32 C
Vientiane
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
spot_img
Home Blog Page 2259

KPMG’s Our Impact Plan reports progress on ESG commitments

KPMG reports progress on ESG commitments

KPMG publishes ‘KPMG: Our Impact Plan 2022’ reporting on progress against environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments. Highlights include:
Advancements on commitments towards net zero by 2030
The creation and introduction of our new Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) Collective Action Plan
New commitments to support education and economic empowerment

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – KPMG International today published an update of its progress towards a broad set of ESG commitments, first published in 2021. KPMG: Our Impact Plan outlines how the entire global organization is coming together to support improvements across four pillars: Planet, People, Prosperity and Governance. Our Impact Plan catalogues the most recent data from across the global organization and charts the progress made against the World Economic Forum (WEF) International Business Council (IBC) metrics, which KPMG played a fundamental role in shaping.

Bill Thomas, Global Chairman and CEO, said: As the world faces one of the most significant periods of unrest for a generation, more than ever, we are acutely aware of our responsibility to support our people, clients and societies to work together to secure a better, sustainable, more united future. KPMG was among the first in our profession to publicly catalogue our ESG commitments and report against them. As we face ever-increasing challenges in the world, we know we must hold ourselves accountable for the decisions we make which will help shape the future. That is why we are publishing our progress today and will continue to work with stakeholders, colleagues and clients to support the positive changes we need to see in the world.”

Ong Pang Thye, Managing Partner, KPMG in Singapore said: “Climate change and social equity are all economic issues and company challenges. On top of national policies and regulations, company-level strategies such as internal carbon pricing signals will be needed to signal commitment and shift stakeholders towards positive outcomes of impact. As countries worldwide, including Singapore, reaffirm their net-zero targets and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, KPMG’s Our Impact Plan 2022 narrates a roadmap of how measurable change could look like for enterprises, industries, communities and employees whom we work with, and how it begins with collective accountability, undergirded by the foundations of trust and transparency.”

KPMG: Our Impact Plan reaffirms our long-standing adherence to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact Principles, a commitment we will continue to strengthen and report on openly. Some of the highlights of this year’s update include:

  • Planet: We’re implementing sustainable and equitable practices within our global organization by evaluating our supply chain and creating science-based transition plans so we can move to net zero in a fair and just way. As part of our commitment to be net zero by 2030, we set an Internal Carbon Price (ICP) that will help us measure and account for our carbon impact. We also committed to a 1.5°C Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) with a target of 50 percent emissions reduction by 2030. Our renewable electricity usage across the global organization increased to 74 percent, up from 56 percent in 2020.

  • People: We created and introduced KPMG’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) Collective Action Plan throughout the global organization. We’re taking important steps toward gender diversity, with females representing 48.4 percent of our people, and it’s our intention for women to fill more than one-third of our leadership roles by 2025. We’ve made a commitment to the health and well-being of our people through initiatives that support their physical and mental health, and invested in our own digital transformation by enhancing learning pathways that upskill our talent in areas such as technology and ESG.

  • Prosperity: We announced last year a multi-billion-dollar investment to embed ESG into everything we do — enhancing our already robust tools and services to help accelerate our clients’ ESG journeys. Part of this investment will be used to build ESG hubs on multiple continents and create ESG accelerators to spur investment and innovation in emerging markets. We’re also training our more than 236,000 people to become agents of positive change and assisting clients on three pillars of opportunity: ESG transformation, ESG reporting and ESG assurance. We continue to work alongside organizations to make significant contributions toward the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) — including our work with UNESCO to help economically empower 10 million disadvantaged young people between now and 2030.

  • Governance: Our work with the WEF, to set the IBC metrics for ESG reporting is one example of how we’re using our experience and knowledge to help shape the future of sustainable business. We’ve accepted roles at the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Taskforce for Nature-related Disclosures (TNFD). This work is part of the wider role we believe we must play to support the development of consistent and credible information on sustainability matters, including supporting the newly formed International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).


Jane Lawrie, Global Head of Corporate Affairs, said:
“In advancing Our Impact Plan, we aim to focus on the issues that are most important to our people, central to our business and where we can make the biggest difference. We’re responding to events that are reshaping our world and taking actions that are core to the sustainable future of our people, clients and communities. Our Impact Plan not only highlights what we stand for as a global organization, it also provides a clear ESG roadmap for the organization and shows us, and our stakeholders, if we are on track.”

