Advancement in green building sector for Hong Kong’s carbon neutral future
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In the era of climate change, sustainability has been one of the top priorities on many governments’ and corporations’ agendas. As a key part of sustainable urban development, more and more emphasis is being placed on a building's "green" credentials, as environmental impact leads decisions around design, construction and operations.
Celebrating its 13th anniversary this year, the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) continues to strive to raise green building awareness by engaging the government, the industry and the public, and to develop practical solutions for the city.
In Hong Kong, building-related activities account for 90 per cent of total electricity consumption, generating over 60 per cent of local carbon emissions, which is relatively high when compared to the global average. Therefore, it is pivotal to make our buildings more energy efficient in order to reduce the city’s carbon emissions.
Leading industry transformation
“The government’s goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and green buildings is one of the four major decarbonisation strategies in Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 announced last year. It takes the whole society to participate in decarbonisation. Over the past years, we have been mobilising different sectors and enterprises, and advocating green buildings and sustainability through membership programmes, industry events, certifications, public promotion, education and more,” says Cheung Hau-wai, chairman of HKGBC.
He continues, “This year, we are excited to see a record high number in membership, with over 160 Institutional Members. The number of Platinum Patron Members, which is the highest tier of HKGBC membership, also hits a new record, with Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Bank of Communications joining the cause. The participation of the banking sector reflects the important role that HKGBC plays in green finance.”
To lead forward-looking discussions, HKGBC organises and participates in a number of events every year. For instance, it supported the Chinachem Group Sustainability Conference 2022 in October as a co-organiser. Themed “Creating Social Impact on the Zero Carbon Journey in Hong Kong” and featured 15 renowned local and overseas speakers who discussed on a range of topics, from green building and green finance development to social and cultural impacts, the conference attracted over 1,700 participants in total.
HKGBC also held the fourth edition of its Policy Luncheon in October. Exclusive to Platinum and Gold Patron Members, the Green Finance Luncheon was well attended by government officials, industry elites and market practitioners, and was designed to facilitate high-level policy discussions among the government, C-level executives, and top management of related sectors.
The CIC Green Product Certification Scheme, jointly operated by the CIC and the HKGBC, was developed as the primary certification scheme to assess sustainable building and construction materials or products. It now covers 18 categories and over 800 certified building materials.
Cultivating a culture of sustainable living among the public
Apart from driving changes within the industry, HKGBC has put in a lot of effort in raising public awareness. As a bridge connecting the community and the industry, it actively promotes the BEAM Plus certification, which is Hong Kong’s leading initiative to offer independent assessments of building sustainability performance.
“BEAM Plus enables organisations and companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development. As of 24 November 2022, there are around 2,200 registered BEAM Plus projects, covering a total area of over 73.5 million square metres. BEAM Plus is not only widely recognised, but also provides clear instructions and certifications to buildings that would like to apply for green finance,” Cheung shares.
The latest initiative is to extend the green building rating to schools – “BEAM Plus Existing Schools Version 1.0”.
He adds, “With over 1,000 primary and secondary schools, reducing electricity consumption in these premises will help Hong Kong lower its carbon emissions.”
In addition to elements of sustainability, the assessment tool contains educational elements to engage teachers and students. Currently, 125 schools are participating in the BEAM Plus in Schools programme. They will undergo green building assessments and implement green education programmes for the students.
HKGBC’s annual flagship public campaign “Hong Kong Green Building Week”, which has been held for 10 consecutive years, saw record-breaking participation in 2022. More than 250,000 employees and members from over 180 companies and organisations supported and participated in the “Biz-Green Dress Day”. “The increased participation well reflects that Hong Kong people have become more conscious about the importance of green buildings and supported sustainable urban development,” he says.
A collaborative future
Speaking about the future journey to zero carbon, Cheung considers collaboration across geographies holds key to sustainability as it brings synergies in knowledge, technology and funding.
He elaborates, “HKGBC has been partnering with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to develop professional knowledge on retro-commissioning and provide relevant hands-on training certification programmes for the industry in the Greater Bay Area. We are glad that our training programmes have been well received and recognised, with the ‘From Active Training to In-class Training project’ winning the Gold Award in Smart Jobs and Consumers pillar of the 2022 ESCI Best Practices Awards Program.”
To extend further, HKGBC signed the "Memorandum of Cooperation on Building Energy Saving Retrofit in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" with EMSD and numerous professional organisations in the region and other Mainland cities in November. The Council is currently developing an electronic guidebook to promote retrofitting so as to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in existing buildings.
Later this month, HKGBC will be holding the Greater Bay Area Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2022, during which leaders from the Mainland and Hong Kong will gather to discuss on topics relating to how to create a sustainable and carbon-neutral built environment in the region.