CIC Sustainable Finance Certification Scheme
Aligning Hong Kong’s construction delivery with green finance to reach carbon neutrality by 2050
Services (2)
Sectors
Location
Hong Kong, China
Client
Construction Industry Council
Architect
To support the Hong Kong Government’s goals of transitioning the city to carbon neutrality by 2050 and establishing Hong Kong as Asia’s premier sustainable finance hub, Cundall was appointed by the Hong Kong Construction Industry Council (CIC) to develop the Sustainable Finance Certification Scheme (SFCS).
SFCS acts as a common framework, operational guideline, and user‑friendly assessment tools, streamlining construction companies’ applications for green loans and sustainable finance within their projects. SFCS bridges the gap between the finance and construction industries, granting access to green loans through compliance with sustainable operations and decarbonisation initiatives outlined in the scheme. Ultimately, the SFCS aims to reduce the embodied carbon across the construction supply chain in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
The scheme was developed in 2 phases to enable initial testing and subsequent refinement, ensuring a practical and effective approach while incorporating real-world feedback and responding to evolving industry requirements, alongside raising public awareness. A total of 19 pilot projects were deployed across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area to assess the scheme’s real-world applicability. These projects formed the foundation for developing a standardised framework and comprehensive guidelines, supporting further refinement of the scheme.
As part of further refinement and development, the team simplified the SFCS framework and expanded the range of accepted documents to improve usability while maintaining compliance. In parallel, online engagement sessions were conducted to promote the scheme and increase awareness and recognition among key stakeholders and the CIC.
“Leveraging over 50 stakeholder engagements, continuous user feedback, and independent review, we successfully delivered the SFCS in partnership with the CIC. The SFCS scheme plays a key role in advancing decarbonisation and supporting Hong Kong’s ambition to become a leading sustainable finance hub.” said Hannah Wong, Principal Engineer.
Through close collaboration with CIC and other project advisors, our team engaged a wide range of key stakeholders and developed a bridge between the financial and construction industries.