Richard Threlfall, Global Head of ESG and KPMG IMPACT, said: “It’s incumbent upon business, political and civic leaders to tackle the challenges that impact the future of our planet and threaten our quality of life, now and for future generations. We are wholeheartedly committed to supporting the responsible transformation of organizations — including our own — and encourage one and all to face what seems like an overwhelming challenge with positivity and a sense of collective responsibility.”

About KPMG International

KPMG is a global organization 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 145 countries and territories with more than 236,000 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.

KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

For more detail about our structure, please visit .

Our Impact Plan represents the collective environmental, social and governance commitments of independent KPMG firms, affiliated with KPMG International Limited. The data represented in Our Impact Plan is aggregated data from KPMG firms for the 12 months to 30 September 2021 unless stated otherwise.

Throughout this press release, “we”, “KPMG”, “us” and “our” refers to the global organization or to one or more of the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”), each of which is a separate legal entity.

#KPMG

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Kerry Logistics Network Acquires Rehabilitation Equipment Supplier Pro-Med Technology To Strengthen Foothold in Medical Equipment Distribution in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – Kerry Logistics Network Limited (‘KLN’; Stock Code 0636.HK) announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Pro-Med Technology Ltd (‘Pro-Med’), a supplier of rehabilitation equipment based in Hong Kong. This move will further broaden KLN’s exposure in the medical field and strengthen its service capability in the medical equipment distribution business under the Kerry Medical brand.

KLN will support Pro-Med to grow in the rehabilitation device sector with KLN’s resources, including those of Kerry Medical and Kerry Pharma, in terms of customer base, logistics and reputation as well as to maximise the synergy with other businesses under the Kerry Medical and Kerry Pharma brands.

Samuel Lau, Deputy Managing Director – Integrated Logistics of KLN, said, “To welcome Pro-Med to KLN marks our determination to expand in the healthcare sector. For the last two years, KLN’s strength in pharmaceutical and medical logistics was one of the reasons we were able to contribute to managing a global health crisis. We are eager to expand our portfolio in the distribution of medical equipment and we are looking to support Pro-Med’s regional expansion.”

With the addition of Pro-Med to its portfolio, KLN can further diversify its product offerings and extend into the service industry, as well as consumer use in elderly care by building another specialised pillar in rehabilitation, as well as widen the range of products it sells to hospitals and residential care homes in Hong Kong. Currently, Kerry Medical’s expertise lies in cardiovascular, surgical and medical consumables. Going forward, KLN will be responsible for the logistics of Pro-Med’s supplies, including international freight forwarding for importing devices and integrated logistics in Hong Kong and Macau.

Founded in 1999 and managed by registered physiotherapists, Pro-Med mainly supplies a wide range of innovative and high-quality rehabilitation equipment, technologies and solutions from renowned manufacturers from all over the world to hospitals and clinics, elderly centres, universities and fitness centres in Hong Kong.

About Kerry Logistics Network Limited (Stock Code 0636.HK)

Kerry Logistics Network is an Asia-based, global 3PL with a highly diversified business portfolio and the strongest coverage in Asia. It offers a broad range of supply chain solutions from integrated logistics, international freight forwarding (air, ocean, road, rail and multimodal), industrial project logistics, to cross-border e-commerce, last-mile fulfilment and infrastructure investment.

With a global presence across 58 countries and territories, Kerry Logistics Network has established a solid foothold in half of the world’s emerging markets. Its diverse infrastructure, extensive coverage in international gateways and local expertise span across the Mainland of China, India, Southeast Asia, the CIS, Middle East, LATAM and other locations.

Kerry Logistics Network generated a revenue of over HK$53 billion in 2020 and is the largest international logistics company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

About Pro-Med Technology Ltd
Pro-Med Technology Limited was established in 1999. For over 20 years, the company has focused on exploring and introducing innovative and high-quality products, technologies and solutions from all over the world to professionals in the field of rehabilitation, wellness and healthcare in Hong Kong. Its customers span across a wide range of segments including hospitals, clinics, education institutions and schools, welfare organisations and various kinds of fitness centres. Pro-Med Technology works hand-in-hand with each of its customers in implementing supplied solutions in their daily practices. It is motivated by seeing patients and people in need benefitting from the equipment it supplied, which is the driving force for its continuous self-perfection.

