Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainability Practices of Crown Resorts

This report evaluates the social, economic and environmental sustainability practices of Crown Resorts in the tourism sector. It assesses the areas where sustainability policies are not implemented and the positive and negative impact of their operations on stakeholders. The report also evaluates the reporting practices of the company and its compliance with GRI standards.

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Industry Sector Report

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Table of Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................2
Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainability Practices of Crown Resorts......................3
Areas where sustainability policies are not implemented........................................................4
Positive and Negative Impact.....................................................................................................5
Reporting practices of the company..........................................................................................6
Compliance with GRI Standards.............................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
In today’s competitive business world, the importance of adaptation of sustainable
practices by organisations has increased because it provides them a competitive advantage
over their competitors. Organisations that adopt these policies are focused on fulfilling the
interest of their stakeholders and ensuring that they create an overall positive impact on
society (Schaltegger & Wagner, 2017). These policies are also necessary to be followed by
corporations operating in the tourism and hospitality sector to make sure that they reduce
their carbon footprint and improve the overall positive impact on society. This report will
focus on evaluating the social, economic and environmental sustainability practices which
are implemented by Crown Resorts that operates in the tourism sector. This report will
evaluate the areas of sustainability where adequate policies are not implemented by the
organisation. This report will also evaluate both positive and negative impact of the
operations of Crown Resorts on its stakeholders. Lastly, this report will evaluate the formal
reporting practices which are followed by the organisation and compare them with the GRI
(Global Reporting Initiative) Index to determine whether they comply with them or not.

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Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainability Practices
of Crown Resorts
Crown Resorts Limited is one of the largest Australian gaming and entertainment
groups that operate in the tourism and gaming sector. It owns and operates two of the
biggest and leading entertainment complexes in the country which include Crown
Melbourne and Crown Perth (Crown Resorts, 2019). In its sustainability report, the company
has included information regarding a number of social, economic and environmental
policies in order to create a positive impact on its stakeholders.
Environmental Policies
As per the sustainability report of the company, it has established awareness
programs which are focused on evaluating the environmental impact of the organisation.
These programs are focused on increasing the awareness regarding the carbon footprint of
the company and taking corrective measures in order to reduce such footprint to make sure
that the organisation improves its operations. For example, Crown Melbourne has
announced the successful installation of a 300 kilowatt PV solar power system its premises
(MCB, 2018). These installations are made in February 2018 in the Clarke Street Building of
the company. Crown Perth has also implemented policies which are targeted towards
reducing the carbon emissions of the company. For example, the company achieved a
reduction on its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 4.4 per cent in the year 2018 through
its Carbon Offset programs and the same year, Crown Perth reduce its energy consumption
by 2 per cent (Crown Resorts, 2018).
It will result in reducing the annual emissions of the enterprise by over 460,000 kg
CO2-2 (Crown Melbourne, 2019). The company has also implemented policies for the
reduction of water consumption; for example, Crown Melbourne reduced its water
consumption by 4.4 per cent. Policies are also implemented by the organisation to reduce
effluents and waste through its Recycle90 Programme. There are more than 20 streams
through which the company recycles its waste at each of its properties. Through its
operations, the company has diverted approximately 70 per cent of Waste Away from
Landfill (Crown Resorts, 2018). The corporation also invests in a comprehensive monitoring

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and reporting system through which it measures its electricity, natural gas and water
consumption to report regarding the same.
Social Policies
The company has implemented policies for commitment to the community through
the Packer Family and Foundation initiative. The company has implemented the Indigenous
Education program through which it provides mentorship for young women at school in
order to meet their individual needs (Crown Resorts, 2015). Through this program, the
company has achieved 96 per cent completion rate (12 years) through which 900 girls in
2018(which were only 250 in 2015) has been educated through this program which has
expanded in 15 sites that were only 7 in 2015 (Crown Resorts, 2018). The company has also
implemented 66 programs that support art and artists, and they are focused on improving
the creativity of students and providing them a platform for growth such as Melbourne Arts
Education Initiative Programme.
Crown has made $55 million in commitment for arts and cultural programs from
which $30 million are spent on Western Sydney Arts Initiative and $25 spend on Melbourne
and Perth Arts Education Initiatives (Grein, 2019). Employee training facilities are also
implemented by the organisation. There are various initiatives started for increasing
engagement of employees with local communities. The Employee Advisory Committee is
also responsible for implementing employee-focused programs in the organisation for which
the company has donated $200,000. The company is also supporting Foodbank for 20 years
in which it has donated 125kg of soup and 361kg of pumpkin (Crown Resorts, 2018).
Areas where sustainability policies are not implemented
One of the key areas where Crown Resorts has not implemented sustainability
policies is economic sustainability. The company has not implemented policies which are
focused on promoting the economic growth of the country by implementing sustainable
policies. The company has not implemented policies to increase the rate of employment in
Australia which is an issue that affects many parties (Mihalic, 2016). The provisions
regarding the reduction of prices of the products and services are also not implemented by
the organisation to make sure that poor people are also able to access adequate facilities in

