Earth Day 2024: Sands Updates on Environmental Initiatives

In celebration of Earth Day 2024, Sands is marking the environmental milestones it has achieved toward protecting the planet in the areas where the company can have greatest impact: low-carbon transition, water stewardship, waste reduction and incorporation of sustainable materials and resources.

A key highlight of the past year was receiving LEED Gold Certification for the company’s new corporate headquarters in Las Vegas. Powered by renewable electricity and a number of sustainable features, the corporate campus produces enough energy to power its usage throughout the workday. The campus includes 1,200 solar photovoltaic panels, 16 electric vehicle charging stations, a high albedo rooftop to reflect sunlight and reduce air conditioning load, and 100% LED light sources.

Last year, Sands also made significant progress on its 2021-2025 ambition to reduce emissions by 17.5% from a 2018 baseline by logging a 50% emissions reduction in 2023 thanks to its focus on energy efficiency projects and renewable energy certificate purchases.

The company’s waste management strategies also yielded substantial results with Sands properties preventing, rescuing or diverting 23% of food waste in 2023. Additionally, the company diverted 52% of construction waste and 20% of operational waste from landfill.

In the area of water stewardship, Sands decreased potable water consumption by 12% from its 2019 baseline in 2023. The company also continued its focus on transitioning to sustainable materials where possible, and as of 2023, 61% of the Sands-branded water bottles used at resorts incorporated sustainable solutions. In addition, 98% of the paper hygiene products sourced globally were sustainable.

“We are firmly committed to protecting the planet through coordinated strategies around conserving resources, incorporating efficiencies and transitioning to sustainable alternatives in our priority focus areas,” Katarina Tesarova, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer, said. “Earth Day 2024 is a day in which we can celebrate our achievements through the midpoint of our 2021-2025 environmental, social and governance reporting cycle, and pledge to continue driving toward the targets we have set to reduce our impact around the world.”

Sands’ environmental initiatives are led by the global Sands ECO360 program, which spearheads the company’s efforts in sustainable building development, resort operations, and meetings and events. To learn more about Sands’ environmental priorities and performance, read the latest ESG Report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.