Consider the little things
In line with our determined pledge to be a good corporate citizen and to further reduce our environmental impact on the world we have enrolled on ESI Monitor's Environmental Business Operations Framework.
ESI Monitor promotes positive environmental and social impact and supports businesses to drive their transition to sustainability. The Environmental Business Operations Framework is an international benchmark and serves as an environmental management system to measure manage and minimise an organisation's environmental impact.
To support this pursuit we have appointed dedicated teams or representative from each of our offices who will lead the project in their jurisdiction.
In this series we're meeting members from our ESG teams around the world and finding out what plans and aspirations they have for their office and how their passion for sustainability influences their personal lives.
Here Cindy Cheng shares her thoughts.
Cindy what do you do in your personal life or home to minimise your environmental impact?
I think it's important to consider the little things that can help each of us minimise our environmental impact. For me I contribute towards the reduction of plastic production by always carrying reusable bags and keeping some in the office in case I go shopping. I also try to avoid consuming mass-produced foods by shopping at my local market whenever possible and preparing my own lunch before work. This allows me to buy more sustainably grown products and avoid purchasing take away orders that use plastic or polystyrene. It also has the added benefit of being healthier too.
What simple changes would you recommend for someone looking to reduce their carbon footprint?
These simple tips will help people reduce their carbon footprint without the need to drastically alter their way of life.
- Shop at a local fruit and vegetable market wherever possible and if you are going to the supermarket be sure to always take your own bags.
- Avoid driving whenever you can and try to use sustainable or public transport or car-pool with colleagues. Twenty people taking the same bus is far more environmentally friendly than those same twenty people each driving to work. In Hong Kong and our more metropolitan jurisdictions we have highly sophisticated and developed transport systems making this a viable option.
Why is investing in ESG and being a part of the Group's ESG initiative important to you?
Being involved in the Group's ESG initiative I'm in the unique position to share experiences and ideas from our Hong Kong office with people from different cultures and learn from others in the same way. The ideas that come out of such discussions can be both inspirational and encouraging and it's an honour to contribute towards our wider ESG plan.
How do you personally support social initiatives/causes?
I have recently been involved with helping a social cause that seeks to support families living in subdivided flats in Hong Kong. Nearly 30000 people including children live in apartments that have an average size of less than 60 square feet per person (by comparison a single car garage is 240 square feet). I recently went with a volunteer to visit a family who have been affected by these living conditions. We spoke to them about their needs and whether there was anything we could do to help. While money was a major factor they also needed support in other areas including career development childcare and much more. The charity helps families gain sponsorship which goes towards supporting the child's education. Housing difficulties often coincide with or lead to other social issues so it is a cause I'm incredibly passionate about.
Please note that this article is intended to provide a general overview of the matters to which it relates. It is not intended as professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. Any engagement in respect of our professional services is subject to our standard terms and conditions of business and the provision of all necessary due diligence. © Praxis 2023