Beyond Empty Promises: How Hong Kong Can Build Consumer Trust in Sustainability

The landscape of market and consumption is shifting as sustainability awareness rises among the general public worldwide, including in Hong Kong. People want to change. Surveys show nearly seven in ten would abandon brands that perform poorly on sustainability. Yet, only about three in ten have actually changed their buying habits. This gap signals a crisis of credibility and consumer trust: people want products that align with their health, families, and values—but they don’t get the reliable information or verifiable results needed to act.

The Consumer Trust Gap

Hong Kong consumers are running out of patience with vague “green” claims. In the Hong Kong Green Market Outlook 2025 survey, almost two-thirds of respondents have encountered misleading environmental claims. This frustration is rising as climate risks escalate. Hong Kong just endured its third rainiest August on record, a costly reminder that delay has consequences.

Scepticism is especially high in Asia, where decades of over-promising have dulled consumer trust. It is also notable that most “sustainable” products and services are, at this point, only accessible for able-bodied, healthy, upper- and middle-class communities. Furthermore, the overemphasis on individual choices in halting the ecological crisis rings hollow with a lack of structural support as the biggest powers continue to harm.

Proof, Not Platitudes

But consumer trust is not all lost just yet. Across the region, winning brands back claims with evidence. In Singapore, Shiok Meats is pioneering cell-based seafood with a safety-first approach to ease concerns over overfishing and food security. On the Mainland, HeyTea has linked growth to traceable sourcing and renewable packaging, underpinned by more transparent reporting. In Hong Kong, Green Monday’s expansion of plant-based dining ties reduced meat consumption to measurable carbon savings. The lesson: credibility compounds when outcomes are specific, proximate, and audited.

Meanwhile, new climate and ESG disclosure rules at the Hong Kong Exchange took effect in January 2025. This has shifted corporate reporting from reputation management to accountability. The age of selective storytelling is ending; listed firms are now expected to produce decision-useful, comparable data.

Three forces are raising the bar for honesty. First, blockchain is improving supply-chain traceability. Second, Artificial Intelligence is accelerating life-cycle assessments and surfacing hotspots that used to be hidden in spreadsheets. And finally, social media delivers instant, public scrutiny of every claim. The takeaway for marketers is simple: publish granular data, seek independent verification, and acknowledge both progress and setbacks. Transparency, done well, becomes a competitive moat.

How Hong Kong Can Lead

Hong Kong’s advantages are real: depth in finance, a gateway position to Mainland supply chains, and a demanding consumer base. The city already leads Asia in green and sustainability-linked bond listings. It can extend that leadership to marketing and consumer trust by setting a practical standard for “evidence-first” claims.

Four moves would unlock momentum:

1. Mandate independent claim verification. Obligate brands to use third-party certifications for high-salience claims (e.g., net-zero, recyclable) and display audit badges consumers can recognize.
2. Make disclosures consumer-grade. Translate climate and ESG reports into plain-language dashboards that link product features to measurable outcomes.
3. Build cross-sector credibility. Partner with universities, NGOs, and community organizations to co-design metrics and open data rooms for review.
4. Reward proof at the point of sale. Pilot retailer incentives—shelf space, fee rebates—for brands that provide verified product-level impact data.

Localizing the Value Proposition

For an even more competitive edge, understanding the local context is crucial. Authentic green marketing must be designed into operations—not painted on packaging. It should also reflect local priorities.

Unlike in the West—where green appeals often lean on distant imagery of polar bears or rainforests—Asian consumers weigh sustainability through a personal lens. According to a survey by Bain & Company, more than half of the respondents cite health and family wellbeing as the main reasons for choosing more sustainable products.

Hong Kong consumers respond best to health, safety, and quality of life. Meanwhile, Singaporeans respond to efficiency and innovation; Indonesians to affordability and access.

Region-wide, people engage when sustainability is a tangible add-on to core benefits—better taste, longer-lasting products, safer ingredients—rather than an abstract virtue signal. These propositions work because they emphasise empowerment and tangible value, not guilt.

Responsibility and Competitiveness, Hand in Hand

This is no longer only about doing the right thing. Now, it is also about staying in the game. Companies with credible ESG credentials will be favored as global regulations tighten. Supply chains that embed resilience through sustainable design will handle shocks better. Employers that align operations with values will attract younger talent for whom principles matter as much as pay.

The age of greenwashing is ending—not just because regulators demand it, but because consumers now recognize the difference between sustainability as a tactic and sustainability as a strategy. The former invites scepticism; the latter earns consumer trust & loyalty, pricing power, and resilience. Hong Kong can lead Asia by matching words with verifiable action—or watch trust flow to those who do.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma

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Kun Tian

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Kun Tian is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Analytics at Kent Business School. His research focuses on consumer behaviour, digital innovation, and sustainable consumption, with a particular emphasis on emerging markets in Asia and the intersection of technology, policy, and public health.

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