Unity Hong Kong Fund report: Emission reduction plans before and after major events can bring nearly HK$1 billion in economic benefits annually.

The Unity Hong Kong Fund today released a research report titled "Moving Forward with Prosperity: Building Hong Kong as the Capital of Green Events", pointing out that promoting green events can benefit both the environment and the economy, and is an important step in consolidating Hong Kong's position as the international capital of events. Data shows that by 2025, various events are estimated to attract about 3 million visitors to Hong Kong, bringing in nearly HK$9.8 billion in consumption and HK$5.7 billion in economic value added. The report estimates that if Hong Kong can translate green requirements into urban competitiveness and industrial capabilities, it could bring in potential local value added of nearly HK$1 billion annually, including maintaining and attracting more high value-added international events to Hong Kong, as well as cultivating new demands for green activities and services such as carbon accounting, reusable exhibition booths, recycling services, and low-carbon products. The foundation points out that large international events are increasingly incorporating environmental protection and carbon reduction requirements. As international organizers, sponsors, and visitors pay more attention to the environmental performance of events, Hong Kong needs to establish green support measures early on in order to maintain its competitiveness in hosting high-quality international events while developing its event economy. The report proposes four core directions for building a green event ecosystem: the government should lead the establishment of a top-level policy framework for "green large-scale events", and in the short term, the government is advised to include "green large-scale events" in the updated Climate Action Blue Print 2050 planned for the second half of 2026; optimize funding mechanisms, leverage the "M+" brand system and the Leading Role of the Cultural and Artistic Events Fund; promote the transformation of conference and exhibition activities through MICE venue contracts and operating standards; improve supply chain support, help the market gradually adapt, establish a "green supplier list" and re-launch "green electronic vouchers", build a "green event warehouse", and introduce recycling technologies. David Shui, Vice President of Unity Hong Kong Fund and Executive Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, pointed out that the event economy has developed rapidly in recent years, and promoting green events is a win-win strategy for balancing economic and environmental benefits. This not only ensures that existing international events that value environmental performance will not be lost, but also helps attract more high-profile, high value-added events to Hong Kong, potentially bringing new opportunities to the local green event industry and creating demand for products and services such as carbon accounting, reusable exhibition booths, and environmental certifications.