As Hong Kong faces pressing challenges ranging from environmental pollution to resource depletion, businesses are recognising the urgent need to adopt modern, sustainable practices across their production and operational methods. With industries navigating unique trends and challenges, the demand for innovative solutions has never been greater. At the heart of this transformation is the global shift toward net-zero emissions, driving businesses to cultivate a more environmentally conscious and resilient community. Beyond environmental efforts, Hong Kong’s business sector is also extending its impact through social initiatives, addressing the needs of broader stakeholders and communities.

In an era defined by geopolitical uncertainties and rapid technological advancements, the ability to adapt to an ever-changing landscape is imperative. This session brings together industry leaders to explore how businesses in Hong Kong are leveraging innovation to overcome challenges, seize opportunities, and drive sustainable growth. From cutting-edge technologies to strategic partnerships, panellists will share insights on how companies are redefining their roles in a dynamic global economy. Join us to discover how Hong Kong’s business sector is pioneering change and setting new benchmarks for sustainability, resilience, and innovation.

Learnings

1. What are the growing trends and regulations that different industries are currently undergoing and how will they impact businesses?
2. What are the strengths and limitations of revolutionary changes and methods that modern businesses have begun to adapt?
3. How can businesses in Hong Kong balance innovation with sustainability to address pressing environmental and social challenges?

4. What role do technology and collaboration play in driving the transition to net-zero emissions and sustainable practices?
5. How can companies adapt to geopolitical and technological shifts while maintaining a competitive edge and creating positive societal impact?

Post-event Actions

1. Acquire knowledge about the carbon reduction strategies of top organizations and collaborative solutions across industries.
2. Rethink the priorities your company and sector should emphasize in both the short and long term to create a significant impact necessary to tackle persistent climate challenges.
3. Recognize the compelling reasons for business leaders to collaborate and drive the transformation of all industry sectors toward achieving a net-zero economy by 2050.

4. Evaluate your organization’s current practices and identify areas where sustainable innovations can be integrated into operations.

This session kicks off with a groundbreaking presentation on how the latest climate models are delivering fine-scale projections tailored to Asia’s dense tropical cities. The new models and insights offer a critical edge for governments and private sector managing extreme climate risks, from early warnings to urban resilience planning. The session concludes with a dynamic panel bringing together science, policy, finance and insurance to explore how the new science can reshape decision-making across sectors.

This session will explore the dual challenges and opportunities of carbon markets in Hong Kong, particularly in the wake of industry that has questioned their effectiveness and integrity. While carbon markets offer a mechanism for industries to offset emissions, they have sometimes been criticised for enabling greenwashing or allowing businesses to avoid making real, impactful changes.

This panel session will address these concerns and propose ways to improve and synchronise carbon markets to ensure they complement, rather than replace, genuine emission reduction efforts. By aligning carbon trading with robust regulatory frameworks and transparent reporting, we can enhance their credibility and effectiveness. Our panellists will also explore the importance of integrating carbon markets into a broader strategy that prioritises reducing emissions at the source, ensuring they serve as a tool for accelerating climate action rather than a loophole.

Learnings

1. How can businesses adopt a proactive approach to sustainability, embedding emission reduction practices into core operations?
2. What is a balanced approach that combines carbon trading with direct emission reductions?

Post-event Actions

1. Advocate for greater transparency and standardisation in carbon market mechanisms.
2. Collaborate with industry stakeholders to develop best practices for aligning carbon markets with science-based emission reduction targets.
3. Support internal policies that prioritise direct emission reductions

As businesses align their ambitions with global climate goals, the concept of a Just Transition becomes paramount. This session will focus on the critical intersection of corporate sustainability due diligence, labour risk and social sustainability in driving a Just Transition.
The discussion will explore how supply chain due diligence can ensure that companies not only reduce their environmental impact but also address social risks and promote worker welfare. Delegates will gain insights into how businesses can proactively engage with key stakeholders, including workers, communities, and policymakers, to create inclusive and sustainable transition plans that prioritise fairness, safeguard livelihoods, and enhance long-term resilience. The session will emphasise the importance of supporting vulnerable workers, ensuring decent work opportunities, and fostering inclusivity as industries shift towards achieving net zero ambitions.

Learnings

1. How can businesses ensure that their transition plans are socially sustainable, promote worker welfare, and enhance inclusivity alongside environmental goals?
   2. What role does supply chain due diligence play in embedding accountability, remedy, and the support of vulnerable workers into corporate strategies?
   3. How can companies effectively engage with workers, communities, and other stakeholders to co-create transition plans that address workforce needs and advance social sustainability?

Post-event Actions

1. Conduct social impact assessment across your company’s operations and supply chains to identify potential risks to worker welfare, livelihoods, and social sustainability during the transition.
   2. Develop a Just Transition framework that integrates principles of social sustainability, labour protections, and decent work into your sustainability strategy, ensuring meaningful engagement with workers and communities in decision-making and risk analysis.
   3. Collaborate with stakeholders, including workers, communities, and industry partners, to establish mechanisms for accountability, grievance resolution, and the promotion of decent work opportunities for all.

This session will delve into the rapidly evolving landscape of climate-related disclosure, examining policy, both locally and globally, the opportunities these present as well as the challenges they pose for businesses.

With climate disclosure requirements, mandated by HKEX, from 1^st January 2025, listed companies are already navigating a complex web of requirements both locally and overseas. This panel will also focus on the implications of the EU commission’s first Omnibus package of sustainability rules, which sets a new benchmark for transparency and accountability. Panellists will explore how these policies can drive positive change by encouraging greater corporate responsibility, while also addressing the practical challenge businesses face in compliance, such as data collection, standardisation, and alignment across regions. This session aims to provide actional insights for businesses to turn regulatory challenges into strategic opportunities, fostering trust and resilience in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.

Learnings

1. How can businesses leverage global disclosure policies to enhance transparency and build stakeholder trust?
2. What are the most significant challenges companies face in complying with local and international disclosure policies?
3. How can organisations align their sustainability reporting frameworks to meet diverse regulatory requirements while maintaining operational efficiency?

As we approach the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this session will take a critical look at the progress made toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the SDGs have provided a universal framework for addressing global challenges, their adoption and integration into business strategies, government policies, and community actions have been uneven.

This discussion will explore whether the SDGs are at the point of falling short of their ambitious targets or if there is still an opportunity to catalyse meaningful impact. Panellists will examine the barriers to effective implementation, such as lack of alignment, insufficient funding, and limited accountability, while also highlighting success stories and innovative approaches that demonstrate the potential for accelerated progress.

Learnings

1. What are the key barriers preventing widespread adoption and integration of the SDGs, and how can they be overcome?
2. How can businesses, governments, and civil society work together to accelerate progress toward the SDGs in the remaining years?
3. What innovative approaches or success stories demonstrate the potential for catalysing meaningful impact under the SDG framework?

Post-Event Actions:

1. Conduct an internal review of your organization’s alignment with the SDGs and identify areas for stronger integration.
2. Collaborate with stakeholders—such as NGOs, governments, and communities—to co-create initiatives that address specific SDG targets.
3. Advocate for increased accountability by publicly reporting on your organization’s contributions to the SDGs and progress toward measurable outcomes.

As ESG initiatives face growing opposition and global economic volatility strains resources, how can companies maintain effective climate governance? This panel will discuss strategies for navigating shifting stakeholder priorities, balancing short-term pressures with long-term sustainability goals, and ensuring climate remains prime on the corporate agenda even when it’s not top of mind.

Learnings

• Recent themes in climate and nature governance
• Key challenges faced by corporates and boards regarding driving effective climate governance
• Best practices to facilitate accelerated climate actions via board management

Post-event Actions

• Discuss state of climate governance in your organization, and opportunities to promote further effectiveness
• Explore avenues to engage with board directors on climate actions
• Join future capability building programmes on climate and nature governance

This panel will explore the practical considerations, applications, and opportunities for accessing finance to further business climate resilience through the adoption of green technology and green fintech solutions.

Learnings

• Understand the latest market developments of Hong Kong’s greentech and greenfintech ecosystem and access to finance.
• Insights into the latest green technologies and green fintech solutions that support the net-zero transition, improved ESG reporting and climate-risk management for corporates.
• Learn about the opportunities for collaboration among financial institutions, technology providers and industry stakeholders with real world applications and case studies.

Post-event Actions

• Initiate or deepen partnerships with start-ups, research institutions, associations and financial sector stakeholders to pilot, adopt or scale green solutions and financing mechanisms.
• Evaluate and identify emerging green technologies and green fintech solutions that align with organsiations climate resilience and sustainability goals, considering both immediate and long-term business needs.
• Integrate learnings on green finance, green tech solutions into business models and investment strategies.

As Hong Kong advances toward its goal of becoming a leading hub for Green Finance and GreenTech, it is essential to align three key pillars: innovative sustainability tools, the strength of its financial ecosystem, and cutting-edge technologies. This session brings together experts from across these domains to explore how their collective efforts can turn this vision into reality. We will examine the roles of various stakeholders, highlight global best practices, and discuss practical strategies to position Hong Kong at the forefront of the green transition.

