10 January 2020
To whom it may concern
Wedge Holdings Co., Ltd
Tatsuya Konoshita,
Representative Managing Director and CEO(Code 2388 JASDAQ Securities Exchange
Contact PIC: Yasuhiro Kotake(TEL 03-6225-2207)"Zeavola Resort" was introduced in the Internet magazine.

We are pleased to introduce that " Zeavola Resort", a luxury resort in Phi Phi Island, Thailand owned
by our group, has been introduced on "World Oyster", a travel internet magazine.

The original article can be found at the link below.
https://magazine.wideoyster.com/en/travel-hero-florian-hallermann/
In recent years, Zeavola Resort has been highly regarded as an eco-resort and has received variousawards. This is an interview with hotel general manager Mr. Florian Hallermann about thesustainability challenge he has been working on for over 10 years since joining our group.

As more and more voices are shouting that travel is bad forthe environment. We believe that travel done right can be atool in conserving this beautiful rock we live on. We’d like toshed a light on travelers who have been giving everything topreserve the planet. In the words of David Attenborough:“No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one
will care about what they have never experienced. ”In thisedition: Florian Hallermann, general manager of thesustainable Zeavola Eco-Resort on Koh Phi Phi in Thailand.
Fifteen years ago I met Florian Hallermann during one of myadventures in Thailand, we spent a great evening talking
about tourism and I already noticed how engaged he waswhen we got to the topic: plastics. Little did I know that wewould meet again on Koh Phi Phi. This time under a parasol
on a tropical beach in a paradise called Zeavola Eco-Resort. 30 years ago Florian took a plane from
Vienna to Asia, saw paradise and never left. In 2008 he became the general manager of Zeavola-1-Resort, and he is now in his 11th year there. Zeavola Resort is based on a traditional southern Thai
village and the tag-line is “Back to Simplicity”, while providing barefoot luxury with personalisedservice. The hotel is rated number one on Tripadvisor on Phi Phi Island!

Why did you decide to convert Zeavola into an eco-friendly resort?
I grew up in an eco friendly family so in the moment I
arrived on Phi Phi island as the new general manager
I looked for opportunities to make a difference. One ofmy pet peeves is the usage of plastic shampoo andamenity bottles, particularly when they bear the logo of
the hotel. It’s bad practice and has a negative
marketing effect. We changed to locally sourced
ceramic bottles within the four months. This resulted intremendous operational savings. In the last 11 years
we prevented almost half a million plastic bottles being
dumped.

-2-

Could you describe shortly how you started?
Zeavola is in a very remote and beautiful location.
Due to the fragile nature of its location, we all must
really listen to the environment around us and allow
nature to be our guide. Whenever something is
mindlessly implemented, nature will present us a bill
within 6- 9 months. Those bills turn out to be more
expensive and counterproductive to the well beingof the resort and it staff members. Also, it is vitalthat our team members have a fair and conducive
work environment so they can reach their fullpotential. It’s not only nature which is important, butalso the staff and local community needs to betaken care of as well. I was asked by the current
hotel owner to create excellent working conditions,
to be recognised as the leading employer in theregion.

“Nature does not need humanity. Humanity needs nature. There is no Planet B”

What challenges did you face while working on the sustainability project
The biggest challenge in those projects is a lack of exposure to the newest technology and practices.
Since we are a single, fiercely independent resort we don’t have a head office with a technicaldirector. To keep up to date and find those technologies is difficult and requires an open mind anddetermination. Thankfully we have an extremely skilled engineering team, that just builds whatever
we need.
Sometimes it’s also pure luck. A returning guests Mr. Alexander Auer, a Swiss environmental
business consultant saw the challenges that I faced with the waste water system and kindly
provided all of the necessary technical plans from Europe. We built the system in line with local
capabilities. The waste water is now so clean it hosts many fish.

-3-Did you ever start a project that did not work out?
In July 2018 we were finally able to implement
homemade drinking water in reusable glass bottles.
The period from planning to implementation was
more than three years. In the first year we were too
fast in building the bottle wash and refill station.
Only afterwards we discovered that our waterproduction capacity was not big enough. So, with ayear delay and a huge investment of EUR 250,000
our reverse osmosis plant finally had the capacity toproduce enough water. We discovered that weneeded a secondary plant to ensure that the water
has drinking quality. That was another year added tothe time line. Finally we rated the system throughone dry season as a trial, to ensure that we had
enough water. We did in the fourth year. With ahuge learning curve, setbacks, and large bills wesucceeded.

A very important Buddhist word is “Enough”. I think many western cultures have reached the pointthat enough is enough. It is now or never if humanity wants to create a future
How do you implement sustainability in a country that is mostly not acting green?
We involve all staff members in the process. We donot use single use plastic bottles and have gifted toeach team member metal drink cups. We installed
drinking water fountains in the back of the house andin the staff housing area. Whilst there are still plastic
bottles around, they are always refilled thus saving
expenses. And we also share pictures of the staff
with their new bottles and drinking cups on socialmedia. By giving them education and the tools andby creating fun moments the adoption process isquite encouraging and gives them a sense of pride.

-4-Do environmental initiatives impact your personal life too?
A very important Buddhist word is “ Enough”. I
think many western cultures have reached thepoint that enough is enough. It is now or never if
humanity wants to create a future in which ourkids can prosper safely and sustainably. If a small
hotel, a small family or a single person can have atremendous impact, then larger corporations cando it too, and having a bigger impact.
I use cotton shopping bags and carry aroundreusable plastic containers when I buy take-out
food in my favourite restaurants to avoid
Styrofoam containers. I try to create zones in mygarden so that birds can breed in safety. I’m also
a keen kayaker and often travel long distances.
When I return, I’m looking like a garbage truck fullof plastic. My wife and I teach our children thesevery important life lessons. Help them to open
their eyes and train them to do things right.

-5-Why is sustainable tourism so important?
It is more than important, it is essential. If humanity plans to be around for a while we all should start
immediately. The times of sustainability being the hobby of the affluent countries are over. Theseaffluent countries need stop polluting. They need to assist other countries with technologies, withtargeted investment, without having profit as the constant motivator on their mind.

“I am a keen kayaker and often travel long distances. When I return, my kayak looks like a garbage
truck full of plastic”

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