The Asian Financial Forum (AFF) held in January echoed global views on environment, social and governance (ESG) development. Green finance is playing an enabling role as the world transitions to a zero-carbon future. Sustainable companies need to constantly rethink the purpose and the means of conducting business in both meaningful and profitable ways to empower people and match diverse stakeholder needs. Progressive firms will factor ESG considerations into investment strategies, business planning, and product and service value chains. Brands need to innovate, fully deploy design, digitalisation and technology, and invest in a green future with concrete plans and actions to meet climate-related targets. Among the speakers at AFF was Mark Carney, UN special envoy on climate action and finance, who noted that there are enormous opportunities for countries and companies and that the financial sector has become become “a window through which ambitious climate action can deliver the sustainable future that people around the world have been demanding”. While the United Nations climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow has witnessed more governments, companies and the financial sector working towards limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the growing incidences of severe weather events and sea level rise indicate that Hong Kong must step up to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet the net-zero target by 2050. The Post reported on January 22 that global ESG standards are gradually taking shape for companies to measure and report sustainability performance and aspirations. The boards of listed companies will move towards climate disclosures that are aligned to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures by 2025 as mandated by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. ESG compliance aside, aspirational brands need to sustain a regenerative culture in which top-down mandates are met with increased flow of creative ideas, contributing towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve meaningful change at scale, design needs to be life-, people- and stakeholder-centric, where deep actionable insights can motivate desirable outcomes. On January 8, the Post rightly noted that “green is gold” for leaders of the sustainability drive. We need more ESG professionals , design-minded change agents and network builders who can help to translate strategy into action and nurture collaborative creativity with business rigour. This regenerative green power is, after all, the greatest power for sustainable growth. Dr Edmund Lee, general manager and head of group ESG initiatives, Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd