BEC Climate & Nature Theatre

Our Food Systems: Recoupling Climate & Nature

10 Sep (Thur) Day 1 : 12:20 – 13:10

Agriculture and our current food systems are among the leading drivers of global nature loss, while also being highly vulnerable to our rapidly changing climate. With Hong Kong relying on imports for more than 90% of its food, our city faces significant risk from the rapidly changing climate and biodiversity decline. This session will explore vulnerabilities land use and agriculture, fisheries and global food supply chains exposed by climate change and highlight how businesses must rethink their role in shaping resilient and responsible food systems. Going beyond identifying risks, the session will deep dive into how businesses can evolve and transform supply chains and business models through responsible sourcing, regenerative practices and strategies to not only reduce risk but address the twin crises of climate and nature.

Session Learnings:

  • How food systems are central and critical to global climate change and biodiversity decline crises
  • Where the climate change and biodiversity risks lie for businesses that have exposure, direct or indirect, with food systems
  • Practical approaches for organisations to evolve supply chains to create more sustainable food systems

Post-Event Actions:

  • Moving beyond risk mitigation to support biodiversity and climate resilience in supply chains and procurement
  • Embedding sourcing practices that prioritise sustainability and regenerative models into current business models

Speakers

Katie Chan

Business Environment Council

Senior Officer – Policy & Research

Katie is a Senior Officer on BEC’s Policy & Research team, where she works on impactful projects addressing existing and emerging environmental challenges, and initiatives to embed sustainability into business action – Hong Kong’s broader climate transition. Katie leads the team’s work on nature and biodiversity to narrow the gap between business and nature, embed biodiversity considerations into local policy, business and financial decision-making and support nature-based solutions in Hong Kong. Prior to her Hong Kong chapter, Katie worked in the UK with impact investors and sustainability-minded corporates on climate change policy, the blue economy, biodiversity and nature conservation. Katie is a Geography graduate of King’s College London.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

  1. Continuing stakeholder engagement and collaboration to drive industry action on nature, biodiversity and the broader environment.
  2. Advancing and mainstreaming Hong Kong’s ambition on biodiversity topics and mainstreaming understanding of the climate-nature nexus through policy advocacy and fostering public-private sector dialogue

Mike Barry

Planeatry Alliance

Co-Founder

Mike is a sustainable business transformation agent, committed to helping business big and small, new and established to prepare for and succeed in the complex transformation to a Society, and Economy that serves it, that is healthier, more sustainable and more just.

He’s the co-founder of Planeatry Alliance that’s helping companies transform the food system by linking their work on human health and sustainability.

Mike was until 2019 Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, spearheading its ground-breaking Plan A (because there is no Plan B for the one planet we have) sustainability program. He co-chaired the Consumer Goods Forum’s sustainability work bringing the world’s largest retailers and fast moving consumer goods brands together to work on issues such as deforestation, plastics and forced labour. He is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a Trustee at Blueprint for Better Business. And Chair of local charity Greener Henley.

Lit Ping Low

DFI Retail Group

Group Sustainability Director

Lit Ping Low brings over 20 years of experience in driving sustainability and climate change priorities across a wide range of sectors including retail, food and beverage, hospitality and conglomerates.

As the Group Sustainability Director at DFI Retail Group, Lit Ping leads the development and implementation of DFI’s sustainability strategy, including the decarbonisation of operations and supply chain, climate and environmental sustainability risk management, and ensuring transparent sustainability disclosures. She leads and represents DFI in key partnerships and collaborations on sustainability to deliver our strategic ambition with our ecosystem partners.

Prior to DFI, she was PwC’s Asia Pacific Climate lead partner, supporting businesses and governments in developing net zero strategies, managing climate risks, and mobilising green finance. Her experience also includes extensive collaboration with international organisations such as the World Economic Forum, UNFCCC, UNEP Finance Initiative, and the Carbon Disclosure Project, contributing to global dialogues on climate transition pathways and sustainable finance frameworks.

My Sustainability Goals for 2026:

Lit Ping’s ongoing priorities is to lead DFI’s efforts to meet our short- and medium- term sustainability targets. In 2026, this includes looking at more breakthrough or innovative collaboration approaches that can help amplify our strategic ambition across all People, Products and Planet priorities.

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