Balancing Profit & Planet: What’s Next for Sustainability?

Sustainability has gained significant momentum in recent years, both at corporate and individual levels. However, economic downturns and geopolitical uncertainties are causing decision-makers to hesitate in their investments in sustainability initiatives. Many major companies are delaying their net-zero targets, while others are withdrawing from net-zero alliances. So, what can we do?

Thanks to Dr. William Yu from the World Green Organisation for the invitation! DALA is proud to support the meaningful and inspiring international conference – ESG Xchange 2025.

Our founding chairman, Dr. Charm, had the privilege of moderating a panel on Circular Economy & Enabling Technologies. We learned so much from brilliant speakers like Phoebe Leung from the property industry, Dr. Lei (Gloria) Yao from the textile sector, and Calvin Cheng, CFA from the AI industry. Engaging with experts like Professor Jie Zhou from the University of Cambridge, Steven Ho from HK Electric, Dr. Angus Yip, Certified ESG Planner CEP®, and Cyrus Cheung was truly inspiring. Participating in the judging panel for over 10 elite startups working on sustainability innovation—from energy efficiency to food tech—was eye-opening.

Key Takeaways:

How much sustainability can we afford?
Sustainability initiatives must be business-driven to facilitate justification—shifting from a cost center to a profit center. Leaders in sustainability should understand business, sustainability, and technology to sustain innovation.

How can we drive adoption in uncertain times?
Collective innovation is key! 🌱 Nestlé focuses on Creating Shared Value, while Swire incentivizes tenants and supply chains to join their sustainability journey. Changing stakeholder mindsets in the ecosystem is critical, and some companies are even gamifying projects to boost engagement and generate bottom-up ideas!

Why does scaling innovation matter?
Pilot projects are valuable—but without scale, sustainability cannot be sustained. We must co-create ecosystems with startups, tech enablers, government, investors, and funding opportunities to drive real impact.

Sustainability Innovation is a two-sided coin—balancing business profitability with social impact is more crucial than ever. The final recommendations from our panel speakers were Ownership, Collaboration & Embracing Change. Let’s keep driving it forward!