Analyzing Implementation Pain Points: CCRS Lecture on Enterprises’ Diverse Motivations and Challenges in ESG

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Center for Carbon Research and Solution (CCRS) at National Sun Yat-sen University launched the University Social Responsibility (USR) Program and organized corporate ESG lectures, attracting registrations and participation of people from industries and academia.

 

As the global wave of sustainability continues to rise, sustainability issues are profoundly reshaping the business environment and becoming an unavoidable factor of change. Enterprises across various sectors are facing unprecedented ESG transformation challenges. To respond to this trend, the Center for Carbon Research and Solution (CCRS) at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) organized an outreach lecture titled “Analyzing the Trends and Challenges of Corporate Sustainability Practices from the 'Taiwan Corporate ESG Survey Report'”. The Center invited Chu-heng Lee, Research Director of Sinyi School at National Chengchi University, to provide actual survey data and insights into the current practices and challenges of ESG implementation among Taiwanese companies of different sizes. This event attracted considerable participation from both industry and academia.

 

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Professor Hung-Jeng Tsai, Director of the CCRS of NSYSU spoke at the opening speech, he believes that universities have the social responsibility to create public benefit through the power of knowledge.

 

At the opening, Hung-Jeng Tsai, Director of the CCRS of NSYSU, explained that academic research plays a crucial role in fulfilling University Social Responsibility (USR). With the power of knowledge, universities can create greater public benefits for society. Today, environmental protection is no longer merely an idealistic advocacy but an urgent climate issue tied to the survival of humankind. The CCRS of NSYSU hopes that through the outreach lectures, it can bridge university knowledge with local corporate practices, seeking opportunities for alignment and balance among ecological environment, social well-being, and business profitability, thereby generating new momentum for civil society in Taiwan.

 

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Chu-heng Lee, Research Director of Sinyi School at National Chengchi University was the featured speaker, to present the research result of the “‘2024 Taiwan Corporate ESG Survey Report”.

 

Chu-heng Lee presented the "2024 Taiwan Corporate ESG Survey Report" conducted by the Sinyi School at National Chengchi University. Through convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods, the survey successfully collected 611 valid responses, covering industries such as metal and electromechanical manufacturing (27%), consumer goods, traditional industries, and pharmaceuticals (17%), wholesale, retail, transportation, and warehousing (16%). The respondents included 59% small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 21% publicly listed companies, and 20% large corporations. Thus, this survey report can be regarded as an overview of the practical implementation status among early adopters of ESG concepts, providing insights through the analysis of their actions and decision-making patterns. More importantly, it is the first time that the SMEs' understanding and implementation profile of ESG has been outlined and surfaced through data.

 

During the presentation, Chu-heng Lee provided an in-depth analysis of the motivations behind corporate attention to sustainability. About 30% of publicly listed companies are primarily to comply with the development of international conventions or domestic policies and regulations. In contrast, within the large enterprises that are not directly subject to such regulations, more than 40% were motivated by alignment with their corporate philosophy and values to pursue ESG. Some SMEs recognize the ESG movement as an opportunity to enhance their market competitiveness. Among B Corporations in Taiwan, over half of them and most of which are SMEs, participated in this survey, and nearly 80% of these companies engaged in ESG initiatives out of proactive motivation, reflecting their core philosophy of ensuring that business activities generate a positive impact on society and the environment.

 

What difficulties do companies encounter in implementing sustainability? Chu-heng Lee admitted that this question was in fact the primary motivation behind the survey. Across companies of different sizes, the common challenges generally lie in a lack of manpower, funding, or knowledge related to the field. However, one key point worth noting is that many SMEs believe the mainstream sustainability practices adopted by large enterprises are not suitable for them to follow. Most international compliance standards are far distinctive from SMEs’ daily operations and have only weak relevance. Therefore, to have a meaningful ESG conversation with SMEs, she suggested to begin with the issues they care about most, which is stakeholder management. Also, the communication should begin from enhancing brand reputation, improving competitiveness, and meeting sustainable supply chain requirements, in order to make progress and meet consensus toward sustainability.

 

Chu-heng Lee emphasized three key points about sustainability. First, regardless of size, every company, as a member of society, holds influence and must take corresponding responsibility for that influence. Second, when making decisions, companies must balance the benefit and rights of all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and communities, rather than focusing solely on shareholder interests. Finally, business outcomes should not be measured only by profit, companies must also avoid creating external costs, and consider bringing positive impacts to society while generating economic value.

 

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Participants from industries and academia show strong interest in the ESG practices of Taiwanese enterprises.

 

This outreach program was organized by the CCRS at NSYSU, aiming to strengthen enterprises’ understanding and capability on sustainability issues, assisting enterprises to grasp the key insights of sustainable transformation, and build concrete and feasible strategies for sustainable development. For more information on related events, please refer to the "<a href="https://ccrs.nsysu.edu.tw/p/403-1376-5961.php">News</a>" page on the CCRS official website.

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