#KerryLogistics

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Laos Issues New Legislation Authorizing Natural Timber Product Exports

Cut timber in Laos (Photo: WWF)
Cut timber in Laos (Photo: WWF)

The Lao government has issued new legislation authorizing the export of natural wood products.

PTC Appointed as NVIDIA’s Partner for DGX-Ready Managed Services

Ready Solutions to Simplify Growing AI Adoption in Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – PTC System (S) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of IIJ Inc. (PTC), today announced an extended collaboration with NVIDIA Corporation in its DGX Managed Services Program. With this new partnership appointment, PTC will be able to help clients design and implement artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure solutions with assured service levels, thereby accelerating the deployment of AI applications.

“We are honoured to be selected as the first NVIDIA’s DGX-Ready Managed Services partner in Asia Pacific,” said IIJ Global Business Division Managing Executive Officer, Koichi Maruyama. “This is an extension of PTC’s collaboration with NVIDIA, and it demonstrates our strengths in this area. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s focus on thought leadership and the strive to leverage innovation and new technologies to drive growth.”

The NVIDIA’s DGX Managed Services Program allows clients of PTC in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to efficiently tap into the speed and scale of an DGX-based infrastructure without having to manage an in-house DGX-Ready Managed Services Program. Clients can therefore use the best in class infrastructure solutions to solve bigger and more complex data science problems with AI, and have access to the world’s universal systems for AI infrastructure.

PTC’s comprehensive services include managing the underlying NVIDIA DGX system, ensuring all software and firmware components are up to date, improving utilization rates and identifying bottlenecks. The team also helps customers utilize NVIDIA NGC, which empowers AI scientists and developers with GPU-accelerated containers. NGC features containerized deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, MXNet and more that are tested and certified by NVIDIA.

PTC is a member of SMART Urban Co-Innovation Lab (SMARTLAB), Southeast Asia’s first industry-led lab for smart cities solutions development, initiated by CapitaLand and supported by the IMDA and Enterprise Singapore. SMARTLAB will focus on six key industry verticals of advanced manufacturing, digital wellness, intelligent estates, smart mobile, sustainability, and urban agriculture. The collaboration will accelerate SMARTLAB projects.

Organizations that would like to accelerate AI workflow and applications with the DGX Managed Services Program can reach out to PTC at 65-62820255 for more information.

About PTC Systems (S) Pte Ltd

PTC System (S) Pte Ltd is a subsidiary of IIJ Inc. that specializes in providing enterprise data management solutions and services to manage the technology challenges of enterprise customers. Our strengths are built upon our passion, total commitment, and vision on data management services to help our customers to achieve the best business results like better performance, investment protection and maximum value. More information at .

#PTC

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Laos and Brazil to Raise Cattle for Export to China

Brazil to farm cattle in Laos
Laos and Brazil sign cooperation agreement at the Embassy of Laos in Bangkok.

Laos and Brazil have signed an agreement that will see the two countries cooperate on cattle farming and other agricultural projects.

Aon: $72 Billion in Weather, Catastrophe-Related Economic Losses Reported in Asia in 2021

  • Insurance covered 9 percent of the economic losses in the region
  • Flooding throughout Asia was the primary driver of disaster-related fatalities
  • Record-breaking flash-flood loss in China in 2021

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has published its 2021 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Insight report, which evaluates the increasing frequency and severity of disruptive natural disasters and how their resulting economic losses are protected globally. This data serves as the foundation for insights that can help business leaders quantify and qualify catastrophe-related risk and assess how their organisations can increase resilience amid an increasingly volatile climate.

The report reveals a total of $343 billion in economic losses globally in 2021, $329 billion of which resulted from weather and climate-related events, making last year the third costliest year on record after adjusting for inflation. While losses were up from 2020 globally, the number of notable disaster events slightly decreased, demonstrating the heightened costliness and severity of these events.

For Asia, after three consecutive years (2018-2020) of economic losses topping $100 billion, the toll dipped to $72 billion in 2021. Of the 2021 losses, insurance covered only 9 percent of the losses compared to 38 percent of the losses covered globally.

“Clearly there is both a protection and innovation gap when it comes to climate risk,” said Owen Belman, head of Asia at Aon. “As catastrophic events increase in severity, the way that we assess and ultimately prepare for these risks cannot depend solely on historical data. We need to look to artificial intelligence and predictive models that are constantly learning and evolving to map the volatility of a changing climate and its interaction with a complex and ever-changing urban environment. With scalable solutions, organisations can make better decisions that make them more resilient as they continue to face interconnected and increasingly volatile risks.”

