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ReThink HK 2024 puts sustainability at the forefront of Hong Kong’s development

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HONG KONG, Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Eager to leave an even bigger mark on the sustainability landscape in Hong Kong, the fifth edition of ReThink Hong Kong anticipates 8,000+ delegate attendees, from 12-13 September 2024 at Hall 1, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Through their showcase of 250+ sustainable solutions and 120+ sessions across 8 themed theatres and stages, the unparalleled business ecosystem event fosters an environment of collaboration between leading industry experts, corporations, social enterprises, and non-profit organisations to collectively drive an equitable and climate-smart future for Hong Kong. 

Placing collaboration at the forefront of their high-value event model, ReThink HK not only catalyses cross-sectoral partnerships within the Hong Kong sustainability ecosystem, but simultaneously builds the event through extensive partnerships. Their multi-tiered partnership framework is playing an even larger role in this year’s edition, in the founder’s ambition in curating a visionary conference model across a dynamic content matrix structured by topic, industry and job function for corporates, enterprise businesses and SMEs.

“ReThink HK’s event sponsors, supporting organisations, and content partners, are not only supporters, but co-creators of event sessions designed to inspire thousands of delegate attendees. The mission of reaching global net-zero emissions to protect and restore the balance of global ecosystems can only be achieved through collective action to build the foundation for a resilient and sustainable Hong Kong economy. As organisations are collectively recognising how sustainable development and business success are inextricably linked, we must join forces to grapple the challenges it brings.” said Mr Chris Brown, Founder & CEO of ReThink HK. 

Rethink HK is proud to have secured extensive support from corporate partners and sponsors, all united by their shared vision for a cleaner, greener and more sustainable city, for all. This year’s leading Headline Theatre and Programme Sponsors are BNP Paribas, HSBC, JLL, Lufthansa Group, MTR Corporation, RESET Carbon, Schneider Electric, and UNIFi3D.

Extended Partnership with Business Environment Council 

As the exclusive co-organiser, Business Environment Council (“BEC”) will once again partner with ReThink HK to present a new vision for a circular and net-zero Hong Kong economy. “As we embark on our fourth consecutive year of collaboration with ReThink HK, we remain steadfast in our commitment to drive transformative change in both the business sector and the wider community. By joining forces, we have successfully amplified the impact of ReThink HK to foster a revolutionary movement empowering businesses to embrace environmental and social responsibilities.” said Mr Simon Ng, Chief Executive Officer of BEC. 

This year, BEC will gather members to showcase a range of products, services and solutions at the BEC Pavilion and foster meaningful exchanges between industry stakeholders. The 2-day BEC Business Transformation Theatre will also take place along with six other content-themed Theatres at the expo, converging more than 60 business leaders and expert sustainability practitioners to discuss a framework for embracing circularity for sustainable living, rethinking how communities function in Hong Kong, and rethinking how SMEs approach sustainability.

Strong Sustainable Solution Exhibitors Line-up 

To allow attendees to apply key learnings from panel discussions in their respective organizations, ReThink HK presents 250+ companies’ sustainable solutions. From newly established sustainable start-ups to Hong Kong’s largest corporations, the expo strives to offer a diverse showcase of sustainable products, services, and solutions. The event will bring together a range of transformative solutions including integrated waste systems, energy-efficient solutions, revolutionary climate tech, sustainability consulting platforms, and more. Across the event you’ll find curated displays brought to you in collaboration with leading organisations, including the European Pavilion, Canadian Pavilion, BEC Pavilion, FSES (Fullness Social Enterprises Society) Pavilion and Cyberport Pavilion will make their first appearance at ReThink HK.

Tackling the massive shift towards sustainable mobility and transportation, ReThink HK 2024 will also launch its Smart Mobility and Transportation Sector, with supports from strategic partners, eMobility Network and HK E-Vehicles Business General Association, showcasing low-carbon fuel solutions, sustainable infrastructure & vehicles for aviation, and net-zero marine & road transportation.

Unparalleled Access to Expert Insights

Comprising eight theatres and stages, a series of deep-dive workshops, and stimulating roundtable discussion, the conference will bring together over 500 experts to shape the sustainability discourse across 120+ sessions. The theatres and stages represent the prevalent facets of sustainable development, including the Net Zero & Nature Positive Theatre (Keynote), BEC Business Transformation Theatre, Sustainable Buildings & Facilities Theatre, People & Purpose Theatre, Liveable Cities & Transportation Theatre, Sustainable Finance & Supply Chains Theatre, along with the European Stage and Change Makers Stage. Striving to facilitate open dialogue and knowledge sharing, a series of Roundtable Workshops have been introduced, rethinking talent development, artificial intelligence, food systems, diversity and inclusion, marketing and communications, and Hong Kong streets.

