In the movie "Don't Look Up", a comet is about to hit the earth. The two scientists tried their best to make the public face the crisis, but no one paid attention.
In reality, global warming is also imminent. Fortunately, more and more countries are paying attention to this climate crisis. Wang Guolong, CEO of Link, hopes that in the future, he will continue to play three roles and cooperate with various sectors to promote ESG (environmental, social and governance), Build a better community life for citizens.
Link CEO Wang Guolong (photo by Zheng Zifeng)
Being in the blessed land of Hong Kong, the climate crisis is actually more personal than expected, Wang Guolong was very emotional.
"If the water level rises, what will be the impact on the property? So ESG is not just a response to investor demands, but a practical need."
There is a long way to go to tackle climate change. On the way to ESG development, Wang Guolong believes that Link can play three major roles.
The first is the practitioner.
As a leading local real estate investment trust (REIT) company, Link manages assets across 15 districts, generating a huge daily environmental footprint.
Therefore, no matter the daily operation of the property, or the investment in mergers and acquisitions, he always thinks about how to reduce carbon emissions. Specific measures include installing solar energy installations, adopting green building operations, providing electric vehicle charging spaces, and configuring energy management systems (EMS), etc., to make good use of scale Advantages play a positive role.
"In addition to our own operations, we also hope to learn from different merchants through business integration." He recalled that a tea restaurant owner once bought a power consumption monitor developed by the Science and Technology Park Company, and was shocked in the middle of the night. When no one is there, the power consumption is still high.
After inquiries, I learned that it turned out that the kitchen master required sufficient hot water when opening the store in the morning, so he turned on the water heater in advance, consuming a lot of energy.
"These details are rarely mentioned, and others may not know about them. Therefore, Link regularly communicates with merchants and discusses with everyone to enhance relevant knowledge."
Absorbing international experience to help Hong Kong develop ESG
The second is the facilitator.
"ESG is a matter for everyone, and we must rely on the joint efforts of all sectors of society." In addition to the establishment of the "Link Merchant Academy" to hold seminars on related topics, another future plan is to promote green leasing and require tenants to meet some environmental protection standards, such as no plastic takeaways bags, or save more power in different ways.
"The first reaction of the merchants must be that the cost is rising. It does take time for them to understand that the money they spend today will help the environment in the future." He revealed that some of the restaurants in Link's headquarters have signed green leases. Use this as a pilot to attract more tenants to follow suit through synergy.
Finally, there are educators.
Wang Guolong believes that in order for the ESG concept to take root in the community, it is necessary for the general public to understand the influence and urgency of Qizhong, so as to spontaneously practice it in life.
"In the beginning, Link's cooperation with Food Wise was to recycle the leftover food in the market, but the merchants were not willing." After a period of education and cooperation, "now they are volunteering to donate good food, which is unexpected." Talking about this transition, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, describing it as the most interesting experience of many ESG projects.
"Link's investments are all over the world, and the advantage is to absorb ESG experience from other places and bring it to Hong Kong." Last year, Link publicly committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035. In the long run, it hopes to become the world's leading ESG investor and asset. One of the management companies.
Wang Guolong said that Link's active and long-term investment in promoting ESG can not only realize the brand promise of "Connecting Good Life", but also express its confidence in the long-term development of Hong Kong.
(Photo by Zheng Zifeng)
(Information provided by customer)
