SGS and Sintali are pleased to announce that Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited ("SCBHK") has become the first international bank in the world to have signed the Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") to promote EDGE, the green building certification program launched by the International Finance Corporation ("IFC"), a member of the World Bank Group.
The consortium of Sintali-SGS is a global certification services provider for EDGE ("Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies"). The EDGE green building certification provides a transparent pathway for buildings to achieve carbon neutrality from a minimum of achieving 20% or more savings in energy, water and embodied energy in materials to the highest certification level of "Zero Carbon".
Under the MoU, Standard Chartered's clients who are eligible for green financing will be able to enjoy free advisory services1 from the Sintali-SGS EDGE Expert Partner Network for participating in the EDGE certification. Currently, SCBHK is also registering its three landmark office premises in Hong Kong, namely the Standard Chartered Bank Building and The Forum in Central, and the Standard Chartered Tower in Kwun Tong, for the EDGE certification, as part of Standard Chartered's global initiative to reach net zero carbon emissions from its operations by 2030, and from its financing by 2050.
Mary Huen, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong, Standard Chartered, said: "At Standard Chartered, our ambition is to shape a more sustainable economy with partners that share our passion. We are honoured to be the first international bank to sign the MoU with Sintali-SGS to jointly promote IFC's green building certification programme as a part of our initiatives to support sustainability efforts of our clients and communities and in doing so, lead the development of the sustainability ecosystem. This MoU signed by SCBHK will benefit clients across Standard Chartered's global footprint, demonstrating the important role of Hong Kong as an international green finance hub. By certifying our office premises with EDGE, we hope our example would encourage more corporates to participate in green building certification and contribute to Hong Kong's transition towards carbon neutrality by 2050."
Vivek Pathak, Director and Global Head for Climate Business at International Finance Corporation, said: "We are glad to have Standard Chartered's help to promote EDGE green building certification among their clients across the globe as we believe greening construction will be a key part in achieving carbon neutrality."
"We are excited to support Standard Chartered in taking a position of leadership within the commercial banking sector in Hong Kong and across the world to advance the net zero carbon transition. Investors have a crucial role to play in deploying capital in the green building sector internationally," said Harry Fernau, Global Head of Real Estate Solutions, Buildings & Infrastructure at SGS.
"The green building sector represents a significant opportunity for investment and for decarbonization, creating an ideal focus area for green financing. By providing solutions for Standard Chartered's clients, we hope to help deploy green buildings at scale across the world," said Thomas Saunders, Managing Director at Sintali.
For more details about EDGE, please visit: edgebuildings.com/certify
1 Subject to the terms and conditions
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world's most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 85. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
The history of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong dates back to 1859. It is currently one of the Hong Kong SAR's three note-issuing banks. Standard Chartered incorporated its Hong Kong business on 1 July 2004, and now operates as a licensed bank in Hong Kong under the name of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered PLC.
For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Sintali
Sintali is an independent company that quantifies and verifies the environmental impact of decisions, and helps organisations map out the road to net zero. With deep expertise in the development of green building standards and corporate sustainability, Sintali brings transparency and rigor to the sustainability realm.
For more information, visit www.sintali.com.
About EDGE
An innovation of IFC, EDGE helps property developers to build and brand green in a fast, easy and affordable way. EDGE is supported by free software that encourages solutions to reduce energy, water and the energy used to make building materials by at least 20 percent, which is the standard for EDGE certification. The program has been generously supported by the following donors: Austria, Canada, Denmark, ESMAP, EU, Finland, GEF, Hungary, Japan and Switzerland.
For more information, visit www.edgebuildings.com.
About SGS
We are SGS – the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. Our 93,000 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.
For more information, visit www.sgs.com.