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KPMG China launches its ‘Our Impact Plan’ ESG report, marking five years of in-depth implementation
How can enterprises anchor ESG values to drive sustainable economic and social transformation? On 23 August, this question was explored at the launch of KPMG China’s ‘Our Impact Plan’ report, which was held outdoors for the first time on a lawn in the Futian District, Shenzhen. The event featured keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, and presentations of results, reflecting on KPMG China’s achievements in the ESG field over the past five years. It also brought together government, social organisations, enterprises, and partners to focus on ESG trends and discuss new paths for sustainable development.
KPMG China continues to deepen its commitment to sustainable development
Honson To, Chairman of KPMG Asia Pacific and China, said, “This year marks the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the ‘lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets’ concept and the fifth anniversary of the ‘Our Impact Plan’. Hosting this event in the embrace of nature is highly significant. Looking back at our ESG reports over the past five years, we can see a clear reflection of how our environmental, social, and governance efforts have aligned with the country’s development. This publication not only summarises our steadfast commitments and investments in ESG but also reflects our determination to deepen ESG practices and empower clients and society in order to propel sustainable development.”
Climate change is one of the core drivers of future economic development. Jacky Zou, Chairman-elect of KPMG China, said, “At the national level, the ‘dual carbon goals’ are driving new economic momentum and reshaping the country’s economic development landscape and ecosystems. For enterprises, a high-standard ESG management system is essential for achieving sustainable development and seizing economic transformation opportunities. KPMG China has released the ‘Our Impact Plan’ report for five consecutive years, aiming to set an example and accumulate more cases of ESG information disclosure that align with corporate needs, with a view to promoting the widespread implementation of ESG principles.”
Strategic ESG actions, especially after the mandatory disclosure of future ESG reports, will deeply impact the business layout of companies. From the perspective of sustainable growth, enterprises need to develop a more comprehensive ESG action roadmap that focuses on the present while looking ahead to future milestones and promoting continuous action. Tracy Yang, Head of Corporate Affairs, KPMG China, emphasised, “As an organisation committed to sustainable development, KPMG China continuously explores feasible ESG solutions. We believe that true progress comes from aligning corporate responsibility and national vision through ESG strategies, creating lasting and profound impacts. Companies should not only focus on healthy growth but also leverage the development opportunities presented by national long-term goals to enhance leadership in sustainable business ecosystems.”
The ‘Our Impact Plan’ report released by KPMG China marks a first for the firm by moving the launch event outdoors to a lawn in the Futian District of Shenzhen in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, conveying our strong commitment to sustainable development and showcasing the beautiful vision of coexistence and shared prosperity between humanity and nature. It also highlights the significant progress and outstanding achievements KPMG China has made across four pillars: Governance, People, Planet, and Prosperity. Wilson Pang, Head of Our Impact Plan, KPMG China, stated, “These four pillars complement each other and form the backbone of KPMG China’s ESG ethos. Through its governance principles, KPMG China has established a comprehensive ESG governance framework; and the firm’s people-centred approach highlights its core values. Meanwhile, our efforts to care for the planet reflect our deep commitment to environmental sustainability; and achieving prosperity is at the heart of KPMG China’s ESG mission, pushing us to deliver impactful outcomes.”
Meeting quantified targets and co-constructing ecosystems
During the launch of the ‘Our Impact Plan’ report, KPMG China provided a professional overview, showcasing the highlights and flagship projects of the programme, along with a retrospective of the firm’s five-year journey and future outlook. Wilson Pang emphasised that this year marks a significant milestone for KPMG China in promoting the programme, marking the firm’s evolution from a mere participant to a leader and initiator, and from academic practice to emphasising sustainable development, technological innovation, and the development of new quality productive forces.
KPMG China has been recognised in the ‘2025 Typical Case in the Business Community to Conserve Biodiversity’ and the ‘2025 Corporate Green Transformation and ESG Practice Cases’, reflecting recognition of the firm’s efforts in biodiversity protection.
KPMG China continues to collaborate with the Mangrove Conservation Foundation (MCF) to initiate the ‘Green Bay Area Pioneer Action – Habitat Enhancement of Futian Mangrove Ecological Park’ project, which was launched in September 2024. We also partnered with multiple organisations to jointly launch the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ESG Biodiversity Corporate Recognition Award, with the goal of encouraging corporate participation in ecological protection. At the release of this year’s ‘Our Impact Plan’, KPMG China officially launched the China Biodiversity Recognition Award to promote the integration of environmental and ecological protection with technological innovation at both the national and regional levels.
