Prof. Christopher Chao, PolyU Vice President (Research and Innovation) and PReCIT Director (centre) and Prof. Eric Chui, Co-Director of PReCIT and Head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences (2nd from left) joined the guests and speakers including Dr Johnny Ng, Legislative Council Member (3rd from left); Mr Jonathan Wong, Chief of Innovation, Enterprise and Investment at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (left); Mr Hugh Chow, Executive Director of The ESG Consortium (3rd from right); Ms Clara Chan, Executive Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the ESG Committee at the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (2nd from right); and Ms Serena Mak, Executive Director of Sustainable Finance at the Institutional Banking Group of DBS Bank (Hong Kong) (right).Zoom In

In a collaborative effort between PolyU's Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT), The ESG Consortium and Sing Tao News Corporation Limited, a forum titled "Charting the Path: ESG Policies and SMEs in Hong Kong's Green Finance Journey" was held to discuss the policy support required for SMEs in response to the phased alignment of local sustainability disclosures with international standards set by the HKSAR Government.

 

Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and PReCIT Director, emphasised the significance of Hong Kong’s vision to become the first jurisdiction to comply with international sustainability disclosure benchmarks. He called for increased consultation with industry practitioners to develop a transparent and actionable sustainability reporting pathway for businesses in Hong Kong. 

 

The forum featured notable speakers, including Mr Jonathan Wong from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Mr Hugh Chow from The ESG Consortium; Ms Clara Chan from the Federation of Hong Kong Industries; and Ms Serena Mak from DBS Bank (Hong Kong). The discussions revolved around leveraging green finance and ESG policies to support SMEs in transitioning to a low-carbon economy and complying with ESG reporting requirements.