The conference will kick off with the opening programme “Sustainable Horizons: Hong Kong’s Progress on the Road to Net Zero”, and a Keynote address by Mr Tse Chin-wan, BBS, JP, Secretary for Environment and Ecology. Other featured speakers include Mr Siddarth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China; Ms Shuyi Li, Principal, RMI China; Ms Valerie Kwan, Director of Stewardship and Corporate Engagement, Asia Investor Group on Climate Change; Mr Bing Leng, ISSB Member, IFRS Foundation, amongst many others. Business leaders, sustainability practitioners, researchers and change makers will delve deep into the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities of sustainability to empower attendees with the knowledge, tools, and connections needed to drive change within their organisations and industries.

Carbon Offsetting in Action

ReThink HK is dedicated to mitigating the carbon footprint of the event, upholding its commitment to environmental sustainability. Partnering with Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, ReThink HK is working to advance the carbon offsetting “Wood Recycling Programme”. The project strives to recycle wood debris generated from routine tree works through investing in a biochar machine, which converts bulky, rotten or diseased wood into valuable biochar, a soil amendment that benefits the soil and plant growth.

For more details, please visit: https://www.kfbg.org/en/caring-for-our-hillside/working-the-ground/wood-recycling-programme.

About ReThink HK

ReThink HK is a unique annual event that helps organisations align sustainable business practices at every stage of their value chain, showcases innovation and solutions accelerating sustainable transformation. ReThink unites the ecosystem so all stakeholders and communities can contribute to and look forward to a climate-smart and equitable city, for everyone. All delegate fees contribute to funding local impact projects with Hong Kong charities.

For ReThink HK 2024 Event Programme, please visit: https://rethink-event.com/conference/ 

For more event information, please visit ReThink HK’s website: https://rethink-event.com/

For enquiries, please contact:

Ms Maggie Tse 

Event Director 

maggie.t@rethink-event.com 

Ms Jessica Chan 

Head of Marketing & Partnerships 

jessica.c@rethink-event.com 

About ReThink Foundation 

The ReThink Foundation serves as a platform for rethinking how Hong Kong’s NGOs can harness partnerships to maximize collective social impact. Through their leading initiative, the ReThink NGOs Program, the foundation empowers NGOs to leverage strategic partnerships, offering a funding and fellowship programme for chosen highly-impactful partnership-focused NGO projects. All proceeds generated from the ReThink HK 2024 delegate pass sales will contribute to support and fund the ReThink NGOs Program. From their flagship event, ReThink HK, to the foundation’s ReThink NGOs program, the ethos of collaboration lies in the heart of all initiatives. 

For more details, please visit ReThink Foundation’s website https://rethink-foundation.org/.

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SOURCE ReThink HK

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Caladium Systems Launches Happiffie, India’s First AI-powered Celebration Platform

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CHENNAI, India, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Caladium Systems today announced the launch of Happiffie, India’s first AI-powered Celebration Growth Platform, introducing a smarter way for customers to discover, compare, book, and manage celebrations while helping businesses connect with high-intent customers through intelligent technology.

Designed for weddings, birthdays, corporate events, social celebrations, parties, festivals, and more, Happiffie brings together over 400 celebration occasions and 1,000+ celebration experiences on a single AI-powered platform.

India’s celebrations industry continues to rely heavily on referrals, manual coordination, inconsistent pricing, and fragmented vendor discovery. Happiffie addresses these challenges by combining AI-powered recommendations, transparent price discovery, secure bookings, payments, and event management into one seamless platform.

A key innovation is Happiffie’s Reverse Auction, where customers simply submit their celebration requirements and verified vendors compete by offering customised proposals. Instead of spending hours searching and negotiating, customers can compare multiple qualified offers and choose the vendor that best matches their preferences and budget.

“Customers can now book the experience of their choice with the vendor of their choice, in the budget of their choice. At the same time, vendors receive qualified business opportunities matched to their category, location and capabilities, creating value for both sides of the marketplace,” said Pradhyumna T Venkat, Founder & CEO, Happiffie.

“Every major industry eventually reaches a point where technology fundamentally changes how it operates. Travel did. Hospitality did. Mobility did. We believe celebrations are next,” added Pradhyumna.

