2024 CDP Korea Awards
The Korea Sustainability Investing Forum
(KoSIF), which serves as the secretariat of the CDP Korea Committee, held the
"Publication Ceremony of the CDP Korea Climate Change and Water Report
2024 and Award Ceremony for Outstanding Companies in Climate Change Response
and Water Management" on April 30 at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul. (Sponsors:
Shinhan Financial Group, KB Financial Group, K-Water)
On the same occasion, the 2024 CDP Korea
Report titled "CDP: Evolving as a Platform for Climate Leadership,"
which analyzes the level of climate change and water response among domestic
companies, and the 2024 CDP Best Practice publication "Climate Leadership
Black Box," which contains exemplary cases and key achievements of climate
leaders, were also unveiled. The event was structured in two parts: Part 1
consisted of the award ceremony for outstanding companies in climate change
response and water management, followed by Part 2, a conference commemorating
the publication of the 2024 CDP Korea Report.
The event commenced with opening remarks by
Ji-in Jang, Chairperson of the CDP Korea Committee. He referenced the broader
societal context surrounding ESG engagement, emphasizing that "companies
and financial institutions must not be swayed by short-term fluctuations, but
must steadily build their capabilities grounded in a firm conviction toward
sustainability."
A video congratulatory address by CDP
Global CEO Sherry Madera was then presented. She underscored that environmental
stewardship is no longer an idealistic pursuit but a core element of
competitiveness, reaffirming the organization's guiding motto: "If you can
measure it, you can manage it."
Member of the National Assembly Byeong-deok
Min also delivered a video congratulatory address, citing the importance of CDP
and climate information disclosure, and extending congratulations to the award
recipients. His participation was limited to a video format due to prior
National Assembly commitments, including the Special Committee on Climate
Crisis.
The congratulatory address from Hwa-jin Han,
Chairperson of the Presidential Commission on Carbon Neutrality and Green
Growth, who was attending the National Assembly Special Committee on Climate
Crisis, was read on her behalf by Ji-seon Kim, Head of the Green Finance Team.
The address emphasized the critical role and collaboration of companies and
financial institutions in achieving carbon neutrality.
Ja-young Gu, Head of the Planning Division
at K-Water, then delivered congratulatory remarks on behalf of President Yoon
Seok-dae, highlighting the importance of water management in the context of
sustainable development.
A presentation on CDP's rebranding and
strategic direction was subsequently delivered by Dennis Wan, CDP Global Head
of Capital Markets, APAC. He discussed the efficiency of climate disclosure
through CDP, the partnership with the CDP Korea Committee, and addressed both
CDP's journey thus far and its future direction.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing
ceremony between the CDP Korea Committee and the Korea Meteorological Industry
Technology Agency (KIMST) was then conducted, represented respectively by Chairperson
Ji-in Jang and KIMST President Myeong-gyun Hwang. The two organizations agreed
to establish close collaborative cooperation to help companies anticipate and
prevent physical risks using meteorological data, and to enhance climate
competitiveness through high-credibility climate disclosure.
Taehan Kim, Senior Research Fellow of the
CDP Korea Committee, delivered a presentation on the "2024 CDP Climate
Change and Water Security Domestic and International Trends and Results."
He provided an overview of the 2024 CDP Korea Report content, including a
comparative analysis of climate change and water resource data between global
and domestic companies, along with an examination of the current state of
disclosure among Korean companies.
Prior to the award ceremony, Chun-seung Yang,
Standing Vice Chairperson of the CDP Korea Committee, announced the award
criteria.
(Detailed information on domestic and
international CDP trends and results, including climate management data of
Korean companies in 2024, is available in the "2024 CDP Korea Report: CDP,
Evolving as a Platform for Climate Leadership.")
The awards were presented by Chairperson Ji-in
Jang of the CDP Korea Committee and Jose Ordonez, CDP Global CRO. In the Water
Management category, awards were granted to one Grand Prize recipient, three
Excellence Award recipients, seven Merit Award recipients, along with special
awards for new and voluntary participation.
In the Climate Change Response category,
five companies received the "Carbon Management Honors Club"
designation, two companies were inducted into the "Hall of Fame"
Platinum Club, and sector-specific excellence awards as well as special awards
for new and voluntary participation were also presented. The "Hall of
Fame" is awarded to companies that have been included in the Carbon
Management Honors Club for five or more consecutive years, and is divided into
the Gold Club (1–3 consecutive years) and the Platinum Club (4 or more years).
Awards were presented across a total of nine sectors: Finance, Industrials,
Consumer Discretionary, Energy & Utilities, Materials, Pharmaceuticals
& Healthcare, Telecommunications, Consumer Staples, and IT.
(The full list of 2024 award recipients is
available in the "2024 CDP Korea Report: CDP, Evolving as a Platform for
Climate Leadership.")
Part 2 of the event featured the conference
commemorating the publication of the 2024 CDP Report, which opened with remarks
by Chairperson Ji-in Jang and drew participants with strong interest in
environmental data.
The conference's first presentation was a
video address by John Byrne, President of the Foundation for Renewable Energy
and Environment (FREE), titled "Climate Change in the Era of Trump
2.0," in which he elaborated on how to perceive and address the issue of
climate change amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.
Jose Ordonez, CDP Global CRO, then
presented on "The Importance of Sustainable Finance and Data,"
explaining that data is the most strategic asset in achieving net zero,
particularly in an era of rapid change, and emphasizing that CDP has assumed a
more indispensable role than ever before.
Yun-jae Jun, General Manager of the ESG
Division at KB Financial Group, followed with a presentation of corporate case
studies, explaining how the results of climate risk measurement and analysis
are applied within a financial institution and introducing relevant risk
management practices.
After a coffee break, Professor Jun-hee Jeong
of Daegu University presented on "Measurement and Disclosure of Physical
Risks from Climate Change," addressing the physical risks posed by climate
change, the current state of predictive models, and the necessity of developing
physical risk models and platforms for corporate use.
The final presentation was delivered by Taehan
Kim, Senior Research Fellow of the CDP Korea Committee, on the "Status of
CDP Climate Change and Water Resource Response in 2024," introducing the
contents of the 2024 CDP Korea Report and providing an explanation of climate
risk and response, greenhouse gas emission statistics, and water risk strategies.
The conference concluded with a panel
discussion on the theme of "Challenges and Tasks for Sustainability
Information Disclosure," moderated by Chun-seung Yang, Standing Vice
Chairperson of the CDP Korea Committee. Panelists included Dr. Hong-seon Song
of the Korea Capital Market Institute, Cheol-han Bang, Division Head of the
Korea Meteorological Industry Technology Agency, Ung-hee Lee, Standing Member
of the Korea Accounting Standards Board, as well as KB Financial Group's Yun-jae
Jun and CDP Korea Committee's Taehan Kim, both of whom had presented earlier.
The panelists shared their respective perspectives on sustainability
information disclosure across their fields, bringing the discussion to a close.
We look forward to the continued commitment
of the 2024 CDP respondent companies, the award recipients of the Korea Awards,
and domestic companies newly joining CDP in their efforts toward climate change
response and water management. Korea is playing a significant role in creating
a low-carbon economy and is setting a commendable example for other nations in
the pursuit of sustainable development. The CDP Korea Committee will continue
to encourage domestic companies and financial institutions to proactively
disclose climate-related information through CDP, and will remain steadfast in
its commitment to climate action for a sustainable future for Korea.
Award criteria and the list of award
recipients can be found in Chapter 4 "Korea Leaders" of the CDP Korea
Climate Change and Water Report 2024.
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