In September 2024, the Hong Kong PropTech Alliance launched the Low Embodied Carbon Construction Procurement Guideline. This pioneering initiative, developed by RESET Carbon with guidance from Alliance members and our partners across construction, architecture, engineering, legal and finance represents a significant milestone in our collective commitment towards decarbonizing the real estate sector across Asia.

The guideline is designed to accelerate the development of the low-carbon construction market by standardising carbon accounting and disclosure, providing industry benchmarks and advocating for policy support. It emphasizes that ­procurement tenders should include performance specifications, such as low-carbon product ratings, recycled content and material composition.

“The key challenge for us, and also the industry and suppliers in Hong Kong and mainland China, is a lack of transparency on the availability and credibility of low- carbon construction materials,” said Kent Jan, Director and Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation at Hongkong Land.

According to the World Green Building Council, up to 30% of a building’s emissions come from upfront embodied carbon through its lifetime, of which 85% is from building materials – mostly concrete and steel.  “Lots of Hong Kong com­panies have become a lot more progressive on carbon reduction by setting science-based targets that require them to engage into their supply chains,” said Liam Salter, founder and CEO at Reset Carbon. “If we want the supply chain to respond to that, we need to send a bigger demand signal.”

The Guideline is now available on the PropTech Alliance’s website. Thanks again to the Alliance members and partners for their insights, expertise and commitment as we all continue to lead the way in fostering a sustainable and low-carbon future for our built environment.

Stay tuned for further updates as we collaboratively work to create a more sustainable and low-carbon future for our built environment.