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the travel and tourism sector. The company has not implemented adequate policies to
promote the personal development of its employees. The training facilities available for its
employees are not enough for them to make sure that they diversify their knowledge and
develop their career opportunities (Gossling, Hall, Ekstrom, Engeset & Aall, 2012). The
enterprise did not monitor whether the policies which it has implemented for the salary of
its employees are enough of them to live a decent life. The provisions regarding the
development of local communities of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are not implemented by
the company by implementing environmental protection policies. There are no specific goals
set by the company to reduce its environmental impact through its environmental
sustainability policies.
Positive and Negative Impact
There are various positive impacts of the sustainability policies implemented by
Crown Resorts. The objective of this initiative is to reduce the carbon emissions made by the
company by increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources such as solar energy which
has been achieved by the organisation. The company has reduced its carbon emissions by
over 460,000 kg CO2-2 which is a major milestone since it will lead to protecting
approximately 12,000 trees which shows its positive impact (Crown Resorts, 2018). The
education initiative of the company leads to education 900 indigenous girls, and the
company has also implemented guidelines to make sure that it donates food for the public
which eliminates hunger.
However, there are various negative impacts of the operations taken by Crown
Resorts as well. For example, the company recycle only some of its waste, and the rest of its
waste goes to landfill that resulted in harming the environment (Buckley, 2012). In order to
run its electronic gaming machines, the company relies on non-renewable energy sources
which increase its carbon emissions. The education program of the company is only focused
on indigenous people, and it did not take into consideration the interest of other backward
class or group of individuals living in Australia. Failing to provide personal and career growth
opportunities to employees resulted in negatively affecting their interest, and it also makes
it difficult for the company to make sure that it fulfils the interest of its stakeholders
(Farmaki, Altinay, Botterill & Hilke, 2015).

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Reporting practices of the company
Crown Resorts has implemented reporting practices which are targeted towards
collecting data regarding the impact of the organisation and implementing policies to make
sure that the company is able to spread awareness regarding its actions on its stakeholders.
The company reports regarding a range of policies which include greenhouse gas emissions,
waste reduction, health and safety, human rights, environmental impacts and indigenous
partnerships (Crown Resorts, 2018). Furthermore, the company has made it mandatory for
its suppliers to make reporting their supply risk assessment processes to make sure that
they collect relevant data regarding their operations and reporting regarding the risks faced
by them and the actions taken by them to reduce those risks. The company further
contributions regarding its tax contributions, ethics and government, diversity, employee
learning and development and resource use (Crown Resorts, 2018). The information
regarding these details is provided in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report of the
enterprise.
Compliance with GRI Standards
The reporting policies implemented by Crown Resorts are focused on complying with
the guidelines given under the GRI Index. For example, it complies with the provisions given
regarding environmental standards to make sure that it provisions information regarding
the materials which it use (GRI 301), energy (GRI 302), water and effluents (GRI 303),
emissions (GRI 305), effluents and waste (GRI 306) and supplier environment assessment
(GRI 308) (Global Reporting, 2016). The company has not implemented adequate policies to
report regarding environment compliances (GRI 307) which it needs to improve. In the case
of social standards, the company complies with reporting guidelines for employment (GRI
401), labour relations (GRI 402), Occupational health and safety (GRI 403), trading and
education (GRI 404) and diversity (GRI 405). The provisions regarding non-discrimination
(GRI 406) and child labour (GRI 408) (Bonilla-Priego, Font & del Rosario Pacheco-Olivares,
2014). Thus, the company complies with most of the GRI standards in its CSR report.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, the social, economic and environmental sustainability policies adopted
by Crown Resorts are identified in this report. The company has taken effective measures to
reduce its carbon emissions and increase recycling and overall positive impact on society.
The company has not implemented policies for economic sustainability and employee
development. The positive and negative impacts of these policies on the operations of
Crown Resorts are identified in this report to understand the impact of actions taken by
Crown Resorts. Lastly, it is concluded that the reporting practices of the company comply
with most of the GRI Index guidelines; however, it needs to improve its practices to make
sure that it improves the effectiveness of its reporting process.

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References
Bonilla-Priego, M. J., Font, X., & del Rosario Pacheco-Olivares, M. (2014). Corporate
sustainability reporting index and baseline data for the cruise industry. Tourism
Management, 44, 149-160.
Buckley, R. (2012). Sustainable tourism: Research and reality. Annals of tourism
research, 39(2), 528-546.
Crown Melbourne. (2019). Energy and Emissions. Retrieved from
https://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/general/crown-environment/energy-and-
emissions
Crown Resorts. (2015). Indigenous Education Program Partners Announced. Retrieved from
https://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/getmedia/31ecc497-b361-4e07-b1a7-
88a733d292af/150623-CrownMelbourne-General-Indigenous-Education-Program-
Partners-June-2015.pdf.aspx
Crown Resorts. (2018). Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.crownresorts.com.au/CrownResorts/files/78/782de805-cfd6-4025-
bb64-e57e5cb883f9.PDF
Crown Resorts. (2019). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.crownresorts.com.au/about-
us/crown
Farmaki, A., Altinay, L., Botterill, D., & Hilke, S. (2015). Politics and sustainable tourism: The
case of Cyprus. Tourism management, 47, 178-190.
Global Reporting. (2016). GRI Standards Download Center. Retrieved from
https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
Gossling, S., Hall, C. M., Ekstrom, F., Engeset, A. B., & Aall, C. (2012). Transition
management: A tool for implementing sustainable tourism scenarios?. Journal of
Sustainable Tourism, 20(6), 899-916.

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Grein, A. (2019). Melbourne Theatre Company tours to regional Victoria and Tasmania.
Retrieved from https://www.ampag.com.au/article/the-violent-outburst-that-drew-
me-to-you-will-tour-to-regional-victoria-and-tasmania
MCB. (2018). Crown Melbourne Installs Largest CBD Rooftop Solar Project. Retrieved from
https://www.melbournecb.com.au/blog/post/crown-melbourne-installs-largest-cbd-
rooftop-solar-project/
Mihalic, T. (2016). Sustainable-responsible tourism discourse–Towards ‘responsustable’
tourism. Journal of Cleaner Production, 111, 461-470.
Schaltegger, S., & Wagner, M. (2017). Managing the business case for sustainability: The
integration of social, environmental and economic performance. Abingdon:
Routledge.