HONG KONG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) on Monday released its 2026 ESG Index for the fashion industry, showing the index rose to 65.5, up 2.3 percentage points from 2025.

The increase reflects growing industry confidence in Hong Kong as a premier platform for sustainable fashion development and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)-related business opportunities, the HKTDC said.

Based on onsite surveys conducted during major HKTDC trade fairs and business events, the findings highlighted the increasing commercial value of sustainability. Among exhibitors offering ESG-related products or services, 61 percent reported achieving additional profit margins of at least 10 percent, while 47 percent of buyers sourcing ESG-related products were willing to pay a premium of 10 percent or more.

The survey results also showed that ESG is increasingly embedded across the fashion value chain, with businesses recognizing its potential to drive innovation, competitiveness and growth. The proportion of fashion practitioners considering ESG essential rose from 85 percent in 2025 to 92 percent in 2026, with those rating it "very important" increasing overall from 15 percent to 23 percent.

This trend was markedly stronger among Chinese mainland respondents, 45 percent of whom regarded ESG as "very important" in business decision-making, representing a significant 27 percentage-point increase compared with 2025.

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important commercial driver for the fashion industry, HKTDC Principal Economist (Global Research Team) Alice Tsang said, adding that not only are more companies integrating ESG into their business strategies, but many are also seeing tangible financial benefits.