Learnings

• How can technology, finance and sustainability work together to create a cohesive ecosystem?
• What are the roles different players in the ecosystem would need to play?
• What are the best practices on how green, technology and finance can create a win-win situation?

Post-event Actions

• Identify the latest technologies including Green fintech tools which can assist in HKs green ambitions.
• Understand what collaboration is required by different stakeholders across greentech and green finance.
• Clarify the role of different stakeholders

This panel session explores the transformative potential of green technology in addressing the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. As the urgency to combat climate change intensifies, innovation in green technology is emerging as a critical driver of sustainable development. The discussion will delve into cutting-edge advancements in areas such as renewable energy, carbon capture, circular economy solutions, and smart infrastructure, while also examining the barriers to scaling these technologies. Panellists will share insights on how businesses, governments, and research institutions can collaborate to accelerate the development and deployment of green technologies. The session will also address the role of policy, investment, and consumer behaviour in shaping the future of this dynamic sector. By highlighting both opportunities and challenges, this panel aims to inspire actionable strategies for harnessing innovation to build a more sustainable and resilient future.

Learnings:

1. What are the most promising green technologies on the horizon, and how can they be scaled to achieve widespread impact?
2. What role do collaboration and partnerships play in accelerating innovation and adoption of green technologies?
3. How can policy frameworks and investment strategies be designed to support the growth and accessibility of green technology solutions?

Post-Event Actions:

1. Identify and evaluate emerging green technologies that align with your organization’s sustainability goals and operational needs.
2. Explore partnerships with startups, research institutions, or industry leaders to pilot or scale innovative green solutions.

From financing renewable infrastructure to optimizing operations across the energy value chain, AI is reshaping the landscape of energy and utilities. This panel brings together experts across finance, technology, and sustainability to explore how AI is driving innovation, improving decision-making, and accelerating the low-carbon transition.

Learnings

• Understand how AI is currently being used across the energy value chain—from forecasting renewable energy output to predictive maintenance, grid optimization, and demand response.
• Learn how financial institutions and energy developers are using AI for risk modeling, investment analysis, and efficient capital allocation in sustainable infrastructure.
• Discover how data-driven insights powered by AI are helping utilities and regulators make faster, more informed decisions aligned with net-zero targets.
• Explore case studies where AI has helped reduce waste, lower emissions, and optimize energy generation and consumption.
• Gain insight into ethical, regulatory, and technical considerations when deploying AI in critical energy systems.

Post-event Actions

• Conduct a gap analysis to find where AI can enhance operations, efficiency, or sustainability goals.
• Foster collaborations with AI vendors, sustainability experts, and financial institutions to accelerate innovation.
• Initiate a proof-of-concept or pilot project leveraging AI in an area such as energy forecasting, asset management, or emissions tracking.
• Encourage leadership to embed AI capabilities into ESG and decarbonization strategies.
• Commit to ongoing learning by following developments in AI for energy and training internal teams to build AI literacy.

As the digital economy expands, data centres have become critical infrastructure, but their energy demands, and environmental footprint can post significant challenges. This panel will explore how the sector can balance exponential growth in data consumption with urgent climate goals. Experts will discuss cutting-edge innovations that are reducing carbon emissions while maintaining reliability. The discussion will also address the role of policy, circular economy principles for hardware, and how collaborations between technology companies, energy providers and governments will be essential to future-proof data centres as sustainable pillars of the digital age.

Learnings

• How can data centres scale operations to meet surging demand without compromising net-zero commitments?
• What emerging technologies offer the most promise for decarbonising the sector?
• What industry standards are needed to accelerate global adoption of sustainable practices.

Post-event Actions

• Understand the importance of data centres within the digital economy and the necessary steps required to decarbonise.

In this thought-provoking final session of ReThink HK, two teams of experts will go head-to-head to debate the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in driving sustainable business practices. Arguing in favour of the motion, the proposition will highlight how AI enables businesses to optimize resource efficiency, reduce waste, and accelerate the transition to net-zero operations through data-driven insights, predictive analytics, and automation. They will showcase real-world examples of AI-powered innovations in energy management, supply chain transparency, and circular economy solutions.

On the opposing side, the opposition will challenge the notion that AI is the most impactful tool, arguing that systemic change, policy frameworks, and human-driven initiatives remain the cornerstone of sustainability strategies. They will also address concerns around AI’s environmental footprint, ethical implications, and accessibility barriers.

Moderated by a leading sustainability thought leader, this dynamic debate will explore the opportunities, limitations, and future of AI in shaping a sustainable economy, leaving the audience with actionable insights and a deeper understanding of this critical issue.