KPMG China has purchased 100% renewable electricity for four consecutive years, and KAMPUS (KPMG China’s Hongqiao office) has received LEED Platinum certification. Additionally, 90% of our office floor area is located in buildings with green and/or wellness-related certifications.
We rolled out the new ‘Protect the Future – Action for the Planet’ (‘Protect the Future’) volunteer programme to encourage more employees to engage in volunteer service.
Upholding one of KPMG’s values, ‘For Better – We do what matters,’ we continuously invest in our communities. During the year, over 1,500 KPMG volunteers have participated in various corporate social responsibility activities organised by the firm, contributing over 15,800 total volunteer hours and reaching over 98,000 beneficiaries directly.
KPMG China is also leveraging AI applications to provide comprehensive deployment and application solutions to enterprises.
This year’s event also marks the first time we are launching the report outdoors, demonstrating KPMG China’s commitment to promoting sustainable business structures and protecting natural ecosystems.
From the perspective of ecological co-construction, guests engaged in deep discussions during the roundtable forum on the day of the launch discussing the theme ‘Harnessing the Power of Society to Build a New Paradigm for Biodiversity Protection’. The event also focused on the collaborative achievements of the ‘Our Impact Plan’, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ESG Biodiversity Corporate Recognition Award.
Wilson Pang said, “As the global economy becomes increasingly interconnected and the impact of climate change deepens, China is actively advancing the green transformation in areas such as green energy, carbon emissions management, and the green transition of traditional enterprises, achieving significant results in various areas. As a professional services firm, KPMG China closely follows national strategic plans and continuously strengthens collaboration with various stakeholders. Over the past five years, the firm has evolved from initially exploring carbon accounting and supply chain reviews to our current stage, in which we are establishing a comprehensive ESG service system covering all business areas, transitioning from a ‘reporter’ and ‘participant’ role to a ‘promoter’ and now to a ‘leader’.”
The true value of ESG lies in harnessing professional skills to transform sustainable concepts into daily practices for enterprises. The ‘Our Impact Plan’ report is not only KPMG China’s annual ESG report but also a commitment to forward-looking action. In light of the firm’s journey towards net-zero by 2030, KPMG China is actively exploring management methods for carbon reduction and low-carbon practices, and we are striving to provide better insights and practical results for more market participants.
Hashtag: #KPMG #KPMGChina
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About KPMG
KPMG in China has offices located in 31 cities with over 14, 000 partners and staff, in Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dongguan, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. It started operations in Hong Kong in 1945. In 1992, KPMG became the first international accounting network to be granted a joint venture licence in the Chinese Mainland. In 2012, KPMG became the first among the “Big Four” in the Chinese Mainland to convert from a joint venture to a special general partnership.
KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”) operate and provide professional services. “KPMG” is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organization or to one or more member firms collectively.
KPMG firms operate in 142 countries and territories with more than 275,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities.
Celebrating 80 years in Hong Kong
In 2025, KPMG marks “80 Years of Trust” in Hong Kong. Established in 1945, we were the first international accounting firm to set up operations in the city. Over the past eight decades, we’ve woven ourselves into the fabric of Hong Kong, working closely with the government, regulators, and the business community to help establish Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading business and financial centres. This close collaboration has enabled us to build lasting trust with our clients and the local community – a core value celebrated in our anniversary theme: “80 Years of Trust”.
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Blackwall Enters Vietnam: European Web Traffic Security Firm Launches Southeast Asia Expansion with 19-Year Hosting Partner HostVN
Estonian web traffic security company Blackwall announces its first publicly disclosed Southeast Asia partnership, bringing integrated traffic security to Vietnam’s digital infrastructure market through HostVN
HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 June 2026 – Blackwall, a European web traffic security company, today announced a partnership with HOSTVN TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS JOINT STOCK COMPANY (HostVN), Vietnam’s established digital infrastructure provider, to launch HOSTVN Website Protection – powered by Blackwall. The partnership marks Blackwall’s first publicly announced entry into Southeast Asia.
Under the agreement, HostVN integrates Blackwall’s all-in-one traffic security platform into its hosting infrastructure, offering Vietnamese businesses integrated website protection covering L7 DDoS defence, advanced bot mitigation, web application firewall (WAF), SSL management, and content caching, delivered seamlessly by HostVN, requiring no in-house security expertise from the customer.
