All financial institutions licensed by the SFC should be required to submit ESG reports for the development of a comprehensive ecosystem of sustainability disclosures, City University of Hong Kong says.

The Chinese stock market is poised to see the emergence of shareholder resolutions on ESG issues next year, as incoming corporate governance reforms start allowing many more minority owners to present proposals for voting, a stewardship expert says.

Climate mitigation and adaptation projects that ‘stand on their own’ appeal to more mainstream investors, one financier says, especially after controversies that dented confidence in voluntary carbon credits.

The chairman of the conglomerate IMC Pan Asia Alliance Group has called for family businesses to promote sustainability, which he believes will benefit their succession planning and business values.

The meeting underscores Huawei’s long-standing ties with PetroChina in projects that have helped modernise its operations in the energy industry.

Avant Meats is expanding its lab-grown seafood production capacity amid growing popularity of sustainable seafood.

The nation’s largest oil and gas producer says it is on track to peak carbon emissions next year and double the contribution of low-carbon energy to its output capacity over two years, top leaders say.

The Women Workplace Index, which was launched on Tuesday, will collect data from firms on policies and practices such as those against sexual harassment, as well as maternity leave and equal pay.

Government plans to establish a clear pathway on sustainability reporting for businesses in Hong Kong this year, a move that is ‘essential’ to ‘reinforcing Hong Kong’s leading position on the international sustainable-finance map’, says financial services secretary.

With the world facing a US$4 trillion green investment gap a year, transition finance will grow in importance because of regulatory support in Asia, experts say.

Towngas, which last raised its basic tariff by 4.4 per cent in August 2022, is under pressure to lift gas tariffs this year ‘as we need to invest further in our network infrastructure’, managing director Peter Wong says.

Companies in Asia-Pacific will need education, cooperation with suppliers and exchanges of best practices to meet tightening climate-disclosure requirements, says Alexander Bassen of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Independent Standards Board.

The government should further open the local environment-protection market to attract investment from Greater Bay Area companies, says a vice-president at the Hong Kong-listed company.

The number of sustainability funds has tripled since the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases pledged to peak emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060, with local asset managers seizing opportunities arising from the green transition, Morningstar says.

CLP will source more nuclear energy from China’s Guangdong province to feed its power grid and sees business opportunities in decarbonisation as it phases out coal-based assets.

HKEX received 30 per cent more IPO applications so far in 2024, with start-ups eyeing capital raising as interest rates turn a corner, says newly-appointed CEO Bonnie Chan.

Start-up H2 Solution is planning to set up its operations at Hong Kong’s science and technology park in Pak Shek Kok as a launchpad into overseas markets.

China’s global dominance in the production of three key energy transition products – electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels – will face more challenges this year from industry overcapacity, price wars and trade barriers, French bank Natixis says.

The Swiss luxury brand recently auctioned 11 suitcases, each containing 11 MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold Hong Kong edition watches via Sotheby’s as part of its CSR efforts to support Orbis.

GRST, the Hong Kong green technology start-up which won Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, is in talks to deploy its eco-friendly batteries in a range of electrical applications, COO Karen Ng says.

Hong Kong’s recycling pace lags that in Europe and the US, but government intervention could help transform the landscape as growing landfills contaminate the soil.

Such guidance will make it ‘a lot easier for banks to figure out what to do and what not to do’, expert says at Climate Business Forum, although profusion of guidance may cause confusion in the short term.

Companies should focus on increasing their integration with multiple sectors to enhance their ability to serve the real economy, industry experts said at a summit.