The construction industry is striving to promote sustainable materials and practices worldwide. Green buildings provide commercial and social benefits, creating business opportunities in sustainable development, while nurturing environmentally friendly communities.
To capitalise on these opportunities, Rahmen (Asia) Limited, a Hong Kong manufacturer specialising in decorative glass for commercial and residential buildings, has upgraded its sustainability credentials by participating in Transformation Sandbox (T-box).
T-box, an SME support programme run by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), has been running a dedicated ESG stream since last year to help SMEs with their sustainability transformation.
As Rahmen’s global customers increasingly focus on ESG performance, Ricky Chan, the company’s Managing Director, is committed to strengthening the firm’s approach, paving the way for further development in overseas markets.
"We know that achieving ESG goals is a gradual process, so we undertook an ESG upgrade and transformation in stages, seeking help from T-box,” he said.
When T-box launched its ESG support services in 2023, Rahmen enrolled in D&B ESG RegisteredTM, an accreditation service run by data analytics group Dun & Bradstreet, after an introduction by the T-box team.
“With the support of the T-box team, we passed the ESG assessment and obtained the ESG badge,” Mr. Chan said. The D&B badge is an industry-trusted badge recognising SMEs’ commitment to disclose ESG activities.
Rahmen was founded in 2010 and positions itself as a high-end glass brand. The company has its own factory in Dongguan, offering a comprehensive range of services from customised design to production and installation.
Currently, the company is involved in projects in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Europe, America and Southeast Asia, covering residential and commercial buildings, shopping malls, hotels and art installations.
Mr. Chan aims to attract even more international business from overseas.
"Now we have 60 to 70% of our customers from Hong Kong, 20 to 30% from Europe, America and Southeast Asia, and the remaining 10% are mainland customers,” he said.
“Our goal is to adjust the proportion of Hong Kong and overseas customers to 50-50 and leverage the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to explore more new markets. These include Singapore and Indonesia, where there is significant demand for high-quality glass building materials.”
To achieve the overseas expansion plan, Mr. Chan is planning to make use of government funding schemes – including the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading, and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund) and the Technology Voucher Programme (TVP) - to expand into new markets.
“We are currently learning about the application details through T-box and participating in the funding consultation provided by the SME ReachOut team, an opportunity facilitated by the T-box team,” he said.
At the same time, the firm will continue to promote the company's development in the ESG area.
HKTDC’s T-box offers three months of complimentary business support to companies registered in Hong Kong in diverse areas, such as branding, digital transformation, manufacturing and supply chain solutions, new markets and sustainability.
Last year, T-box organised several seminars on various ESG topics, such as HR and administrative management, green supply chains and purchasing, attracting over 1,000 representatives from Hong Kong SMEs.