A New Category: Traffic Quality as a Business Problem
The partnership addresses a challenge that most Vietnamese businesses have not yet named: according to Statista Research, more than half of all web traffic today is generated by automated bots and not human visitors. The consequences extend beyond traditional security risks into hidden operational costs, skewed business intelligence, and revenue leakage.
“Vietnam is ready, and Blackwall is committing to it,” said Madan Rai, VP Sales Asia at Blackwall. “More than half the traffic hitting a website today is not a real customer. Bots and automated requests consume bandwidth, distort analytics, and drain advertising spend — silently, every day. Through HostVN, we are placing enterprise-grade traffic security directly into the infrastructure that Vietnamese businesses already rely on. This partnership anchors Blackwall’s broader expansion across Southeast Asia. We chose Vietnam as our launchpad because its digital economy is scaling rapidly, and it requires infrastructure that matches that ambition.”
HostVN: 19 Years, Six Reinventions
Founded in 2007, HostVN has served Vietnamese businesses across five successive phases of the digital economy: from web hosting to cloud infrastructure, content delivery, digital transformation services, and AI-related offerings. The Blackwall partnership represents the company’s sixth strategic evolution, adding intelligent traffic security to its infrastructure stack.
“Nineteen years ago, we started HostVN with one purpose: to give Vietnamese businesses a strong foundation on the internet,” said Duong Thanh Binh, Chairman of HostVN. “Vietnam has not stood still, and neither have we. Every phase of our growth has been driven by the same commitment – to give the businesses that trust us the infrastructure they need to thrive. Today, the threat is not just downtime. It is invisible traffic that costs money, corrupts data, and goes undetected. HOSTVN Website Protection, powered by Blackwall, is our answer and our commitment to Vietnam’s digital future.”
Technology Built for Service Providers Partners
Blackwall operates on a channel-first model. Its traffic security platform is designed to be delivered exclusively through hosting and cloud infrastructure providers. This model gives partners full control over pricing and packaging, while allowing them to retain the direct customer relationship.
The Blackwall platform operates as a reverse proxy positioned in front of customer websites. Traffic is inspected across multiple detection layers, including Layer 4 and Layer 7 signature analysis, comprehensive device fingerprinting, IP reputation scoring, and proprietary behavioural algorithms. Clean traffic is then forwarded to the origin server and malicious requests are blocked or presented controlled responses. The process is transparent to legitimate users, with no added latency.
HOSTVN Website Protection delivers this capability across four integrated components:
- L7 DDoS Protection: application-layer attack mitigation running on HostVN’s Clean Traffic infrastructure
- Advanced Bot Mitigation: Real-time detection and classification of humans, trusted bots, and automated traffic, including AI agents, to identify benign and malicious activity. Web Application Firewall (WAF): OWASP Top 10 aligned protection against injection attacks, cross-site scripting, and common web exploits
- SSL Management and Content Caching: automated SSL certificate handling, encrypted delivery, and performance optimisation that reduces server load and improves page speed
Vietnam as Blackwall’s First Southeast Asia Launch Market
Vietnam’s digital economy has grown substantially over the past decade, with business online presence now standard across sectors. Alongside that growth, the volume of automated and malicious web traffic targeting Vietnamese sites has increased in proportion. HostVN, with more than 50,000 customers and established Clean Traffic infrastructure connected to major domestic carriers, offers Blackwall the operational scale and market knowledge required for an effective regional entry.
Blackwall has indicated that Vietnam is the first in a planned series of Southeast Asia partnerships, with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand identified as subsequent target markets. The company has also announced a major Series B funding round to support its international expansion.
Availability
HOSTVN Website Protection — powered by Blackwall is available to HostVN customers effective 20 May 2026. Pricing is available through HostVN directly. Further information is available at hostvn.net and blackwall.com.
Hashtag: #Blackwall
https://blackwall.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackwall-solutions/
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Blackwall
Blackwall is a web traffic security company headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, specialising in web traffic management security for hosting providers, managed service providers and cloud infrastructure platforms. Blackwall’s all-in-one platform — combining load balancing, advanced bot mitigation, L7 DDoS protection, web application firewall (WAF), content caching, and SSL management — is delivered through a global network of hosting and infrastructure partners and protects more than 2.3 million websites worldwide. Blackwall.com
ABOUT HOSTVN (HOSTVN Technology Solutions Joint Stock Company)
HostVN has provided digital infrastructure services to Vietnamese businesses since 2007. The company operates shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, cloud infrastructure, and content delivery services, serving more than 50,000 customers. HostVN’s Clean Traffic infrastructure supports high-volume traffic management across major domestic carrier interconnects. Hostvn.net
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AS Watson Launches brand lab to Turn Retail Scale into a Data-driven Brand Growth Engine
The initiative formalises capabilities the Group has been building internally, combining data-led demand identification, integrated distribution, and execution across more than 17,000 O+O stores in Asia and Europe.
