News & Events

Hong Kong, 26 February 2025 – The Hong Kong Green Building Council (the Council) welcomes the 2025/26 Budget announced by the Financial Secretary today. The Council is in support of the Government's efforts to accelerate green development and expand the green industry, spearheading the society in creating a sustainable built environment in Hong Kong, with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Council has been working closely with the financial sector in the development of green finance. The Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance (or Hong Kong Taxonomy in short), developed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, has incorporated BEAM Plus and the Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme in its criteria. These certifications, which are issued by the Council, encourage stakeholders to set and pursue carbon neutrality targets. To assist banks and property owners to determine whether a proposed construction or renovation project meets the criteria of the Hong Kong Taxonomy, the Council has introduced the Green Taxonomy Alignment Report Service to support these green finance initiatives. Furthermore, the Council is collaborating with the Hong Kong Green Finance Association to draft a guide for the building and construction sector, facilitating the industry to put the Hong Kong Taxonomy into practical use.

The Council is working in alignment with the Government's push for green technology. In addition to launching the "HKGBC Retrofitting Guidebook" to facilitate the industry to undertake retrofitting for properties using the latest technologies, the Council will also launch the online Retrofitting and Technology Hub this year. The Hub will incorporate more green technologies and successful case studies to enable the industry to master the latest technologies, formulate retrofitting strategies and scale up applications across existing buildings.

Moreover, the Council will launch the BEAM Plus Existing Buildings Version 3.0 in the middle of this year, which will incorporate smart facility management to tie in with the Government's initiative to promote smart property management.

Strengthening Inter-regional Collaboration with a Focus on Green Industries
The Council is pleased to see Hong Kong’s continued support for Qianhai Cooperation Zone in piloting new policies and practice, with the vision to extend successful experiences to the entire Greater Bay Area and the whole country. Hong Kong will continue to play a vital role as a functional platform for the “Belt and Road Initiative”, exploring market potentials in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, as well as Central Asia, South Asia and North Africa. This will focus on green development and innovative technologies, unlocking international opportunities in the industry.

Promoting green development in Hong Kong is a priority for the Council. The Council is dedicated to promoting BEAM Plus Global Version and expanding its application beyond Hong Kong, including Belt and Road countries. Currently, five new and existing buildings located in Qianhai have participated in BEAM Plus assessment on a pilot basis. There are also more than ten BEAM Plus registered projects in other localities such as the Greater Bay Area and Belt and Road Regions.

In addition, the Council is exploring a cooperation with the Guangdong Provincial Academy of Building Research to launch a Technical Guidelines for Building Energy Saving Retrofit in the Greater Bay Area. By fostering inter-regional cooperation and aligning with government policies, the Council will lead the industry to accelerate the process of carbon reduction.

Given that activities in buildings account for over 50% of carbon emissions in Hong Kong, it is crucial to reduce carbon emissions in buildings. Through green finance, green technology and inter-regional cooperation, the Hong Kong Green Building Council is dedicated to helping the industry enhance the green performance of their assets, making buildings more efficient and reducing carbon emissions, ultimately achieving the carbon neutrality goal.
 

  

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.