Board level
ESG strategy and target setting
A target that was chosen because it sounded ambitious becomes a liability the first year you miss it. We help set targets that are consistent with your baseline, your capital plan and your sector — and build the strategy that delivers them.
Strategy before targets
Announcing a net-zero date is straightforward. Explaining, three years later, why emissions have not moved is not. We work in the other order: establish the baseline, understand where emissions and material impacts actually arise, identify what can be changed and at what cost, and only then set targets that the plan supports.
What we work through with you
- Baseline confirmation and data quality assessment before any target is set
- Material topic prioritisation linked to business strategy rather than to a framework list
- Target architecture — absolute versus intensity, scope coverage, interim milestones, base year
- Feasibility testing against your asset base, capital plan and operating constraints
- Alignment with Hong Kong's carbon neutrality direction and relevant international reference points
- KPI design, ownership and how performance is monitored and reported
- Linkage to remuneration where the board wants accountability to have consequences
Being honest about what is achievable
Some of the most useful advice we give is that a target under discussion is not achievable on the current plan. That conversation is uncomfortable and considerably cheaper than a public retraction. Our sector view — built from over 250 completed projects and more than 80 listed clients — gives us a reasonable basis for saying so.
Greenwashing risk is largely created at this stage. Targets that outrun the plan, scope coverage that quietly excludes the material emissions, and language that implies more than the data supports are the three patterns that attract challenge.
What the engagement includes
- Baseline and data quality confirmation
- Material topic prioritisation against business strategy
- Target design with scope, base year and milestone structure
- Feasibility and cost testing of the underlying pathway
- Peer and sector benchmarking
- KPI framework with owners and monitoring cadence
- Implementation roadmap and internal communication materials
- Disclosure language for targets and progress
Who this is for
Listed issuers setting or revising targets; companies whose existing targets are off track; groups facing investor pressure on climate commitments; private companies building a first ESG framework.
Request a quotationCommon questions
Should we commit to net zero?
Only if you can describe the pathway. A dated commitment without a costed plan behind it creates disclosure exposure and invites the question at every subsequent AGM. Interim targets you will actually hit are worth more to investors than a distant date.
Do we need science-based targets validated externally?
It depends on who is asking. Some customers and investors specifically want validated targets; for many Hong Kong issuers, a well-constructed and clearly disclosed target is sufficient and considerably faster. We will tell you which situation you are in.
Related services
Greenhouse Gas Accounting & Decarbonisation
Develop reliable greenhouse gas inventories and establish practical carbon reduction pathways across Scope 1, 2 and 3.
Read moreStakeholder Engagement & Materiality Assessment
Identify the ESG issues that matter most by engaging stakeholders and conducting structured materiality assessments aligned with international best practices.
Read moreBoard Advisory & Corporate Governance
Empower boards and senior management to fulfil evolving ESG and climate governance responsibilities while strengthening long-term oversight.
Read moreReady to scope this?
Tell us your listing status and reporting year end. We come back with a defined scope, a fee and a realistic timeline — not a brochure.