For Immediate Release

HSUHK and CILTHK's survey on ESG practices in Hong Kong Transport & Logistics Industry advocate increasing land use for sustainable logistics and enhancing support for SMEs

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) has become a global crucial indicator of corporate social responsibility and long-term business value. Being an international logistics hub, ESG practice in Hong Kong’s logistics and transport industry is critical for improving its competitiveness and sustainability. In collaboration with The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK)’s Policy Research Institute of Global Supply Chain, as well as its Research Centre for ESG, Logistics Policy Committee of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong (LPC of CILTHK) conducted a research survey to explore the current ESG situation, challenges and developments of the industry.

Between March and December 2023, the research team collected over 200 questionnaires covering many aspects of the industry. Respondents include members of CILTHK, industry managers, practitioners and scholars among others. Approximately a quarter of the respondents were freight forwarders, while companies with over 50 employees accounted for three-fourths of all respondents. The team found that respondents are facing increasing pressure to comply with ESG requirements from customers, shareholders, suppliers, employees, and the larger community. Additionally, over half of the respondents realised that fulfilling the ESG requirements would be conducive to their businesses, giving them higher competitiveness for more business opportunities, lower interest rates through sustainability-linked loans, an improved corporate image, as well as lowered operating risks and costs.

According to the survey, 49%, 67%, and 70% of the respondents’ companies have existing measures to tackle environmental, social, and corporate governance related issues in their internal operations or services for clients, respectively. 56% indicated that their environmental practices mainly focus on promoting ESG policies, establishing ESG objectives and standards, exploring ESG opportunities, and managing risks. The survey also revealed that 49% of respondents express a negative or uncertain attitude regarding further promoting environmental practices in-house or in services offered to their clients, and 43% expressed uncertainty or unpreparedness to communicate and push related policies through their value chain and stakeholders. Most respondents stated that they need support with accessing industry benchmarks, as well as clear ESG guidelines, financial support from the government for starting ESG projects, and industry reference cases.

81% of respondents expressed uncertainty regarding the current ESG-related funding provided by the Hong Kong Government. Over 90% of respondents agree that if the authorities strengthen their incentives or subsidies for ESG, their companies are willing to fulfil specific requirements to further implement ESG practices. The research team also found that large companies with over 50 employees place more emphasis and commitment towards sustainable sourcing, carbon and greenhouse gas reduction, quality and safety of products and services, diversity, equity and inclusion, and fair labour codes when compared to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The results indicate that SMEs need more support and education to promote and implement ESG practices.

The research team made the following suggestions on raising awareness and increasing support for ESG practitioners:

• Publicity and education: The Hong Kong Government should increase publicity efforts on ESG projects including initiatives such as the Professional Training on Smart and Green Logistics Scheme, the Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme, and the New Energy Transport Fund.
• Industry support: Authorities should consider supporting SMEs’ participation across ESG projects, especially green projects. Authorities can also study the feasibility of providing different levels of support for enterprises that have reached certain requirements with ESG implementation at the time of application.
• Guidelines and reference cases: The Hong Kong Government and relevant industries should work together to develop clear guidelines on ESG practices and provide successful cases for reference.
• Business ESG progress: When applying for governmental support, enterprises should ensure that their ESG-related implantation has met minimum requirements.
• Industry collaboration: Enterprises and trade associations should strengthen cooperation to ensure that they provide comprehensive and up-to-date progress reports on ESG implementation in the industry.
• Technical support and cooperation: Support and collaboration platforms should be made available by the government to promote sustainable projects, provide technical support, and facilitate the sharing of best ESG practices.
• Promoting success: Successful ESG practices should be shared in the industry to encourage more participation.

The research team also analysed overseas case projects regarding the conversion of brownfields or green lands to logistics land. These case studies can provide Hong Kong with an insight into the development of sustainable logistics land. The study includes several projects in Leicestershire and Wigan in the UK, in which green land that was successfully turned into logistics parks attracted the stationing of large logistics companies such as DHL and Amazon. Such initiatives create jobs in neighbouring districts and also set carbon-neutral requirements such as meeting environmental assessment requirements in the building standards of the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM) Plus, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), installing solar panels on top of warehouses, or using new energy-efficient vehicles and equipment in logistics parks for logistics enterprises.

