HERA 2022 Open for Submissions
2022 marks the 5th anniversary of Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards (HERA). In addition to the nine award categories open for application, HERA is collaborating with GRESB, the global ESG benchmark for financial markets, to launch two new award categories, namely, “Excellence in Real Estate” and “Excellence in Infrastructure”. The two awards will use information from the GRESB Assessment results to determine eligible companies, based on their GRESB Score and GRESB Rating. A 10% discount is available for early submissions of entries, received on or before 30 June 2022. The final deadline for entry submission is 31 July 2022.
Tony Wong, Director of HERA Limited, says: “We have witnessed how ESG has become a mainstream issue amidst the global pandemic and are glad to have established this platform five years ago. For the past five years, ESG has not lost steam. The regulators are no more the only ones to demand higher transparency from companies in respect of climate risk management. Other industry stakeholders, such as International Sustainability Standards Board, are also working to standardize ESG reporting, allowing companies to integrate ESG information into financial reports. It is safe to say that ESG will soon become an integral part of annual corporate reports and any half-hearted approach might no longer be able to meet the data integrity requirement requirements from investors, regulators, and other stakeholders.”
Ruben Langbroek, Head of Asia Pacific for GRESB, added: “Transparency in ESG practices of real estate and infrastructure is key for investors. By improving the quality of reported ESG data, investors can reward companies that are managing risks and delivering outcomes as well as apply pressure on those that are not. This is why we’ve seen a growing number of investors require their investee companies to demonstrate that their ESG ambitions are not just words, by providing timely, reliable, and standardized ESG data. These two new awards recognize leadership among real estate and infrastructure companies in Greater China, using investment-grade ESG scores provided by GRESB.”
To ensure the highest possible objectivity when choosing recipients of awards, an independent panel of judges with distinguished backgrounds from diverse industries has been appointed to evaluate the entries. The panel of judges for 2022 awards includes Stephen Wong, Deputy Executive Director and Head of Public Policy Institute at Our Hong Kong Foundation, Dr. Yarime Masaru, Associate Professor, Division of Public Policy at HKUST, Lisa Djeng, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Keywise Asset Management, Mike Wong, CEO of the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies, Joseph Chan, Head of Global Communications of the Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Office.
Recognising responsible real estate investments, HERA has partnered with GRESB to launch two new award categories with key details below:
- Excellence in Real Estate: This award honors listed real estate companies, REITs, private property funds, and developers. The winner must first go through the GRESB Real Estate Assessment for evaluation of its ESG performance against at least two out of three Assessment Components – Management and Performance or Management and Development.
- Excellence in Infrastructure: This award recognizes sustainability best practices for infrastructure funds, companies and assets. The winner must go through the GRESB Infrastructure Fund or Asset Assessment, evaluating the ESG performance against two ESG Components – Management and Performance.
HERA is open to all kinds of sustainability reports by organizations in Asia, including ESG reports within an annual report, stand-alone ESG/Sustainability/CSR reports, and integrated reports. Entries will be accepted for the most recent report published by an organization.
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About HERA
HERA is organized by Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards Limited, a registered non-profit organisation. Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards is a not-for-profit initiative that recognizes ESG leaders, aiming to build trust among stakeholders. The Awards welcome applications from companies in Asia that strive to follow outstanding practices in sustainability reporting. Whether you are a small organization or a large conglomerate, HERA will be able to showcase your corporate sustainability initiatives.
About GRESB
GRESB is a mission-driven and industry-led organization that provides actionable and transparent environmental, social and governance (ESG) data to financial markets. We collect, validate, score and benchmark ESG data to provide business intelligence, engagement tools and regulatory reporting solutions for investors, asset managers and the wider industry.
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Media Contact
Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards Limited
Tony Wong
Tel: +852 3990 0793
Email: tony@hkesgawards.com