Over the past two years, AS Watson has introduced more than 4,800 new brands and brand extensions across its network, underscoring the scale of its brand development activity.
From Incubation to Execution
AS Watson brand lab departs from traditional incubator models by embedding brand development directly within AS Watson’s retail ecosystem.
Rather than incubating brands ahead of their market entry, the platform operates inside the market, using real-time customer data, shopping behaviour and category dynamics to inform development decisions.
Dr Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson, said the model reflects the company’s structural advantage. “We don’t wait for brands to find the market – we build them where demand already exists, and scale them through our ecosystem.”
A Systemised Growth Model
At the core of AS Watson brand lab is an integrated operating model linking insight, creation, distribution, demand activation and scaling.
The platform leverages AS Watson’s over 180 million loyalty members and O+O capabilities to accelerate brand selection and commercial execution.
A Structured Pathway to Scale
Brands within AS Watson brand lab are supported through a structured growth pathway, progressing from early-stage validation to regional scaling and category leadership.
At each stage, brands receive differentiated support across insight, distribution, marketing activation and investment, ensuring resources are focused where the greatest growth potential exists.
This staged approach enables AS Watson to systematically build, scale and prioritise brands, improving success rates while maintaining disciplined capital allocation.
Focus on High-Growth Segments
AS Watson brand lab will prioritise product segments including Asian beauty trends (K-beauty, J-beauty, C-beauty), ingredient-led skincare, health and wellness products and elevated personal care – areas where consumer demand continues to evolve rapidly.
The Group expects the platform to strengthen its ability to build proprietary and exclusive brands while improving speed-to-market and capital efficiency.
Proven Brand Scaling in Action
Early outcomes demonstrate how AS Watson brand lab translates insight into accelerated growth – not only by shaping brand development, but by scaling brands rapidly across markets through its integrated O+O ecosystem.
Across multiple categories and geographies, the platform has enabled brands to move from targeted market entry to multi-market expansion with speed and discipline:
COSRX (K-Beauty)– By combining COSRX’s innovation-led skincare expertise with
AS Watson’s extensive retail footprint and deep consumer insights, the partnership has accelerated international expansion and broadened consumer reach. This illustrates how the platform converts strong brand propositions into sustained category growth across markets.
&honey (J-Beauty) – Leveraging its distinctive product positioning alongside
AS Watson’s regional scale, &honey rapidly expanded beyond its home market, rolling out across multiple Asian markets within a short timeframe. This demonstrates the platform’s ability to systematically scale proven domestic leaders into regional brands.
e.l.f. Cosmetics (US) – Through partnership with AS Watson, e.l.f. has extended its community-led, value-driven model across Europe, translating strong brand engagement into measurable market penetration. The example highlights how consumer-centric brands can be amplified through local market execution at scale.
essence (Germany) – The expansion of essence across multiple markets, including exclusive partnerships, reflects how purpose-driven brands can achieve consistency and reach when supported by integrated distribution and retail insight. This underscores the platform’s ability to build sustained brand relevance and loyalty across diverse markets.
Across these examples, brands have scaled through a consistent model – combining data-led selection, integrated distribution, and coordinated market execution – demonstrating how AS Watson brand lab functions as a repeatable engine for brand growth, from market entry through to regional scale.
Scaling a Repeatable Engine
AS Watson brand lab positions AS Watson to leverage its retail footprint not only as a distribution channel, but as an engine for brand creation and scaling.
The initiative signals a shift from opportunistic brand sourcing towards a structured, repeatable growth model, reinforcing AS Watson’s ability to scale brands with speed, discipline and consistency while driving long-term portfolio value.
AS Watson continues to engage with selected brand partners and emerging brands aligned with its focus areas, with further information available through its official
AS Watson brand lab platform (https://www.aswatson.com/asw-brand-lab)
Hashtag: #ASWatson
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About AS Watson Group
Established in 1841, AS Watson Group is one of the world’s longest-standing and most recognised retail companies with roots in Asia. Today, the company operates over 17,000 stores across 12 retail brands in 31 markets, employing 130,000 people globally. This makes AS Watson Group the largest international health and beauty retailer in the world.
