Sun Life launches city’s first “Sun Life Consumer Sustainable Lifestyles Index”, measuring consumers’ behaviour towards a more sustainable future for Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Sep 10, 2024 – According to the United Nations Environment Programme1, lifestyles are social prints of how we live – they guide our habits, frame our behavioural and consumption choices, shape our identity, influence our health, and welcome or exclude us from social relationships. In view of this, Sun Life fully supports the “Sun Life Consumer Sustainable Lifestyles Index”, a joint research study by the Institute of Knowledge Exchange of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong and the World Green Organisation, to better understand Hong Kong consumers’ behaviours towards sustainable living. This is Hong Kong’s first study that explores sustainable living from a non-corporate perspective, demonstrating Sun Life’s vision of “Together, the future made clear”. In addition, Sun Life hosted a forum and invited experts from various sectors to discuss how sustainable development can make Hong Kong a more liveable city.

Speaking at the forum, the Under Secretary for Development, Mr. David Lam, said that Hong Kong is a compact yet liveable city and the Government will ensure high-quality development of the city through planning to create a high-density but pleasant living environment. The Government will adopt the concept of “15-minute neighbourhood” in the planning of New Development Areas (NDAs) to facilitate residents’ accessibility to various locations by walking or cycling to obtain daily necessities, encourage a healthy lifestyle and lower carbon emissions. He stressed that the Government attaches importance to both the development of NDAs and conservation of the natural environment, so as to foster sustainable development and enhance liveability.

Conducted from January to June this year, the Sun Life Consumer Sustainable Lifestyles Index Study carried out street interviews with 1,004 Hong Kong adults and online interviews with 213 secondary school students, as well as focus groups and expert interviews², to examine how consumers practice sustainable living within the ESG framework. By understanding individual behaviours in relation to sustainable lifestyles, the study aims to offer a comprehensive view of the city's readiness to become a more environmentally friendly, socially harmonious, and ethically aware society.

The "Sustainable Lifestyles Score³" includes 22 carefully selected consumer actions in its index calculation, examining the practice of common sustainable lifestyle actions in Green Living, Harmonious Living, and Ethical Living. The findings show that Hongkong consumers scored 53.56 when it comes to putting sustainable living into practice. While there is still room for improvement, their positive attitudes indicate that society as a whole is on the right path towards a sustainable future.

Christine Yeung, General Manager, Life and Health of Sun Life Hong Kong Limited, commented: "We are proud to support this first-of-its-kind and forward-looking initiative. We believe the findings will provide valuable data and insight to help drive sustainable development in the city. We aim to work hand-in-hand with the public to make Hong Kong a more environmentally friendly place. Sun Life has long worked to raise public awareness about health and sustainable living through innovative product and community engagement, staying true to our mission of helping Clients achieve lifetime financial security and healthier lives. It is encouraging to see the positive attitudes Hong Kong consumers have towards sustainable lifestyles, and we hope the annual index will inspire even more people to embrace such behaviours.”

Key Findings of the 2024 Sun Life Consumer Sustainable Lifestyles Index Study:

ESG Concepts have yet to resonate with consumers

The survey revealed that Hong Kong consumers are not familiar with the concept of ESG, with an average score of just 3.42 out of 10. Over half (51%) of respondents admitted they were either completely unaware or had little knowledge of what ESG entails. Despite its prominence in the business world, the concept of ESG has yet to gain traction among average consumers. Yet in contrast to the vague understanding of ESG, 88% of respondents support protecting the environment and ecosystems, 82% agree with improving the lives of underprivileged communities through public welfare activities, and 91% recognize the importance of following rules, which together illustrate a positive attitude towards sustainable living. However, consumers have not fully transformed their ideas into actions, indicating a significant gap between attitude and behaviour.

Hong Kong consumers’ sustainable living efforts are average, with room for improvement

In terms of practicing sustainable living, Hong Kong consumers attained a Sustainable Lifestyles Score of 53.56 out of 100. This suggests that consumers generally prefer common or low-barrier actions to demonstrate sustainable living, rather than more complex or inconvenient actions. This indicates that Hong Kong consumers are generally followers in practicing sustainable living. (For examples of consumer actions, please refer to Appendix 1)

Activating sustainable living starts with the community

The study also discovered that the group with more sustainable living practices, referred to as the “Early Adopter Group”⁴, placed a higher emphasis on community and showed positive behaviours and waste reduction compared to the group with less robust sustainable living practices, known as the “Wait and See Group”. Consequently, promoting sustainable living at the community level may resonate more effectively with individuals, thereby encouraging more citizens to actively participate in and adopt sustainable living practices.

Conclusion and Insight

Consumers have a positive attitude towards green living, harmonious living, and ethical living, reflecting that society is on the right path towards a sustainable future. However, more ideas can be translated into action. If consumers can realize that sustainable living brings more benefits to the community, it will help motivate them to put it into practice more actively.

• Personal Level: Given that teenagers and young consumers are more proactive in practicing sustainable lifestyles, the government and corporations should seize this opportunity. By engaging in personal and public health-related activities (such as topics related to mental health/stress), they can better connect with young people and influence other consumer groups through their participation in sustainable living.
• Community Level: Corporations and government communications should be more in tune with the community and current lifestyles, focusing on local and timely issues rather than discussing impacts on the planet or more distant future global issues. Promoting community volunteer work can also help to enhance consumers' interest in sustainable lifestyles, and at the same time convey the important message that consumers’ daily life choices have an impact on the community.
  

•  Corporate Level: To enhance public understanding of ESG, corporations and the government should avoid using excessive jargon, instead using simple and straightforward language when promoting ESG initiatives. Corporations need to increase the transparency of their ESG investments and strategies, and they should clearly communicate the positive changes that sustainable lifestyles can bring.

Dr. Kenneth Kwong, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, the Institute of Knowledge Exchange at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, remarked: "Practicing sustainable living requires the collective efforts of individuals, communities and corporations. We should harness the opportunity presented by young people (the Early Adopter Group)⁴ who are actively engaging in sustainable practices and use their experiences to inspire others. Only when all stakeholders work together can we truly propel Hong Kong towards becoming a greener city.”

Dr. William Yu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the World Green Organisation, added: "Sustainable development is not just the responsibility of the government and corporations; individuals also play a crucial role. By establishing the 'Sun Life Consumer Sustainable Lifestyles Index,' we hope to raise awareness among citizens about their power to effect change. By actively participating in sustainable community activities that reduce environmental impact, enhance social equity and support long-term economic development, they can help to ultimately make Hong Kong a more liveable city."

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