Hang Lung pushes for faster decarbonisation in Hong Kong and China’s construction industry

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Developer urges quicker regulatory progress and pilot programmes to expedite low-carbon material adoption, vital for decarbonising the sector

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The construction industry is responsible for nearly 40 per cent of global energy-related carbon emissions. Photo: Jelly Tse

Eric Ng

Published: 10:00am, 22 Dec 2024

The construction industry needs to see faster progress on regulations and pilot programmes to boost the uptake of low-carbon materials and technology to accelerate the sector’s decarbonisation in Hong Kong and mainland China, according to Hang Lung Properties.

“The policy environment matters a lot, because we can only rely on the industries to move things so far so fast,” said John Haffner, deputy director of sustainability at the developer, which is active in Hong Kong and the mainland.

Beijing’s moratorium on coal for steelmaking and the expansion of China’s mandatory carbon emission trading scheme to the steel, aluminium and cement sectors are potentially game-changing, he said.

China aims to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Steel-making accounts for about 15 per cent of the nation’s emissions.

John Haffner, deputy director of Sustainability at Hang Lung Properties. Photo: Sun Yeung

“Policies can help put a price on pollution and raise the cost of high-emission materials and processes, then everything gets easier for adoption of lower carbon alternatives,” Haffner said.