2023-10-25
[Press Release] Hong Kong Green Building Council Welcomes The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address
Hong Kong, 25 October 2023 - The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) welcomes the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address released today. The HKGBC is dedicated to collaborating with the Government and all the stakeholders on the following initiatives to further the commitment for a greener and more sustainable built environment, also to strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Collaborating Across Industries - Uniting Efforts for Carbon Neutrality
The Council supports the Policy Address's reiteration of the government's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce Hong Kong's carbon emissions by 50% before 2035 as compared to the 2005 level.
The Council welcomes the Policy Address with specific plans to achieve carbon neutrality and promote green living as follows:
1. Enhance Energy Conservation and Decarbonisation in Buildings – The Council Recommends Shortening the Energy Audit Cycle to Five Years
The Council supports the government's proposed amendments to the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance and recommends the following:
I. Expanding the scope of regulations to include more types of buildings, including those with high electricity consumption such as data centers.
II. In terms of mandatory disclosure of information in energy audit report, the Council suggests disclosing more energy-related information to enhance market transparency and encourage participation in energy-saving retrofitting.
III. Shortening the interval of energy audit from the current ten years to five years, aligning with international trends and practices.
In line with the government's energy-saving and carbon-neutral policies, the Council launched the "HKGBC Retrofitting Guidebook" earlier this year. The guidebook shares successful experiences and case studies in adopting retrofitting measures, as well as demonstrate the costs and benefits of retrofitting technologies, aiming to encourage the industry to implement retrofitting for better operation performance in energy efficiency for the existing building .
Furthermore, the Council introduced the first-ever "Climate Change Framework for Built Environment" and "Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme" in June this year. These initiatives encourage the industry to adopt systematic and benchmark-driven approaches to reduce energy consumption. Since their launch, the framework has recorded over 9,000 downloads, and the "Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme" pilot program has seen the participation of 7 developers and property management companies, with 29 projects receiving certification. The Scheme aims to provide the industry with clear standards for identifying energy performance, benchmarking testing, and increasing tenant engagement, which also contributing to the establishment of milestones for green finance.
Buildings related activities in Hong Kong account for around 90% of total electricity consumption and 60% of total carbon emissions. The Council supports the government's focus on the demand side of energy by promoting energy conservation technologies and improving energy efficiency. It is one of the key strategies towards achieving the net-zero target.
2. Encourage the Development of High Productivity Construction
The Council is pleased to see the government's active promotion of innovative building technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC). These technologies enhance building quality while reducing construction pollution, making construction projects more aligned with the requirements of green buildings.
The Council also supports the government's adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology for the production and approval of construction drawings. This approach reduces waste generated during the construction process and improves productivity, aligning with the assessment criteria of green buildings.
BEAM Plus encourages the industry to utilise green building technologies, aligning with the recent policy announced by the Buildings Department through the Practice Notes “PNAP APP-151”. Starting from June 30, 2024, building projects will generally need to obtain a Gold rating or above in order to be eligible for Gross Floor Area (GFA) concessions for green and amenity features. This effectively encourages the industry to strive for Gold or above certification.
As of September this year, there have been nearly 2,500 registered projects under the BEAM Plus, involving over 8,100 buildings and covering nearly 80 million square meters.
3. Green Tech and Finance Hub
The Council is pleased to see the government's continued development of green finance, promotion of green technology, and commitment to establishing Hong Kong as an international hub for green finance.
The Council is delighted that the government is promoting the development of green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong. In the first half of 2024, a dedicated proof-of-concept subsidy scheme for green Fintech will be launched to promote the development of technological solutions and provide early-stage funding support for pre-commercialised green Fintech, conducive to expanding the green Fintech ecosystem and developing Hong Kong into a green Fintech hub.
The Council also supports the government's deepening financial co-operation with the GBA. In the first half of 2024, co-establishing the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Financial Co-operation Committee with the Shenzhen authorities. The committee will advise and offer suggestions in respect of bolstering mutual access to the financial markets, co-operation on financial technologies (Fintech) and green finance.
Collaboration between green buildings and green finance is crucial for driving decarbonisation in the construction industry. The Council’s “Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme" has been included in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's discussion paper on the Hong Kong Green Taxonomy Framework. By adopting the certification, stakeholders can set energy performance benchmarks, establish carbon neutrality goals, and justify projects for green financing. This helps to drive the industry and guide stakeholders towards carbon neutrality while exploring opportunities in green finance.
In the future, the Council will actively collaborate with the government and the industry to accelerate the decarbonisation process in the entire built environment of Hong Kong, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
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About the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organisation established in 2009 and has become a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance since 2016. The HKGBC strives to promote the standard and development of sustainable buildings in Hong Kong. The HKGBC also aims to raise green building awareness by engaging the government, the industry and the public, and to develop practical solutions for Hong Kong’s unique, subtropical built environment of high-rise, high density urban area, leading Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to become a world’s exemplar of green building development. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC).
