The Hong Kong Productivity Council's "ESG One-Stop Platform" has attracted more than 1,200 companies within six months of its launch.

The Hong Kong Productivity Council will launch the "ESG One" platform in January 2024, providing end-to-end sustainable development solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises through the integration of assessment tools, technical support, and training resources. In conjunction with the newly established Resource Recycling Technology Research Center, it will assist businesses in deeply integrating ESG concepts into their core operations. The Chief Technology Officer of the Productivity Council, Zhang Zichang, revealed today that the platform has attracted over 1,200 companies in just six months, with small and medium-sized enterprises accounting for as high as 95%, and supported by approximately 190 institutions. Zhang Zichang pointed out four key challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises in practicing ESG - lack of professional knowledge, technology and resources, difficulties in data collection and reporting, financial pressures, and limited market awareness and exposure. To address this, he proposed six points to support the ESG transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises comprehensively. The six core pillars are ESG assessment and blueprint planning, digital trust and governance, professional ESG consultation, green technology exploration, funding programs, and talent training and business opportunities. Furthermore, the General Manager of the Green Living and Innovation Department of the Productivity Council, Cai Jianhong, shared platform data indicating that among the approximately 1,200 small and medium-sized enterprises participating in self-assessment, companies spanning 18 industries excelled in the categories of business ethics, labor rights, and customer responsibility. Among them, 93% of companies have anti-corruption policies in their business ethics, 77% have established whistleblower protection mechanisms; in labor practices, 91% of companies have labor protection policies, 84% provide basic employee medical support; in customer responsibility, 95% have established complaint handling systems, and 82% implement transparent product warranty terms. Addressing the resource constraints of small and medium-sized enterprises, Zhang Zichang emphasized the adoption of a three-stage support strategy involving cognitive empowerment, capacity building, and technology implementation, including organizing ESG practice workshops, providing training on international standard certification, and assisting companies in applying for green technology research and development funds to comprehensively reduce transformation barriers.