The platform is powered by Experience Intelligence™, a proprietary framework that combines over 15 years of celebration industry expertise with Artificial Intelligence to deliver smarter recommendations based on customer intent, preferences, and celebration needs.

Whether planning a wedding, birthday, corporate event, baby shower, anniversary, or festival celebration, customers can manage the entire journey—from vendor discovery and quotations to payments and execution—through a single platform.

Alongside its launch, Happiffie has opened registrations for vendor partners across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, with a phased expansion planned across India. The platform aims to build one of the country’s largest AI-powered celebration ecosystems, helping businesses generate qualified leads and grow more efficiently.

“Our vision is not simply to build another marketplace but to create the technology infrastructure that powers celebrations. Reverse Auction is the first step towards building a smarter, more transparent, and AI-driven celebration economy that benefits both customers and businesses alike,” added Pradhyumna.

Built on the experience of planning and executing over 5,000 weddings and celebrations, Happiffie combines deep industry expertise with AI to simplify celebration planning and transform how India celebrates.

For more information, visit www.happiffie.com. Vendor registrations are now open at www.happiffie.com/vendor-registration.

About Happiffie

Happiffie is India’s first AI-powered Celebration Platform, connecting customers, venues, event professionals, and celebration businesses through one intelligent ecosystem. Built on over 15 years of industry expertise, the platform combines Artificial Intelligence with Experience Intelligence™ to deliver smarter celebration planning across more than 1,000 celebration experiences spanning weddings, corporate events, birthdays, social celebrations, parties, and festivals.

Contact

Pradhyumna T Venkat
Founder & CEO
pradhyumna@happiffie.com
+91-7299002990

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/3007635/Happiffie_Logo.jpg

 

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Beko Publishes 2025 Integrated Report, Charting Years of Progress Toward Net Zero

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As Beko releases its 2025 Integrated Report, the company’s third consecutive inclusion on TIME’s global sustainability ranking — retaining the #1 position in its industry — underscores the progress documented within it.

ISTANBUL, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Beko published its 2025 Integrated Report, offering a comprehensive account of the company’s financial, environmental and social performance over the past year. In parallel, Beko has been named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies for the third year running, retaining the #1 position in its industry. The recognition, awarded in partnership with Statista, independently corroborates years of deliberate, measurable progress.

The report documents concrete results across Beko’s global manufacturing footprint. In 2025:

Energy efficiency projects across production sites saved 69,562 GJ of energy, avoiding 5,297 tonnes of CO₂e emissions.Waste recycling across all manufacturing facilities reached 98.6%, against a target of 99%.Renewable energy installed capacity reached 96 MWp, up from 90.2 MWp the prior year. Beko also reached 63.5% green electricity on the path to 100% across all manufacturing by 2030.Water efficiency and rainwater harvesting projects across locations delivered total water savings of 219,114 m3.

Behind these figures is a broader manufacturing transformation. Three of Beko’s manufacturing facilities have been recognised within the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, with the Ulmi plant earning the additional, and rarer, designation of Sustainability Lighthouse. The principles behind Ulmi’s approach are being extended across Beko’s broader manufacturing ecosystem, as the company scales low-impact production. Beko currently operates 13 smart factories globally — equipped with artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics capabilities — with a target of 17 by the end of 2026.

On the circular economy side, Beko’s refurbishment centres across multiple locations reintroduced more than 148,000 appliances into the market in 2025 alone. The company recycled 1.98 million WEEE units through its own recycling facilities since 2014, and used 31,665 tonnes of recycled plastics in its products in 2025.

Across its product portfolio, 72.6% of Beko’s turnover in 2025 came from low-carbon products — a figure that reflects both the scale of the company’s energy-efficient product range and growing consumer demand for appliances that address environmental concerns.

“Being recognised by TIME three years in a row matters because it reflects that sustainability is a foundational part of Beko’s business,” said Can Dinçer, CEO of Beko. “Our factories undergo a twin transformation where we encounter both decarbonization and digitalization. That progress is deliberate and measurable, and our Integrated Report sets out exactly how. As the world prepares for COP31, the most credible thing a company can do is demonstrate its work rather than declare it. That is what we are doing.”

TIME’s annual list evaluates more than 5,000 companies worldwide across environmental and social performance, transparency and ESG reporting. Beko’s continued inclusion under increasingly rigorous standards points to a business model where sustainability is structurally embedded across operations, supply chains and product portfolios.

In addition to its Integrated Report, the Company has also published its second TSRS-compliant sustainability report, prepared in accordance with the Türkiye Sustainability Reporting Standards (TSRS), Türkiye’s adoption of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The report is publicly available and provides detailed disclosures on the company’s climate-related risks, opportunities, governance, strategy and performance.

