The Hong Kong Productivity Council on Wednesday said small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to be more aware of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards used to evaluate a company's sustainability.

The council's chief technology officer, Dr Lawrence Cheung, said some SMEs neglect the social and governance aspects of ESG.

"Even for the environmental side, a lot of them may not know what kind of standards are available around internationally," he said.

"So a lot of them may just feel that they can just put some simple environmental measures and that would achieve a certain level of ESG."

Cheung said the council will hold personnel training courses as most SMEs lack the expertise to introduce ESG measures.

"Particularly a lot of exporters which are SMEs, more and more their buyers are demanding some sort of ESG elements in their operations," he said.

A new AI tool will also be introduced to help SMEs assess their ESG measures and compare their efforts with others in the industry.

"If they have some ESG elements particularly on the governance side, it actually gives them a lot more confidence in the eyes of investors, customers as well as the buyers," Cheung said.

Source: RTHK

（大公文匯全媒體記者 葉紫翎 報道）香港生產力促進局(生產力局)於2024年1月推出「ESG一站通」（ESG One)平台，響應特區政府2050年碳中和目標，為中小企業提供可持續發展解決方案。與此同時，生產力局全新成立的「資源循環技術研究中心」，與「ESG一站通」雙軌並行，攜手業界打造ESG生態圈，推動香港經濟的低碳發展。

生產力局首席技術總監張梓昌今日（11日）表示，平台推出半年已吸引逾1200間企業，其中中小企佔比高達95%，並獲約190間機構支持。

張梓昌分析指出，經過一段時間的運作，發現中小企缺乏專業知識不熟悉ESG概念，部分亦不理解國際標要求。他又指，有企業缺乏内部專才或團隊規劃策略，未能夠善用科技提升ESG表現，亦有中小企在數收集和資金方面有困難。

對此，他提出六點以全方位支持中小企的ESG轉型。六大核心支柱分別為ESG評估與藍圖規劃、數位信任與管治、專業ESG諮詢、綠色科技探索、資助計劃及人才培訓與商務機遇。

生產力局綠色生活與創新部總經理蔡劍虹進一步分享平台數據指出，在約1200間參與自我評估的中小企中，橫跨18個行業的企業於「商業道德」、「勞工權益」及「客戶責任」三大範疇表現突出。

其中，「商業道德」中有超93%企業制定反貪腐政策，77%建立舉報人保護機制；「勞工實踐」中有91%企業設有勞動保障政策，84%提供基本員工醫療支援；「客戶責任」中亦有95%建立投訴處理系統，82%實施透明產品保固條款。

生產力局今年在「ESG一站通」平台下成立了「資源循環技術研究中心」，設有「綠色材料開發實驗室」和「循環創新實驗室」。該中心專注於材料創新及循環技術的開發，旨在推動環境保護和循環經濟，為業界提供技術支援，協助實踐ESG目標。與此同時，生產力局預計在今年第三季度將引入AI技術，為企業新增「ESG AI基準分析工具」，幫助企業更好地收集、管理和比較ESG數據及表現。

中心將為企業提供綠色餐具測試服務，分析餐具的主要成分，確保即棄餐具符合法律要求。此外，中心還研發了氫燃料電池汽車的熱管理系統及新型儲能材料，並研發了提取電動車電池中高純度金屬的技術，使本港具備再造新電池的能力。

資料來源: 大公文匯

內地正快速建立全面的可持續發展報告披露體系。在證監會指導下，滬深北三大交易所於2024年4月12日聯合發佈《上市公司可持續發展報告指引》（《指引》）。根據《指引》，特定上市公司需於2026年首次披露2025年度《可持續發展報告》。該《指引》標誌著內地資本市場正式邁入ESG強制披露時代，此舉不僅對大型上市公司提出更高合規要求，更將推動其上下游供應鏈全面升級。香港中小企作為供應鏈中的關鍵角色，可乘勢迎接全新機遇。憑藉香港在ESG資訊披露和監管方面的先發優勢，加上與內地語境具有高度的相似性，香港中小企可借鑑上市公司可持續發展報告及相關指引完善自身ESG措施，在上下游供應鏈合作中搶佔先機，實現可持續發展及市場拓展的雙贏局面，搶先「登陸」內地市場。

The "Innovative Green Future: Unlocking Sustainable IoT Solutions" seminar co-hosted by HKPC ESG One and ThinkESG brought together technology and ESG experts to explore how Internet of Things (IOT) technology can help various industries enhance productivity. The event covered a wide range of topics, including the latest trends in smart waste management, smart recycling, and renewable energy management.

HKPC is committed to supporting SME and SustainableDevelopment. As a supporting organisation of "跟幗從商2024：網界風雲" event organised by JCI Hong Kong Jayceettes, apart from leading the industries towards sustainability and carbon neutrality, we also served as one of the judges for the event in supporting local brands' eCommerceTransformation and assisting SME for market expansion through e-commerce, more at: https://shorturl.at/yOd46

The "ESG One Mid-Term MeetUp” Enhancing the Power of Enterprises for A Sustainable Green Hong Kong organised by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) was held today at the HKPC Building, bringing together over 100 government officials, business leaders, industry associations, and representatives from SMEs, who attended enthusiastically. During the event, “ESG One” announced its brand-new membership benefits and recognised over 20 SMEs that performed exceptionally well in their ESG self-assessments. Afterwards, experts from the tourism, hotel, technology, and ESG industries shared their valuable insights in the "Experts’ Chitchat" session, discussing from multiple perspectives on how ESG and technological innovation can play a crucial role in driving the tourism and hospitality industries forward. 

"ESG One LevelUp Workshop” – What’s Coming Next? Navigating ESG Regulaions Around the World" organized by HKPC - Hong Kong Productivity Council ESGOne and supported by amfori - Trade with Purpose, AsiaREC, CCM CSR Promotion Center and JCI APEX held in a satisfactory way! 
 

The "Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen, Promotion and Sharing on AI, Cultural and Creative Industries Conference" co-organised by Qianhai Administration Bureau and Hong Kong Productivity Council has completed with remarkable success. It provides an important platform for the communication and cooperation between Qianhai and Hong Kong while showcasing the prospects of AI artificial intelligence and Cultural Creative industries. 

由生產力局「ESG一站通」、「中小企資援組」(SME ReachOut) 聯同香港電商物流協會及菜鳥網絡共同舉辦「引領電商物流轉型 攜手締造綠色未來」商聚考察團。日前帶領30多間中小企實地考察位於赤鱲角機場的「菜鳥智慧港」，親身體驗科技對物流業的正面影響。

(Hong Kong, 22 January 2024) HKPC held its flagship event of the year, “ForeSight 2024”, at the HKPC Building. The event was met with enthusiasm and saw a full house of nearly 400 guests, including Government officials, business leaders and media personnel. Under the theme of “ESG One – Driving ESG for Big & Small Businesses”, distinguished speakers led the “ForeSight Leaders Panel” to discuss the importance of sustainability and analyse the strategic deployment of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), aiming to inspire forward-thinking SME owners to realise the value of sustainability in 2024.