BDO awards top honours for ESG excellence
The accountancy firm’s sixth annual awards ceremony recognises Hong Kong companies with outstanding environmental, social and governance achievements
After an extended streak of high monthly global mean temperatures, 2024 is on track to being the hottest year on record, according to data released by the World Meteorological Organization in November. The news underscores the ongoing need for climate change mitigation and adaptation while making clear that how businesses respond to these pressing challenges is just as important as government’s response.
The key role that the private sector plays in dealing with the climate crisis was rewarded at the sixth annual BDO ESG Awards presentation ceremony held in Hong Kong this month.
BDO, the world’s fifth-largest accountancy and advisory network, has been organising the awards presentation, which recognises Hong Kong-listed companies that have excelled in integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their business models, since 2018.
This year, the awards received more than 110 applications from companies across diverse industries and with varying market capitalisation. “We are pleased to see that an increasing number of listed companies are recognising the importance of ESG and pursuing long-term ESG development,” said Andrew Lam, managing director, BDO Hong Kong. “The Awards have now gained considerable market recognition, and as an advocate of sustainable development, BDO is delighted to see an increasing number of Hong Kong-listed companies paying attention to ESG.”
By recognising and rewarding the increasing number of Hong Kong companies which have made ESG an integral part of their business practice, BDO promotes corporate and public awareness of the importance of social responsibility and the need to transition to a greener, more sustainable world.
“In light of growing awareness of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, more investors and organisations are incorporating ESG criteria into their investment decisions and tend to support companies that meet ESG standards,” said Johnson Kong, managing director of BDO Hong Kong, adding that ESG policies enhance a company’s competitiveness and attract more investors.
With the standard of ESG reports of listed companies continuing to improve, BDO brought in an independent professional organisation to determine a preliminary shortlist of the participating companies for this year’s awards, after which a judging panel made up of business leaders evaluated and selected the award winners.