Haitong International Becomes The First Financial Institution In Hong Kong To Announce The Goal Of Net Zero Emissions

Hong Kong / PRNewswire / - Haitong International Securities Group Limited ("Haitong International" stock code: 665.HK) recently released its first Haitong International ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) statement in which the company Commits to carbon neutrality and ESG practices to conserve energy and promote sustainable finance by the end of 2025. This is the first public carbon neutral commitment in Hong Kong's financial sector. The city itself does not plan to be carbon neutral until 25 years later .

Dr. Lin Yong , Vice Chairman and CEO of Haitong International, said: “Haitong International is committed to providing comprehensive professional financial services to clients around the world while striving to implement ESG principles in all areas of its business. In the future, Haitong International will continue to take ecological and social values ​​into account in all decisions in all business areas. We are leveraging the unique role we have as a capital broker in the investment, finance, advisory, research and brokerage sectors to advance impact investment. Haitong International's goal is to be a leading global investment bank with a clear focus on sustainable finance and help strengthen Hong Kong's position as the international center for ESG investing in Asia. "

In its declaration, Haitong International pledges to gradually reduce its carbon emissions by reducing energy consumption and using renewable energies. Carbon credits are to be purchased to offset the remaining carbon emissions in order to achieve net zero carbon emissions, i.e. carbon neutrality, by the end of 2025.

Haitong International will also introduce the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" concept throughout the group. In this sense, 100% of the energy used in the company should come from renewable sources and the annual paper consumption and waste generation per capita should increase by at least 30% by the end of 2025 (Compared to the end of 2020). High carbon business activities such as business travel and mass printing are to be replaced with alternatives. The Group will track its greenhouse gas emissions metrics in accordance with the ISO 14064 standard and disclose the data in its annual ESG report .

To support the sustainability of the financial sector, Haitong International aims to allocate or allocate US $ 20 billion in ESG and sustainable finance and investments by the end of 2025. To this end, Haitong International will set up a company-wide system to encourage its employees to advocate for green finance and sustainable businesses such as green bonds and ESG products.

Haitong International will also incorporate an ESG risk assessment into its investment decision-making process and gradually move away from highly polluting and energy wasting corporate finance and investment activities. The Group will proactively support the development of renewable and clean energies, environmental protection and green industries.

In addition, Haitong International has established its own ESG Committee and ESG Executive Office under the Group's Executive Committee responsible for managing the Group's ESG initiatives and implementing the above ESG strategies in the Group's global operations Lead the group.

In October 2020, Haitong International launched the Haitong MSCI China A ESG ETF (ticker: 3031.HK), which is currently the only ETF in Hong Kong that offers broad ESG investment exposure on China A shares. As of December 1, 2020, Haitong International has subscribed to 13 green bond issues totaling more than $ 3.2 billion. In Equity Capital Markets, Haitong International has participated in various green projects, including the equity placement of China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle and the initial public offering of Beijing Enterprises Urban Resources in Hong Kong this year.