In the run up to the most important negotiation of the decade, the UN climate change summit in Paris (known as COP21), Carbon Care Asia held a joint conference with CarbonCare InnoLab in conjunction with its 2015 CarbonCare^® Label Award Ceremony, to call for a bold transformation in Hong Kong’s public policy and business environment in facing up to the risks of climate change both worldwide and local.

This Award Ceremony and the Conference, well attended by nearly 200 guests from various sectors, was officiated by the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong, Convenor of the Executive Council. Mr Lam presented awards to 32 pioneering companies and organizations which have attained the prestigious CarbonCare^® Label and the newly added CarbonCare^® Action Label this year, in recognition of their remarkable carbon reduction efforts and commitments. During the presentation ceremony, Mr Lam encouraged the people of Hong Kong to act together in reducing carbon emissions, pushing the Government to respond with more carbon policy measures. CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau called on the government, the business sector and the NGOs to play a more proactive role in cutting back greenhouse gas emissions and set our city onto the path to a zero-carbon economy.

“Sustainability & Low-Carbon Solutions – Hong Kong Agenda in COP21” was a full-day conference held in response to the UN Climate Change Summit held from end of November to mid-December. The conference spanned over three themes, “Low-carbon Innovations & Solutions”, “COP21 & Hong Kong Agenda” and “ESG Reporting & Carbon Management”, and was addressed by prominent figures including Mr Vincent Piket, Head of Office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macao, and Ms Christine Loh, Under-Secretary for the Environment. Together with other eminent speakers from various sectors and professional bodies, they discussed with business leaders about strategic policy agenda as well as business issues critical to the success of the corporate sector in the new post-COP21 environment, including carbon management, sustainability reporting and climate risk assessment.

During the conference, which reckoned innovation as the solution to the challenges of the transition to a zero-carbon future, four multi-stakeholder teams from the Jockey Club COIL (CarbonCare Open Innovation Lab) programme presented creative solutions on how Hong Kong may turn into a low-carbon city through civil society initiatives. Their innovative solutions ranged from urban farming, responsible consumption to tree care and building a bike-friendly city. The Jockey Club COIL programme under CarbonCare InnoLab is the first community platform designed specifically to stimulate sustainability ideas from all walks of life, particularly from inspired young people and professionals.

The CarbonCare^® Label Award, pilot launched by CCA in 2011, is a unique scheme that encourages and recognizes the efforts of companies and organizations in their action to tackle climate change and achieve carbon reduction/neutrality status by Measuring, Reducing and Offsetting (MRO) their carbon footprints. A new category – the CarbonCare^® Action Label– is added this year to encourage companies/organisations to implement new and concrete measures in carbon reduction, thus making the adoption of new solutions more widespread in the same sector.

Full list of 2015 CarbonCare^® Label & CarbonCare^® Action Label Awardees

Event Highlights 2015

UN Climate Change Summit in Paris – A New Challenge to Hong Kong Business (Hong Kong Economic Journal Special Supplement, 30 Nov, 2015)

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Photo captions:

1. Representatives of the 2015 CarbonCare^®Label and CarbonCare^® Action Label awardees took a group photo with officiating guest the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong (7^th left) and the CCA management team.
2. “Sustainability & Low-Carbon Solutions – Hong Kong Agenda in COP21”, a full-day conference held in response to the UN Climate Change Summit, was well supported by nearly 200 guests from various sectors.
3. In his welcoming remarks, CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau extended thanks to our event sponsor The Hong Kong Jockey Club, our many supporting organisations and media partner.
4. Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, gave the opening speech.
5. In his keynote speech, our officiating guest the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong, GBS, JP, highlighted the urgency for Hong Kong to tackle issues related to climate change.
6. Mr Vincent Piket, Head of Office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macao, delivered a special luncheon address entitled “EU & HK – Building the Low-Carbon, Green Economy Together”.
7. Ms Christine Loh, Under-Secretary for the Environment, said Hong Kong could help reduce carbon emissions through better town planning and more efficient use of energy resources.
8. The first group of our CarbonCare^®Label awardees pictured with the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong and CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau.
9. The second group of our CarbonCare^®Label awardees pictured with the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong and CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau.
10. The third group of our CarbonCare^®Label awardees pictured with the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong and CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau.
11. The fourth group of our CarbonCare^®Label awardees pictured with the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong and CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau.
12. Representative of the five CarbonCare^® Action Label awardees pictured with the Hon Lam Woon-Kwong and CCA Chairman Mr Chong Chan Yau.
13. The first theme of the conference focused on “Low-carbon Innovation & Solutions”. Guest speakers and the four InnoTeam members of the COIL Programme sat down for a panel discussion moderated by Ms Debby Cheng (1^st left), CCIL Project Manager.
14. Panel discussion amongst our guest speakers for theme number two of the conference — “COP21 & Hong Kong Agenda”, moderated by Mr John Sayer (1^st right), CCA Director.
15. Moderator of the panel discussion on “ESG Reporting & Carbon Management”, Ir Lee Chi Ming (1^st left), Board Chairman of CarbonCare InnoLab, presented the one-tonne carbon credit certificate to the panelists as souvenir.