Climate change: why Hong Kong-listed firms have to ensure ‘just transition’ sustainability plans
Institutional investors will increasingly raise just transition issues and expect companies to address them, sustainability expert Anthony Cheung saysCheung will take part in a discussion on social impact investment at the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies’ ESG and green finance forum on WednesdayBusiness of climate changeEric NgPublished: 10:30am, 3 Oct, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
Just transition, or practices for mitigating and adapting to climate change without sacrificing key stakeholders’ interests, is an emerging topic that Hong Kong-listed companies have to confront, according to a sustainability expert.
Companies will increasingly be questioned by institutional investors about their plans to address the social impact that may arise out of their climate and sustainability-related strategic decisions, said Anthony Cheung, a member of the supervisory board of World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA). The non-profit ranks the world’s most influential companies on their contribution to the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030.
“In the past, when Hong Kong listed companies met institutional investors, the companies mostly talked about their plans on greenhouse gases and waste management,” he said ahead of the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies’ ESG and green finance forum on Wednesday.
The forum will focus on transition finance, green technology, social impact investment, environment, social and governance (ESG) and climate risk disclosures. Cheung is one of the participants in a panel discussion on social impact investment.
“Going forward, we should expect some of the just transition issues to be asked and addressed,” said Cheung, who is also the managing director of ESG at Asia-focused hedge fund Polymer Capital.