Second year of the pioneering awards shows exemplary HK-listed companies increasing disclosure quality in response to growing interest in ESG from investors and stakeholders

HONG KONG, CHINA - MediaOutReach - 20 February 2019 - BDO, the world's fifth largest accountancy network, hasannounced and honoured today the winners of the second BDO ESG Awards ("the Awards"). Launched in 2018, theAwards was the first in the city to recognise listed companies which have implementedoutstanding sustainability initiatives with remarkable results and achievedhigh standards in Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting.

With an emphasis on independence and credibility, the BDO ESG Awards is organisedand hosted by BDO in Hong Kong, co-organised by the South China Morning Post, withthe support of BDO International Limited & BDO China, in a concerted effortof the BDO global network to drive development in ESG and ESG reporting.

The top three companies from each of the large market capitalisation,middle market capitalisation and small market capitalisation segments of MainBoard listed companies, as well as GEM companies were selected as winners in eachof the following two award categories: (1) Best in ESG Awards and (2) Best inReporting Awards. The companies with the best combined scores in those twocategories were granted the ESG Report of the Year Awards. This year, a newaward category was also added to recognise newly listed companies whichdemonstrated exceptional performance in the areas of ESG (full list below).

Dr William Yu, Chairmanof the Judging Panel of the Best in ESG Awards, said, "We are so excited tosee the sustainability impact demonstrated through the ESG best practicesbrought by the participating companies. Companies are becoming more aware ofthe roles of ESG integration, addressing the emerging global sustainabilitychallenges, ranging from climate risks, flooding, data security toregulatory pressures. My appreciation went to the awarded companies, which havesuccessfully brought positive social and environmental benefits alongsidea financial return. My sincere wish to BDO to continue its leadership andsupport to companies' ESG journey in Hong Kong and worldwide and attract morecompanies to join the sustainability bandwagon." 

Professor Carlos Lo, Chairmanof the Judging Panel of the Best in Reporting Awards, said, "ESG Reporting is an important mechanism for actively engaginglisted companies in corporate social responsibility in order to pave the wayfor them to achieve business sustainability. The Reporting Awards organised bythe BDO aspire to recognise listed companies that have displayed the bestcorporate endeavors in compiling and communicating their ESG activities andperformance to their stakeholders. The Judging Panel greatly appreciate theaward-winning companies' earnest efforts, expressed in ideas with a high degreeof originality and thoughtfulness in organising a state-of-the-art ESGpresentation."

Mr Clement Chan, Managing Director ofAssurance, BDO in Hong Kong, said, "We are pleased to see that Hong Kong listed companiesare caring more about the quality of their ESG disclosure, evident from theirincreased inclusion of more information which are useful and of interest tostakeholders and investors in ESG reporting, telling us that the transition frombasic ESG report to the global trend of "impact reporting" is in good progress.We see that even some newly listed companies havedemonstrated great effort in this area, and hence we have specially created anew award category this year to acknowledge their commendable achievements. We believe companieshave come to appreciate the value of ESG reporting and are therefore putting timeand resources to incorporate sustainability elements in their business modelsand value chain that in return brings new business opportunities to them. We at BDO, as a comrade ofESG facilitators, will continue to offer support to them in helping their companies raise ESGstandards and performance and in turn contribute to overall ESG development inHong Kong."

Mr Johnson Kong,Managing Directorof Non-Assurance, BDO in Hong Kong,said, "On behalf of BDO, Iwould like to express our sincere gratitude to the judges who have committedprecious time and their expertise in the judging process to ensure thecredibility and representativeness of the Awards. Moving forward, BDO willremain committed as a keen advocate for continuous enhancements in the ESG andESG reporting standards of Hong Kong-listed companies towards internationalstandards, so that the city can stay competitive in the global markets."

MrRicky Cheng, Director and Head of Risk Advisory, BDO in Hong Kong,said, "We see that globalinvestors increasingly look for companies' non-financial information as indicatorsfor investment analysis and actively seek for ESG-relatedinformation of the companies inwhich they invest, in order to understand how they manage ESG risks, and ultimately, toprotect theirlong-term capital investment and good returns. ESG reporting thus essentiallyinfluences a company'scompetitive positioning. This gives a strong reason for companies toattempt to communicate the ESG strategies, management approaches andachievements or difficulties, in which investors are more interested in, in amore transparent, interactive and informative way, as well as progressivelyshifting the ESG reporting to "Impact Reporting" in meeting not only thestakeholders' expectations but also the investors in ESG performance."

BDO ESG Awards 2019 Winners (listed in no particular order)

Best in ESG -- Large Cap

Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (293.HK)

CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)

Lenovo Group Limited (992.HK)

Best in ESG -- Mid Cap

COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (1199.HK)

Fortune Real Estate Investment Trust (778.HK)

Shun Tak Holdings Limited (242.HK)

Best in ESG -- Small Cap

Esprit Holdings Limited (330.HK)

Tsui Wah Holdings Limited (1314.HK)

Yip's Chemical Holdings Limited (408.HK)

Best in ESG -- GEM

1957 & Co. (Hospitality) Limited (8495.HK)

Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group Limited(8320.HK)

Roma Group Limited (8072.HK)

Best in Reporting -- Large Cap

Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (293.HK)

CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)

Lenovo Group Limited (992.HK)

Best in Reporting -- Mid Cap

COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (1199.HK)

Shun Tak Holdings Limited (242.HK)

Yuexiu Property Company Limited (123.HK)

Best in Reporting -- Small Cap

Esprit Holdings Limited (330.HK)

Karrie International Holdings Limited (1050.HK)

Tsui Wah Holdings Limited (1314.HK)

Best in Reporting -- GEM

1957 & Co. (Hospitality) Limited (8495.HK)

Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group Limited (8320.HK)

Roma Group Limited (8072.HK)

ESG Report of the Year -- Large Cap

CLP Holdings Limited (002.HK)

ESG Report of the Year -- Mid Cap

COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (1199.HK)

ESG Report of the Year -- Small Cap

Esprit Holdings Ltd. (330.HK)

ESG Report of the Year -- GEM

Roma Group Limited (8072.HK)

ESG Report of the Year (Newly Listed Companies)

China Resources Pharmaceutical Group Limited. (3320.HK)

Nameson Holdings Limited (1982.HK)

Zhou Hei Ya International Holdings Company Limited (1458.HK)