ABSTRACT
Established as a small trading company in 1984, Vanke has become the world's largest residential real estate developer in terms of sales revenue. Established originally as a trading company, Vanke first engaged in the corn trading business and then moved to trading "whatever was profitable", including textiles, electronics, chemicals and medical devices. The Vanke brand became the first well-known trademark in the industry in China. Vanke's internal sustainability initiatives focus on three aspects: fully finished units, prefabrication (prefab) and green building. Prefab offers opportunities to reduce energy, water, waste and material use, all of which are in line with Vanke's green strategy. In 2012 Vanke and World Wide Fund for Nature reached an agreement on environmental protection and green sustainable development for 2012-16. One area of cooperation focused on the Global Forest and Trade Network, aiming to leverage Vanke's influence on its supply chain to reduce the consumption of timber, protect the rainforest and combat climate change.
