Sands Launches the Sands Cares Accelerator in Macao

LAS VEGAS and MACAO, March 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) today announced it has expanded its flagship Sands Cares Accelerator program to Macao by welcoming local nongovernmental organization (NGO) Green Future to the three-year exclusive membership program that serves as a catalyst for greater nonprofit impact in the community.

Green Future is the fifth nonprofit organization to join the Sands Cares Accelerator program, launched by Sands in 2017 to help fast-track rising organizations on the tipping point of making a leap in community impact. Through the three-year membership program, Sands creates longer-term relationships with nonprofits via extended funding, structured guidance and customized support rarely found with typical corporate-nonprofit engagements.

Using the Sands Cares Accelerator blueprint, funding from Sands and program leadership from Sands China, Green Future will focus its membership on creating a first-of-its-kind environmental social enterprise that provides a subsidized training course and urban waste sorting and logistics services focused on preparing cardboard for recycling, while offering local employment positions, including opportunities for disabled residents, in Macao.

Macao has a critical need for sustainable recycling services focused on cardboard, as more than 27% of all municipal solid waste consists of paper and cardboard, according to a 2020 report from the DSPA Environmental Protection Bureau. Green Future currently provides public education on clean recycling and waste sorting services. Through resources and guidance gained through the Sands Cares Accelerator, Green Future will evolve these services into an environmental social enterprise that provides professional training and door-to-door waste recycling services.

"Being part of the Sands Cares Accelerator is a tremendous opportunity for Green Future," said Un Ka Hou, president of Green Future. "The program enables us to advance our mission to reduce urban waste in Macao while giving residents in need an opportunity for valuable long-term employment. We're honored to be selected for the Sands Cares Accelerator and eager to begin our collaborative work with the Sands team to launch our environmental social enterprise."

In providing retail and related businesses with professional knowledge on waste sorting and an affordable and convenient way to reduce waste, Green Future ultimately aims to increase Macao's recycling rate and establish a sustainable business practice that pushes toward a circular economy.

"Our Sands China team has worked with Green Future for several years now and knew they were a strong fit for the Sands Cares Accelerator," said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility for the company. "Their membership in the program has several benefits to the community – we are helping Green Future create valuable recycling services and provide opportunities for residents in need, while fostering the success of a local NGO and small business. Each of these areas supports our priorities to drive environmental sustainability, workforce development, and local business and SME success."

In addition to expansion of the Sands Cares Accelerator in Macao, Sands is focused on enhancing the program's offerings in areas such as staff mentorship by Sands Team Members. In 2021, Sands began working with nonprofits to identify candidates within their organizations for one-on-one mentoring to help them reach the next level in their careers. The company also plans to bring nonprofits a greater array of professional and consulting skill sets such as visual media production, market research support and strategic guidance on organizational expansion plans.

Inspired by the entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit of Sands' founder Sheldon G. Adelson, the Sands Cares Accelerator carries on his legacy of building successful businesses and giving back to communities with a greater corporate involvement to help advance the capabilities of nonprofit organizations so they can better address the needs of their communities. During the three-year membership, nonprofits focus on building their capacity in a strategic area or enhancing a program offering to better serve the community. Sands serves as a catalyst and mentor for helping organizations achieve their goals.

Other Sands Cares Accelerator members have included the Marty Hennessy Inspiring Children Foundation, Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth and Green Our Planet in the United States and Art Outreach in Singapore.

About Green Future

Green Future is a local environmental NGO that was founded in 2012. Our vision is to develop a sustainable society under the harmonious coexistence of mankind and the natural environment. We are committed to creating a green future for everyone in Macao.

Green Future provides a wide range of environmental education activities including recycling, plastic reduction, food waste reduction, urban farming, and workshops on up-cycling, plant-based diet, plastic-free and green lifestyle. We are active in organizing environmental programs for local schools, workshops and outdoor activities for children and parents. We currently partner with the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) to run three public recycling centers and five public recycling street stations across Macao to educate the public on clean recycling and sustainable practices.

About Sands (NYSE: LVS) 

Sands is the world's preeminent developer and operator of world-class Integrated Resorts that drive valuable business and leisure tourism and deliver significant economic benefits, sustained job creation, financial opportunities for local businesses and community investment to make our host regions ideal places to live, work and visit.  

Sands' portfolio of properties include the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and The Venetian Macao, The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, The Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao and Sands Macao in Macao SAR, China, through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd.  

Sands is dedicated to being a model corporate citizen, anchored by the core tenets of serving people, planet and communities, and our corporate responsibility performance has led to recognition as one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies and inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for World and North America. To learn more, visit www.sands.com.  

SOURCE Las Vegas Sands