BW fosters a culture of giving back

Lance Li, CEO of BW Industrial Development JSC

COVID-19 has affected Vietnam and the wider world for over 18 months. How has the recent rise of the Delta variant affected your business?

The pandemic has dramatically changed the way people live and work. From a business perspective, it’s been an accelerant for what we think is among the most critical secular trends – the rise of e-commerce. This is coupled with the continued growth of our logistics real estate business.

We’re seeing an increasing demand for modern warehousing, cold chain, and cold storage. E-commerce in Vietnam, which currently accounts for a mere 5.5 per cent of the total retail sales, is still in a relatively nascent stage; we expect it to grow significantly in the coming years.

In a recent press release, your company and strategic partner ESR announced converting a 40,000sq.m ready-built warehouse into a COVID-19 field treatment centre. How did you make this happen?

Yes, we converted a warehouse into a COVID-19 field treatment centre and have since then doubled the area to 80,000 square-metre in response to the rising number of cases in Binh Duong. This is a great example of collaboration between entrepreneurs and local authorities in the fight against COVID-19. BW and ESR are responsible for providing electricity, water, and toilet facilities in the treatment centre while Becamex is in charge of interior outfitting, and the People’s Committee of Binh Duong is handling the installation of necessary medical equipment.

With an 11,800-bed capacity, it is one of the few field treatment centres in the country with the capacity to appropriately segregate and treat a range of COVID-19 patients, from asymptomatic to severe cases. Around 600 beds are equipped with ventilators that are connected to the central oxygen supply system.

Inside the 80,000sqm COVID-19 field treatment centre

It’s great to hear how agile the company has been in response to the pandemic. Was this a one-time activity, or is BW engaging in such cooperative efforts on a regular basis?

Social responsibility is deeply ingrained in our corporate culture. We’re committed to giving back to the communities we’re in, and now more than ever in the wake of COVID-19.

On 10 August, we coordinated with local authorities for tenants of our BW Supply Chain City Industrial Park to receive vaccinations, to ensure a safe environment for all. In July, we donated more than $43,000 to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Binh Duong in response to a call for public donations to buy vaccines. In June, we supported the Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park in initiating one of Ho Chi Minh City's largest vaccination campaigns by providing our facilities as a base.

Tenants receive vaccinations at the BW Supply Chain City

BW provides facilities within the Tan Phu Trung Industrial Park for Ho Chi Minh City's largest vaccination campaign

As an industry leader, what are your plans beyond corporate social responsibility (CSR)?

That’s a great question. CSR is just a part of BW’s 2021-2030 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategic plan. We aim to provide sustainable properties to meet customer needs while supporting well-being, diversity, gender equality, and the use of clean, affordable energy. Beyond our CSR goals, the board has set out a clear vision and a series of targets across the three key pillars people and culture, property, and corporate commitment.

We will strive to improve gender equality, achieve zero workforce fatalities, attain one million square metres of solar roof coverage, deliver five LEED-certified projects, and invest significantly in social enterprises and local community foundations by 2030. We are committed to protecting the country’s natural resources, our stakeholders, and communities to become a better corporate citizen.

In your work with investors, how high on the list of requirements is a favourable ESG profile for your business?

With growing public awareness and concerns about environmental protection, clean industrial facilities will be the way of the future. We believe integrating ESG factors into our operations will help save costs and create a long-term positive impact, and ultimately build a durable and successful company.

What is the most significant change you expect to see in the industrial logistics market towards 2022?

Vietnam’s market will heal with the containment of the pandemic. The e-commerce marketplace will experience a boom, which will have to be backed by Grade A logistics infrastructure. This will lead to an accelerated development of the industrial logistics sector, fuelled largely by the demand for ready-built factories.