BEC’s Corporate Sustainability Team – Senior Specialist Mr Terence Cheng delivered a guest lecture on 5 July at City University on “Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia” in a summer course. Mr Cheng shared his expertise and some case studies in addition to introducing BEC’s mission.

Mr Cheng was invited to speak by Dr Robert Hanlon, who is an instructor, a CSR expert and frequent contributor to ethics-related publications. After introducing the basis of CSR: theory, frameworks, key debates and business value of sustainable development, Mr Cheng speak about the successful business case in CSR and addressed some topics of interest to the students.

In his lecture, Mr Cheng introduced BEC’s work as a non-profit organization with a joint mission with its members to make Hong Kong a model for sustainable development in Asia through the integration of environmental and social responsibility into existing business practices. He further explained why sustainability strategy is vital for businesses to remain competitive in the market.

Drawing from his consulting experience, Mr Cheng shared examples of corporate sustainability strategies and mechanisms to report and reduce carbon emission, which is an upcoming global trend. City University students were especially curious about hot topics such as carbon credits, carbon trading and verification methods.

The discussion facilitated intellectual exchange between the students and the lecturers in areas of corporate sustainability. BEC is confident that the students will benefit from the exercise. We like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Hanlon and City University for the invitation. We look much forward to further engagement with the community.