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Collaborating Across Industries - Uniting Efforts for Carbon Neutrality
The Council supports the Policy Address's reiteration of the government's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce Hong Kong's carbon emissions by 50% before 2035 as compared to the 2005 level.
The Council welcomes the Policy Address with specific plans to achieve carbon neutrality and promote green living as follows:
1. Enhance Energy Conservation and Decarbonisation in Buildings – The Council Recommends Shortening the Energy Audit Cycle to Five Years
The Council supports the government's proposed amendments to the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance and recommends the following:
I. Expanding the scope of regulations to include more types of buildings, including those with high electricity consumption such as data centers.
II. In terms of mandatory disclosure of information in energy audit report, the Council suggests disclosing more energy-related information to enhance market transparency and encourage participation in energy-saving retrofitting.
III. Shortening the interval of energy audit from the current ten years to five years, aligning with international trends and practices.
In line with the government's energy-saving and carbon-neutral policies, the Council launched the "HKGBC Retrofitting Guidebook" earlier this year. The guidebook shares successful experiences and case studies in adopting retrofitting measures, as well as demonstrate the costs and benefits of retrofitting technologies, aiming to encourage the industry to implement retrofitting for better operation performance in energy efficiency for the existing building .
Furthermore, the Council introduced the first-ever "Climate Change Framework for Built Environment" and "Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme" in June this year. These initiatives encourage the industry to adopt systematic and benchmark-driven approaches to reduce energy consumption. Since their launch, the framework has recorded over 9,000 downloads, and the "Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme" pilot program has seen the participation of 7 developers and property management companies, with 29 projects receiving certification. The Scheme aims to provide the industry with clear standards for identifying energy performance, benchmarking testing, and increasing tenant engagement, which also contributing to the establishment of milestones for green finance.
Buildings related activities in Hong Kong account for around 90% of total electricity consumption and 60% of total carbon emissions. The Council supports the government's focus on the demand side of energy by promoting energy conservation technologies and improving energy efficiency. It is one of the key strategies towards achieving the net-zero target.
2. Encourage the Development of High Productivity Construction
The Council is pleased to see the government's active promotion of innovative building technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC). These technologies enhance building quality while reducing construction pollution, making construction projects more aligned with the requirements of green buildings.
The Council also supports the government's adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology for the production and approval of construction drawings. This approach reduces waste generated during the construction process and improves productivity, aligning with the assessment criteria of green buildings.
BEAM Plus encourages the industry to utilise green building technologies, aligning with the recent policy announced by the Buildings Department through the Practice Notes “PNAP APP-151”. Starting from June 30, 2024, building projects will generally need to obtain a Gold rating or above in order to be eligible for Gross Floor Area (GFA) concessions for green and amenity features. This effectively encourages the industry to strive for Gold or above certification.
As of September this year, there have been nearly 2,500 registered projects under the BEAM Plus, involving over 8,100 buildings and covering nearly 80 million square meters.
3. Green Tech and Finance Hub
The Council is pleased to see the government's continued development of green finance, promotion of green technology, and commitment to establishing Hong Kong as an international hub for green finance.
The Council is delighted that the government is promoting the development of green and sustainable finance in Hong Kong. In the first half of 2024, a dedicated proof-of-concept subsidy scheme for green Fintech will be launched to promote the development of technological solutions and provide early-stage funding support for pre-commercialised green Fintech, conducive to expanding the green Fintech ecosystem and developing Hong Kong into a green Fintech hub.
The Council also supports the government's deepening financial co-operation with the GBA. In the first half of 2024, co-establishing the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Financial Co-operation Committee with the Shenzhen authorities. The committee will advise and offer suggestions in respect of bolstering mutual access to the financial markets, co-operation on financial technologies (Fintech) and green finance.
Collaboration between green buildings and green finance is crucial for driving decarbonisation in the construction industry. The Council’s “Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme" has been included in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's discussion paper on the Hong Kong Green Taxonomy Framework. By adopting the certification, stakeholders can set energy performance benchmarks, establish carbon neutrality goals, and justify projects for green financing. This helps to drive the industry and guide stakeholders towards carbon neutrality while exploring opportunities in green finance.
In the future, the Council will actively collaborate with the government and the industry to accelerate the decarbonisation process in the entire built environment of Hong Kong, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
###
About the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organisation established in 2009 and has become a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance since 2016. The HKGBC strives to promote the standard and development of sustainable buildings in Hong Kong. The HKGBC also aims to raise green building awareness by engaging the government, the industry and the public, and to develop practical solutions for Hong Kong’s unique, subtropical built environment of high-rise, high density urban area, leading Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to become a world’s exemplar of green building development. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC).
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Hong Kong Green Building Council Marketing & PR Manager Lucy SO Phone: (852) 3994 8832 Email：lucy.so@hkgbc.org.hk |
Marketing & PR Executive II Jill CHEUNG Phone: (852) 3994 8843 Email：jill.cheung@hkgbc.org.hk |