power supply for use by station facilities. We have expanded this system with Station Energy Saving Inverter systems at Lai King Traction Substation and HKU Station, capturing an estimated average of 1,650 kWh of regenerative energy daily. This energy is converted to low-voltage AC electricity to power station facilities, including lighting, escalators, etc.

Property Operations

We have adopted a wide range of energy saving measures in our invested and managed properties, including:

• Progressive replacement of traditional lights with LED lightings;
• Monitoring of usage and temperatures of the air-conditioning systems in the main lobbies and club houses;
• Installation of high-efficiency air conditioning systems for plant rooms, common areas and main lobbies, and installation of variable speed drive (“VSD”) and EC plug Fans for air handling units;
• Installation of automatic demand control to regulate air conditioning based on occupancy levels;
• Installation of motion and optical sensor-controlled lightings with dimming function for rear staircases and mechanical floors;
• Regular review on time scheduling of lighting controls in our building management systems;
• Modernisation of lifts and escalators;
• Proactive replacement with high-efficiency equipment;
• Installation of smart meters;
• Participation in the energy audit conducted by the power companies and development of the associated energy saving plans; and
• Application of Sun Control Window Films at Clubhouse.

We have invested in new technologies to enhance energy efficiency in our shopping malls and office buildings. At Two ifc, a cloud-based analytics platform saved 8.6% in annual energy consumption for the central chiller plant in 2024, compared to 2019. Additionally, a pilot project at Elements to develop an integrated AI solution for energy efficiency and occupancy monitoring was completed in 2024. This project resulted in annual savings of 1.3 million kWh.

In our Headquarters, we plan to gradually replace approximately 10,000 fluorescent light tubes with energy-efficient LED tubes, reducing about 50% energy consumption on lighting. By 2023, all traditional fluorescent light tubes in our Headquarters and replaceable neon light tubes inside MTR rooftop logos were replaced with LED lights.

Project Developments

We encourage our contractors to reduce and recycle construction waste, and reuse excavation materials during construction whenever possible. Any discarded excavation materials and construction wastes should be properly stored, sorted and disposed of in compliance with the regulations. Contractors on all new railway projects are contractually obligated to prepare and implement a Waste Management Plan which includes regular checks on waste handling practices and disposal records. The Waste Management Plans submitted by contractors have been reviewed to ensure effective on-site sorting, reuse, recycling activities, and the use of regional building materials, have been adopted as far as practicable.

Railway Operations

We have placed three-colour recycling bins in all MTR stations for collecting paper, cans and plastic bottles. Since 2018, free drinking water dispensers and water vending machines have been introduced at MTR stations to encourage passengers to use refillable bottles and hence to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Since 2021, waste ballast from East Rail Line has been upcycled for making eco-paver. Over 120 sets of promotional content across the entire network have been transformed from print to digital formats via QR codes to promote paperless operations.

Since 2021, we have been working closely with different partners under the Legacy Train Revitalisation Programme to repurpose retired trains in a resource-utilising and socially caring manner to give our retired trains a second life and continue serving the public. Train cars were transformed into classrooms to provide relaxing learning environment, while straphangers were upcycled as arm stretching facilities for the elderly.

Our chemical waste footprint, primarily consists of used batteries and spent lubricant oil, is relatively small. We have registered our heavy rail stations, depots and bus depots with the EPD as chemical waste producers. Licensed chemical waste collectors have been appointed for proper collection, transportation and disposal of our chemical waste.

Wastewater is treated and discharged into the public storm drainage/sewage system maintained by the Government. The Lok Ma Chau and Lo Wu stations have their own sewage treatment plants, with treated effluent discharged into nearby Hong Kong waters as approved by the EPD.

Property Operations

In our managed properties, we enhance public awareness of proper waste management and work closely with the Owners’ Committees and Incorporated Owners to promote source separation programmes for recyclables such as used papers, clothes and glass bottles. We also support “Glass to Brick” programme and relevant waste-reduction charters, e.g. Glass Container Recycling Charter and Enterprise Cherish Water Campaign.

We participated in the closed loop reusable food packaging pilot programme co-organised by WWF Hong Kong and foodpanda Hong Kong in 2022 to encourage users to use reusable containers when ordering take aways with rewards for return.

We engage stakeholders in promotional campaigns and schemes such as the “Reverse Vending Machine Pilot Scheme”, “MTR Malls Food Waste Reduction Programme” and “Central Food Waste Recycling for Improving Estate Environment”.

Furthermore, we have implemented various programmes in our managed properties to promote waste reduction, including:

• partnering with EPD Green Outreach to arrange booths to promote reduce, reuse and recycling to our residents;
• joining EPD “Green Collect” programme to enhance the current recyclable collection services at our managed residential properties; and
• collaborating with Carbon Wallet to encourage our residents to practise recycling.

Water Conservation

In our railway operations and at our managed and investment properties, water is primarily used for cleaning trains, infrastructure, stations, premises and greening of our premises. To manage and reduce our water usage, we have introduced water recycling systems and water saving devices across our railway and property operations. Water from train cleaning is recycled for future train washing or toilet flushing water in the depots.

In addition, a grey water recycling system at LOHAS Park repurposes wastewater for landscaping and cleaning of outdoor public spaces. We also install sensor water taps, flow restrictions and dual flush toilets at our office premises and MTR Malls.

Indoor Air Quality

With millions of passengers passing through our stations and trains, we take extra care in monitoring and improving air quality in railway operations. To ensure healthy, comfortable and well-ventilated journeys, we monitor air quality in our stations and inside trains in accordance with the Practice Note for Managing Air Quality in Air-conditioned Public Transport Facilities: Railways published by the EPD.

Noise Mitigation

We aim to minimise noise from our operating trains and maintenance activities to protect our neighbours. We have established benchmark noise levels inside the trains based on passenger feedback to deliver a comfortable rider experience and continuously monitor in-train noise levels as well as along our railway.

To mitigate noise during the construction of new lines, construction noise management plans have been prepared for each of the projects by Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals’ (“HKIQEP”) qualified noise modelling professionals for EPD’s approval, fulfilling the environmental permit condition. As and when required, appropriate qualified powered mechanical equipment (“QPME”) and noise mitigation measures will be employed, in order to ensure full compliance of construction noise requirements throughout the project construction period. Prior to any construction works to be carried out during restricted hours, construction noise permit (“CNP”) shall be obtained from EPD, and all associated CNP requirements and well-planned construction works arrangement shall be verified at all times. In addition, all site workers are trained to understand noise control compliance when working during normal and restricted hours. For future operation of the new railway projects, noise mitigation measures such as noise barriers and enclosures are built along the railway as necessary to alleviate potential noise impact on the surrounding community.

We widely adopt modularisation and pre-cast elements in our construction to reduce environmental impacts and noise nuisance. Building Information Modelling (“BIM”) has also been introduced for new lines and property development projects to improve the management of construction and interfaces and to enhance the efficiency of logistical planning and installation processes for building construction. Modular construction, supported by BIM modelling, has improved the process and alleviated nuisance and noise impacts during new lines and property construction.