About Beko

Beko is an international home appliance company with a strong global presence, operating through subsidiaries in more than 55 countries with a workforce of around 45,000 employees and production facilities spanning multiple regions—including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Beko has 22 brands owned or used with a limited license (Arçelik, Beko, Whirlpool*, Grundig, Hotpoint, Arctic, Ariston*, Leisure, Indesit, Blomberg, Defy, Dawlance, Hitachi*, Voltas Beko, Singer*, ElektraBregenz, Flavel, Bauknecht, Privileg, Altus, Ignis, Polar). Beko is the largest white goods company in Europe with its market share (based on volumes) and reached a consolidated turnover of 10.7 billion Euros in 2025. Beko’s 28 R&D and Design Centers & Offices across the globe are home to over 2,000 R&D employees and hold more than 4,500 international registered patent applications to date. The company has achieved the highest score in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) in the DHP Household Durables industry for the seventh consecutive year (based on the results dated 16 October 2025).** The company has been recognized as the 89th most sustainable company on TIME Magazine and Statista’s 2026 list of the World’s Most Sustainable Companies and has been the sector leader for three consecutive years. Beko’s vision is ‘Respecting the World, Respected Worldwide.’ 

www.bekocorporate.com

*Licensee limited to certain jurisdictions.
**The data presented belongs to Arçelik A.Ş., a parent company of Beko.

 

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SOURCE Beko

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JustMarkets Releases Market Analysis on How Foreign Exchange Markets React to CPI Surprises

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HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — JustMarkets today released a new market analysis examining how foreign exchange markets react to Consumer Price Index (CPI) surprises and outlining key considerations for traders preparing for inflation data releases. The analysis explains why the gap between actual CPI data and market expectations, rather than the headline inflation figure itself, is often the primary driver of currency market movements.

What people often miss on CPI day is that the number itself isn’t what moves the market. The common reaction is to check whether the headline number is high or low, but it’s all priced in advance. According to JustMarkets, the real driver of EUR/USD is the gap between the actual number and what the market was positioned for.

Even an unchanged reading can cause dollar weakness if traders expect higher inflation, while weaker numbers that beat consensus expectations may drive dollar strength. Citing Federal Reserve research, the price driver is a surprise component rather than the headline.

Why the Expectation Gap Is More Important Than the Level

Forex is driven by expectations for interest rate decisions, with inflation impacting central bank policy. Key factors influencing this reaction include:

Main factors:

Monthly CPI and core CPICore services inflationRevisions to the previous period dataCentral banks policy pricing

Year-over-year data is less important in terms of price impact than monthly and core data.

How to Calculate Surprise

Start with the simplest metric: Surprise = Actual CPI − Consensus CPI. 

Consensus comes from the economic calendar’s forecast and reflects the market positioning. And then you need to check the market reaction through rates. The sequence typically runs: CPI surprise → change in front-end yields → USD movement → the sentiment adjustment.

Traders frequently employ this methodology in combination with the JustMarkets Economic Calendar to track high-impact releases in real time.

What the Intraday Move Actually Looks Like

CPI reactions usually happen in three stages. The first one is a headline shock with the potential algorithm’s reaction within a few seconds. Then comes the interpretation stage, with a time frame of 15-60 minutes and analysis of core numbers and yield confirmation. And then either continuation or reversal happens.

Approaches to Trading CPI Day

There are two common approaches to CPI.

The momentum approach requires the consistency of headlines and core surprises with yields’ confirmation. Most traders wait until the first minute’s candle is closed to avoid false signals.The fade approach requires dislocations like the absence of yield confirmation to FX movement or dislocations between headlines and core numbers. In this case, traders wait 10−20 minutes for exhaustion of the initial move and reversal setup search.

Risk management is crucial. Most traders limit their position size to 0.25%-0.50% of their equity because of widening spreads and slippage. Sometimes the decision to trade off is more optimal during extreme volatility than forced entry.

One Way to Prepare for the Next CPI Day Release

A simple way to get ready is to monitor EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY pairs and an economic calendar with events’ importance. The workflow is simple: Economic calendar → release → Trading platform.

The final step brings traders to the execution platform. Many turn to JustMarkets, which offers CFDs on these currency pairs, with execution stability and fast market access that make it well suited for high-volatility macro events.

Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. Trading financial instruments involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Ensure you understand the risks involved and trade responsibly.

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SOURCE Just Global Markets Ltd

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