Hayleys’ Talawakelle Tea wins Best Integrated Reporting at Asia Sustainability Awards

CSRWorks International Managing Director Rajesh Chhabara presenting Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Roshan Rajadurai with the Best Integrated Report Award at Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards

Emerging ahead of leading Asian corporates, Hayleys Plantations’ Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTEL) was crowned as winners of Asia’s Best Integrated Report at the fourth Annual Asia Sustainability Reports Awards (ASRA) in Singapore. 

Setting a new benchmark for Sri Lankan corporates, TTEL’s annual report was ranked ahead of leading Asian companies such as Maybank – Malaysia, Singtel – Singapore, Ajinomoto Co., Inc. – Japan, Tata Motors Ltd. – India and Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. – Hong Kong. 

“We are defined by a firm commitment to excellence and continuous improvements in everything we do. Our commitment to a strong framework of corporate governance and accountability has allowed us to thrive and enabled our organisation to be transparent and accurate in reporting into all aspects of our performance. This in turn has facilitated Hayleys Plantations to deliver excellence to all our stakeholders, and we are deeply encouraged by our victory on such a prestigious international platform as the Asia Sustainability Reports Awards,” Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Roshan Rajadurai said.

Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC was also nominated as a finalist for Asia’s Best Materiality Reporting, Asia’s Best Environmental Reporting, Asia’s Best Carbon Disclosure, Asia’s Best SDG Reporting & Asia’s Best Report Design. A record 82 companies from 14 countries made it to the final round of the 2018 Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards across 17 categories.

“Sustainability reporting has become an important tool for investors and stakeholders to assess a company’s full value. High quality reporting and disclosure allows organisations to communicate how they manage their economic, environmental, social and governance impacts, risks and opportunities to create value in the short, medium and long term. Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC’s winning report demonstrates the company’s leadership in sustainability reporting and a deep sense of commitment to transparency, disclosure and value creation,” CSRWorks International Managing Director Rajesh Chhabara said. 

ASRA is an international platform that recognises and honours sustainability reporting leaders in Asia. The Awards celebrate best practices in sustainability reporting and is open to all types and sizes of private, public and non-profit organisations in all sectors which produce a sustainability report or an integrated report in Asia. An independent panel of distinguished judges evaluate the entries to select the winners.

Senior business leaders from 13 countries attended the exclusive awards ceremony hosted by the British High Commissioner in Singapore Scott Wightman. Dignitaries from diverse fields including academia, non-profit, embassies, trade associations and advocacy organisations were also present at the ceremony. 

The awards were presented by the Guest of Honour Jessica Cheam, Managing Editor of Eco-Business, The British High Commissioner Scott Wightman and special guests Dr. Lawrence Loh, Director of Corporate Governance, Institutions and Organisations at NUS Business School and Dr. Wu Huijuan, Assistant Director, Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

CSRWorks International, a Singapore-based firm focusses on sustainability consulting, training and thought leadership, created the non-profit Asia Sustainability Reporting Awards to inspire Asian organisations to adopt sustainability reporting and integrated reporting.

The performance of Hayleys Plantations at the ASRA is the latest in a string of accolades and prestige secured by the organisation. Between them, Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC and Kelani Valley Planataions PLC won a collective 15 accolades at the National Business Excellence Awards 2018, with TTEL receiving further Gold awards in the Agriculture and Plantation Sector, Excellence in Performance Management and Extra Large Company categories. Similarly, TTEL also secured a further five awards at the Presidential Environmental Awards 2018, for the fifth consecutive year, making it the only plantation company that has successfully competed with local industrial competitors at this scale.