Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) are the three central factors used to measure a company’s work in sustainability and societal impact. Oftentimes, they are used by investors for risk management and strategic purposes.

While these criteria are important for measuring target outcomes in a quantitative and tangible way, they raise the question of why ESG is arranged the way it is. Since long-term development, sustainability, and societal impact cannot solely depend on the private sector, it would seem more appropriate for “G”, which stands for “corporate governance”, to be prioritised in the three-letter combination.

Another point of interest would be what “S” stands for in particular. To the layman, defining “S” as “social” usually relates to concepts of charity work, volunteering, and community empowerment. Why is there no mention of the perspectives of employees, customers, and suppliers? Where is the stakeholder approach? The conceptual breadth of “social” limits the clarity and usage of ESG as a measuring index.

To explore what it really means to carry out ESG in our society, Appetizup co-creates with Hang Seng University and CNHK to present the ESG Integration: Virtual Forum, a two-day forum series based on ESG integration to seek answers to these questions and discover the ways ESG can be implemented in companies in Hong Kong, mainland China, and overseas. Based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the event will allow companies to learn more about ESG practices in four sessions:

• Feb 5, 2021 (Friday morning): Main Forum – This session serves as an opening of the event and overview of what ESG means to different stakeholders in the public, private, and education sector.
• Feb 5, 2021 (Friday afternoon): Sub-forum 1 “Accessibility, inclusion, and diversity with a racial perspective” – Based on SDG No. 10, “reduced inequalities”, this session looks into “S” (Social) of ESG and the ways to improve accessibility and cross-cultural communication in our society.
• Feb 6, 2021 (Saturday morning): Sub-forum 2 “Resilient, affordable, and efficient environments” – Based on SDG No. 11, “sustainable cities and communities”, this session looks into “E” (Environmental) of ESG and how companies may contribute to environmental sustainability.
• Feb 6, 2021 (Saturday afternoon): Sub-forum 3 “Cross-sector collaboration for ESGs” – Based on SDG No. 17, “partnership for the goals”, this session looks into “G” (Corporate Governance) of ESG and how different sectors may come together to uphold ESG practices together.