The ESG Forum 2024, themed “From ideas to action”, took place today, June 13, at the Rex Hotel, District 1, HCMC to promote ESG practices among businesses, organizations, and other stakeholders.
The event was held by The Saigon Times, an English online newspaper published by the Saigon Times Group, in collaboration with the EuroCham Green Growth Sector Committee (GGSC) and the ESG & Sustainable Business Transition Alliance.
ESG, which stands for environmental, social, and governance, has become a buzzword among businesses. Adopting ESG practices is a growing trend that steers companies towards sustainable development objectives and increased accountability in their business and production activities.
However, ESG is not a magic wand that can transform business operations overnight. It is a process that requires businesses to have a proper understanding of ESG. Several critical questions remain among many stakeholders: Where do we start? How do we implement meaningful ESG practices? And how do we measure the efficiency of our ESG initiatives? These questions were addressed during the ESG Forum 2024.
The forum also served as a bridge connecting more than 200 guests and representatives from Vietnamese and FDI companies, primarily in sectors like real estate, finance, manufacturing, and agriculture in finding solutions for sustainable development.
In his opening remarks at the ceremony, Pham Huu Chuong, deputy editor-in-chief of the Saigon Times Group, highly appreciated all the businesses participating in the forum and expressed hope that the forum would help participants gain insights into ESG practices and look for new perspectives.
“Together, we have the power to shape a future where business success is not measured solely by financial profit but by its positive contribution to society and the planet. Let us seize this opportunity to pave the way for a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable tomorrow,” he said, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts from all stakeholders to build a more sustainable future.
Speaking at the event, Erick Contreras, co-chairman of the Eurocham Green Growth Sector Committee (GGSC), emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnerships among businesses, Government agencies, and other stakeholders to drive sustainable development in Vietnam. He highlighted the need to organize workshops to go into deep dives on specific topics related to green growth and sustainable development.
The forum commenced with the “Green Morning Vietnam! Workshop,” which presented an overview of ESG, tracing its global trends, and presenting the situation in Vietnam.
The forum was among the first net-zero carbon events in Vietnam, where greenhouse gas emissions associated with the event, such as emissions from travel, energy use, catering, waste, and other activities, will be offset. As part of the organizer’s commitment to environmental responsibility, the carbon emissions associated with hosting this forum are merticulously calculated.
These credits will be invested in carbon offset projects, directly contributing to the sustainable development of the community and beyond.
The ESG Series Masterclass, organized in conjunction with the ESG & Sustainable Business Transition Alliance and endorsed by various chambers of commerce (BeluxCham, CanCham, CCIFV, CCIPV, CEEC, DBAV, HKCham, GBA, SCCV, NordCham), followed.
The ESG Series Masterclass consisted of three workshops, focusing on ESG integration in the construction sector, Finance transition & ESG disclosures, and ESG reporting & ranking frameworks.
(The Saigon Times)