In the fiscal year 2025, AS Watson Group reported revenue of over US$26 billion. The company’s technology-enabled O+O (Offline plus Online) platforms serve over 6 billion shoppers annually, seamlessly integrating physical and digital retail experiences.
AS Watson Group supported over 180 charitable and non-profit organisations every year, dedicating over 40,000 hours of volunteer work to serve over 370,000 people in need in our operating markets.
AS Watson Group is also a member of the world-renowned multinational conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, which has four core businesses – ports and related services, retail, infrastructure and telecommunications in over 50 countries.
Please visit 
www.aswatson.com/our-company/o-and-o-strategy/ for more information.
A stream of partnership propose heightened tech and business connections across continents
HONG KONG / PARIS, FRANCE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 June 2026 – Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has successfully concluded its Paris delegation to Viva Technology (VivaTech) 2026, which celebrated its 10th anniversary as a global stage for ambitious startups from June 17 to 20. HKSTP reinforces its impactful role as Asia’s I&T ecosystem orchestrator, by confirming the signing of multiple memorandums of understanding (MOU) between Park companies and the European I&T community:
- Microalgae expert Algreen, signed with ForNatures, a South Korean Climate Tech company that specialises in carbon capture management, in amplifying mutual research and development capabilities to take a step closer to ESG goals.
- Robotics solutions provider Robocore, signed with ARCHTYP, a Slovenian cognitive software startup, enabling the display of a differentiating layer on a proven platform to reach market demands, while also closing deals with French advertising guru JCDecaux, to supply a thousand robots and extend its reach in the European market.
- The appeal and use cases of LeafIoT‘s green asset management has caught the eyes of European’s professionals in the preservation sector, including the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the Catalonian landscaping and environmental restoration company Gremi de Jardineria de Catalunya, and notably, Professor Andrea Galli from the Laboratory of Geotechnical Analysis and Modelling (GeoT-LAM) at Politecnico di Milano, all taking solid steps in exploring new opportunities and breakthroughs and boosts in market reach.
The annual showcase put a spotlight on enabling founders to connect with the local I&T community, explore market access, and forge global partnerships via pitching and matching sessions, networking mixers, and investor engagement. Compared with VivaTech 2025, this year’s delegation achieved even stronger momentum with over 50% growth in opportunities, totalling more than 200 potential business leads worth HK$70M in total.
HKSTP’s growing presence at VivaTech reflects its mission to open new doors for Hong Kong’s startups, build pathways into European markets and create reciprocal opportunities for European innovators to enter Asia through Hong Kong’s strategic location in the world’s No.1 innovation cluster – Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA (World Intellectual Property Organisation Innovation Index).
Terry Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said: “France and the EU represent critical opportunities for Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland I&T ventures to scale globally. VivaTech provides a world-class platform for collaboration, co-creation, and knowledge exchange. Our strong ties with French partners underline the importance of Hong Kong as a global launchpad for innovation, supporting startups on their journey from local success to international impact.”
Highlights this year include the expansion of HKSTP’s partnership with Bouygues Construction, a global leader in sustainable construction and infrastructure headquartered in France, and operates across more than 60 countries and is recognised for delivering major projects in transport, energy, real estate, and smart cities.
Through its Hong Kong arm, Dragages Hong Kong, Bouygues has maintained a 70-year legacy in Hong Kong, contributing to iconic infrastructure projects and championing innovation in areas such as construction safety, modular design, green materials, and site automation. HKSTP is the first and only institution in Hong Kong to bridge tech venture directly into the Bouygues Construction “Scale One: programme, providing a fast track to prototyping and commercialisation. This initiative sets a new benchmark for cross-border industrial innovation partnerships, accelerating global impact for Hong Kong startups through trusted collaborations with leading European enterprises.
Building on existing strong foundations, Bouygues Construction is now stepping up collaboration with HKSTP beyond Asia, offering selected Hong Kong startups the chance to showcase solutions at Bouygues’ headquarters in France, with opportunities for solution validation and pilot trials across European operations.
The Hong Kong Tech Pavilion, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and supported by partners including HKSTP, showcased market-ready solutions spanning AI, green- and health tech from 24 tech ventures, and marked a major milestone in creating a direct bridge between Hong Kong and Europe’s heart of innovation and technology.
Hashtag: #HKSTP
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
HKSTP
More information about HKSTP is available at 
www.hkstp.org.
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