The Hong Kong Government has revealed that Hong Kong has over 16,700 hectares of green land; however the confirmed area that is developable constitutes only a small portion of the available land. The research team suggests further studies can be conducted to explore the possibility of increasing land use for sustainable logistics, and that the government can refer to local and overseas success cases and further explore sustainable ways to develop modern and green intelligent logistics parks in the Northern Metropolis and Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area in the future.

About The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong (CILTHK) is a major branch of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (www.ciltinternational.org) is an organisation with an established international pedigree with over 30,000 members working in over 100 countries. It was formed in the United Kingdom in 1919 and granted a Royal Chartered in 1926.

CILTHK (www.cilt.org.hk) was set up in 1968 and is one of the CILT global chapters. CILT is presented worldwide and we all share the common cause to promote and advance the art and science of supply chain, logistics and transport. Currently, the membership of CILTHK is around 2,000 and broadly ranges from experienced senior manager to junior staff in the industries of shipping, logistics, airline, railway, road, public transport, government, educational institutes and consultancy. The Institute regularly organises professional programmes and activities for members, such as seminars, forums, conferences, technical visits; formulates and implements professional codes to ensure and uphold the professional standards in the industry.

About The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) is a non-profit private liberal-arts oriented university with five Schools (Business, Communication, Decision Sciences, Humanities and Social Science, and Translation and Foreign Languages) and over 6,000 full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students. Adopting a unique “Liberal + Professional” education model, HSUHK nurtures students with critical thinking, innovative minds, caring attitudes, moral values and social responsibility.

Aspiring to be a leading private university in the region, HSUHK features quality undergraduate education programmes, quality faculty members, award-winning green campus facilities, innovative degree programmes, a unique residential college system which combines living and learning, interactive small class teaching, close student-teacher relationships, RGC-funded impactful research, and excellent student development/support services. HSUHK was listed 7th (overall) in the ASEAN+ region, 1st in the Greater China region, and 1st in Employability in the 2023 AppliedHE ASEAN+ private university assessment by Singapore-based AppliedHE. It was also listed among the top 200 worldwide universities for “Quality Education” and “Decent Work and Economic Growth” in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2021.

Further Enquiry

Please feel free to contact 2866-6336 or by email at info@cilt.org.hk for any further enquiry.

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新聞稿 

恒生大學與香港運輸物流學會公佈ESG實踐調查

倡政府增加可持續物流用地面積，加強支援中小企

隨著全球對可持續發展日益重視，環境、社會和管治（ESG）成為評估企業社會責任和長期價值的重要指標。香港作為國際物流樞紐，運輸物流業在ESG的實踐對提升行業競爭力和可持續性至關重要。香港恒生大學全球供應鏈管理政策研究所和ESG研究中心，聯同香港運輸物流學會物流政策委員會進行研究調查，探討香港運輸物流業在ESG方面的現狀、挑戰及發展方向。

研究團隊去年3月至12月進行調查，收集超過200份問卷，受訪者包括香港運輸物流學會會員、行業管理層及從業員、學者等。當中約四份一受訪者為貨運代理，四份之三來自僱員多於50人的企業。研究發現，要求企業遵守ESG的壓力日漸增加，這些壓力來自不同持份者，包括客戶、股東、供應商、員工及社區。另外，逾半受訪者明白如企業達到ESG要求，企業本身亦會有所得益，例如提高競爭力以增加商機、降低營運風險和成本、提升企業形象及以較低利息成本獲可持續相關的貸款等。

根據調查結果，在內部營運或為客戶提供服務方面，49%、67%及70%受訪者表示所屬公司已有措施分別處理環境、社會和管治相關的問題。此外，56%受訪者表示其公司進行了環境實踐相關工作，主要是推動ESG政策、建立ESG目標和標準、探索ESG機遇和管理風險等。調查亦顯示，49%受訪者對於在公司內部或客戶項目中進一步推動環境實踐持否定或不確定態度，43%受訪者對於通過價值鏈和利益相關者推動環境政策表示不確定或沒有準備好。大部份受訪者均表示，需要的支援包括獲得行業的基準數據和清晰的ESG指引，以及政府資助ESG項目的啟動費用和行業參考案例。

81%受訪者表示不清楚香港政府目前提供的ESG相關資助，逾九成受訪者認同政府加強對ESG的支援會有助企業實踐ESG要求的意願。研究團隊亦發現超過50名員工的企業在可持續採購、碳和溫室氣體排放、產品和服務品質及安全、多元、平等和共融，以及公平勞動守則等方面，比中小企有著明顯的重視和投入，顯示後者推行ESG時需要更多支援和教育。