Key findings in Asia include:

  • Approximately 10,500 people lost their lives due to global natural catastrophe events in 2021; 46 percent of the fatalities occurred in Asia.
  • Flooding throughout Asia was the primary driver of disaster-related fatalities during the year, further accentuated by the trend of urbanisation, leading to higher population density.
  • Flash flooding in Henan in July led to an economic loss of $18.6 billion, and a record-breaking $1.9 billion in covered losses, the costliest weather-related event for the Chinese insurance industry
  • Super Typhoon Rai was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the year. Its landfall in late December left 409 people dead in the Philippines and one in Vietnam. Rai became the third-costliest typhoon on record in the Philippines.
  • Seasonal flooding in India led to 1,282 deaths.
  • The costliest tropical cyclone in Asia was India’s Cyclone Yaas, with almost $3 billion in economic losses.
  • Malaysia encountered its costliest and most extensive flood event on record in December, with total economic losses topping $2 billion.
  • In Japan, the most damaging catastrophes were attributed to the earthquake peril. The combined economic loss was nearly $9 billion, mainly from the Fukushima (February) and Miyagi (March) events.
  • Taiwan set a new national temperature record – 40.6°C (105.1°F) – on 11 August.

“Many Asian communities are exposed to increasingly volatile weather conditions that are in part enhanced by the growing effects of climate change,” said Brad Weir, head of Analytics, Asia for Reinsurance Solutions at Aon. “This includes record-setting rainfall and flooding, intense landfalling tropical cyclones, droughts and winter storms. With one of the lowest levels of insurance coverage and rapidly evolving urbanized centres, addressing vulnerabilities related to climate risk is not only critical but also presents many challenges. We can no longer build or plan to meet the climate of yesterday. With physical damage loss costs rising, this is also leading to lingering global disruptions to supply chains and various humanitarian and other asset-related services. There is an ongoing need for public and private entities to collaborate and help bridge the gap of insurance protection. The path forward for organisations and governments must include sustainability and mitigation efforts to navigate and minimize risk as new forms of disaster-related volatility emerge.”

The full report and a short video are available on Aon’s interactive microsite. Along with this report, readers can access current and historical natural catastrophe data and event analysis at catastropheinsight.aon.com.

About Aon

(NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.

Follow Aon on and . Stay up-to-date by visiting the and sign up for News Alerts .

#Aon

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

SunMirror AG: Extension of Offer for Takeover Offer on Latitude 66 Cobalt Limited

ZUG, SWITZERLAND – EQS Newswire – 23 March 2022 – SunMirror AG (“SunMirror“; ISIN CH0396131929) hereby announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary SunMirror Luxembourg S.A. has filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission a 8-weeks extension notice in relation to the pending takeover offer regarding all outstanding ordinary shares in Latitude 66 Cobalt Limited (“Lat66“) by which the closing date of the takeover offer is further extended to 17 May 2022, 5:00 p.m. (AWST) and the date for giving a notice of the status of the bid conditions is further extended to 10 May 2022.

Under consideration of the upcoming extension of the takeover offer, the expected extended timetable for completion of the takeover offer and subsequent acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Lat66 (plus all performance rights) is as follows:

Offer Closes 17 May 2022
Dispatch of compulsory acquisition notices to non-accepting Lat66 shareholders 17 May 2022
Completion of compulsory acquisition of Lat66 shares from Lat66 shareholders 17 June 2022

About SunMirror AG

The Group invests into strategic mineral exploration assets with a focus on sustainable green battery metals, like cobalt, lithium and nickel, as well as iron ore and gold deposits in developed markets. The company aims to either produce minerals at a later stage or sell those assets to strategic buyers. SunMirror is differentiated by taking a “mine-to-market” approach to sustainability across the value chain, creating a mining industry “best practice.”

The company’s shares (ISIN CH0396131929) are listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange (official market, ticker: ROR1) and are traded on the regulated unofficial markets Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Berlin (ticker: ROR) as well as on tradegate and Xetra. For further information, please visit: .

#SunMirror

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

H&M Opens First Store in Cambodia

H&M Cambodia
H&M opens at the AEON MALL in Phnom Penh.

The first H&M clothing retailer opened in Phnom Penh last week with a celebration that featured celebrities and discounts.