Helping the underprivileged groups is the effective channel to implement our motto “What comes from the community is to be used for the community”. We have been supporting The Asian Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, a non-profit organization in Hong Kong, for its China Mobile Eye Treatment Centre project for three years. The project is to provide surgeries for poor cataract patients in the remote areas of the Mainland to restore eye sight. To date, over 4,000 surgeries have been carried out, justifying the Group’s unwavering efforts to promote a harmonious society. Following the donation of the first mobile eye surgery centre to the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 2008, the Group donated the second mobile eye surgery centre to Jiangsu Province in 2009 and the centre started serving cataract patients in the province in August2010. In March this year the Group donated “Vision Restoration Centre No. 4” mobile eye surgery centre to Shandong Province, so as to help at least 1,500 cataract patients from six poverty-stricken counties this year, to restore their sight. Shandong Province is where the Group kicked off the flagship CSR programme “Yip’s Chemical Ten-Year Donation Plan for Mobile Eye Surgery Centres”, and this year marks the launch of this project. “Vision Restoration Centre No.4” was also emblazoned with the purple iconic symbol of “Bauhinia Paints”, a household paint brand of the Group. The Group hopes that the mobile eye surgery centre will serve its purpose in helping to restore the sight of cataract patients in Shandong Province, thus bringing brightness and hope to them.

To sustain its devotion to CSR, the Group has formed a volunteer team to channel its passion and encourage the staff of its subsidiaries, distributors and customers to contribute to society. Not only will the team promote voluntary services, care for and assist those in need, these efforts will also help to build a more harmonious society. The first mission of the volunteer team is to visit cataract patients in the Mainland and promote the prevention of blindness. The visit is expected to be held in September this year.

In addition to dedicating its efforts on the flagship CSR programme, the Group has actively participated in environmental protection activities such as charity walk and “Tree Planting Challenge” organized by the local environmental protection group, Friends of the Earth, in January and April this year respectively. The Group hopes to arouse its staff’s attention to climate change, and take action to reduce carbon footprint while mitigating the effects of global warming.

This year is of particular significance to Yip’s Chemical as it marks the 40th anniversary of its founding as well as the 20th anniversary of its public listing. To express the care and appreciation for its employees, and to ensure that the culture of caring for the staff will take root in the company, the Chairman, Mr. Ip Chi Shing, the Deputy Chairman, Mr. Stephen Yip, and Ms. Ip Fung Kuen, donated 4 million shares of the Company’s stocks to set up a “Yip’s Care Extension Foundation” to subsidize the children of its employees in their education. For further details, please visit http://www.yipsCEF.com.hk.

The Group’s enduring effort in promoting CSR has been gradually recognized and appreciated by external parties. In June this year, the Group was awarded the “2010 GoldenBee Honor Roll Listed Company Award” and “2011 Good Enterprise Fulfilling Corporate Social Responsibility Award”. These awards manifested the support that we gained from different stakeholders in view of our CSR development in China. It also acts as a strong encouragement to us in further promoting CSR in the future.