調查團隊就加強業界對ESG的認識和支援提出以下具體建議：

1. 宣傳與教育：政府應加強宣傳ESG項目，如智慧及綠色物流專業培訓計劃、綠色可持續金融培訓先導計劃、新能源運輸基金等，加強業界對ESG重要性的認識。
2. 支援業界：政府可考慮為中小企提供適切支援，以鼓勵企業參與ESG項目，特別是綠色相關項目的投入；並研究向以企業為單位的申請者提供不同程度或附帶條件的支援，例如企業在申請政府資助時，需證明公司已實行某類型或程度的ESG相關工作。
3. 指引與案例：建議政府與運輸物流業界合作，制定清晰的ESG實踐指引，並提供國內外成功案例作為參考。
4. 企業進度：申請政府資助時，企業需確保公司內的ESG相關工作達到要求的水平。
5. 業界協作：企業與同業公會應加強協作，確保業界最新的情況獲得充分反映。
6. 技術支援與協作：政府應建立技術支援和協作平台，推動可持續項目的發展，以促進最佳實踐的共享。
7. 推廣成功案例：政府積極宣傳業界在ESG實踐方面的成功案例，鼓勵更多企業參與。

另外，研究團隊亦分析了將棕地或綠化地改作物流用地的海外案例，為香港提供可持續物流用地發展的參考。例如英國萊斯特（Leicestershire）、維根（Wigan）等數個成功將綠化地活化為物流園區的項目，吸引了DHL、亞馬遜等大型物流企業進駐。這不僅為附近地區創造就業機會，更成功為物流企業訂立符合碳中和的要求，包括建築標準需達到綠建環評及領先能源與環境設計的綠色建築評估要求、在貨倉倉頂安裝太陽能板及在物流園區內使用新能源車輛和設備等。

香港政府公佈本港的綠化地達16,700多公頃，但已確認可發展的土地面積僅佔少數。團隊建議政府可考慮進行更多相關研究，探討增加可持續物流用地面積的可行性；同時可參考外地和內地的成功例子，研究在未來的北部都會區、洪水橋新發展區，以可持續物流用地發展模式去發展現代綠色智慧物流園。

香港運輸物流學會簡介

香港運輸物流學會 (CILTHK) 是運輸物流學會一個主要分會，而運輸物流學會 (CILT)（網址：https://www.ciltinternational.org）是一國際性的非牟利專業組織，現時超過 30 個分會，全球超過 30,000 名會員，遍布 100 多個國 家及地區。學會於 1919 年在英國成立，並於 1926 年獲頒皇家特許狀。

香港運輸物流學會則於 1968 年成立。學會成立宗旨是推廣及提升供應鏈、 物流以及運輸等各範疇的科學及技術。學會涵蓋多個不同行業，包括海陸 空的客運和貨運。現時香港學會由約 2,000 名會員組成，當中包括資深行政 人員、政府公務員、公私營機構及顧問公司的專業人士。學會定期為會員 舉辦專業認可培訓及專業活動，例如研討會、論壇、大型會議、參觀活動及 持續專業發展計劃；並制定及推行專業守則，確保並維護業內的專業水平。

香港恒生大學簡介

香港恒生大學是一所以博雅教育為主導的非牟利私立大學，設有五個學院，包括商學院、傳播學院、決策科學學院、人文社會科學學院、和翻譯及外語學院，全日制學生逾6,000人。恒生大學採用獨特的「博雅 + 專業」教育模式，致力培育青年成為具明辨思維、創新力量、人文關懷、道德價值和社會責任的人才。

恒生大學矢志成為區內具領導地位的私立大學，以本科教育為主，配合優秀的師資、獲獎的綠化校園與設施、創新的學位課程、結合生活與學習的住宿書院系統、互動小班教學、緊密師生關係、獲研究資助局資助的具影響力研究，以及優質的學生發展／支援服務。在新加坡AppliedHE公佈的2023年「東盟地區+」私立大學評鑑中，恒生大學整體位列第七，並在大中華地區及「就業能力」層面居首。恒生大學亦在2021年英國泰晤士高等教育「大學影響力排名2021」位列「優質教育」及「良好工作和經濟增長」全球首200名。

進一步查詢

如有任何查詢，請致電 2866-6336 或發送電子郵件 info@cilt.org.hk 與本會聯繫。

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