Dee Poon, President of Brands and Retailing, Shares Business's Role in Climate Action at CAPS panel in Hong Kong

Dee Poon, President of Brands and Retailing, recently attended A Hands-on Guide to Climate Solutions, hosted by the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) in Hong Kong on June 18. The event brought together cross-sector leaders to explore innovative pathways to addressing regional environmental challenges.

Dee spoke on the panel The Role of Philanthropy and Family Offices in Addressing Climate Issues, moderated by CAPS Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Ruth Shapiro. She was joined by fellow panellists Justin Chang, Director of Philanthropy and Catalytic Capital of RS Group Asia, and Ruiying Zhang, Executive Director of the China Environmental Grantmakers Alliance. Their discussion focused on how businesses, green finance, and philanthropy can work together to accelerate environmental progress across the region.

During the panel, Dee highlighted Tessellation’s focus on positive impact and long-term value, sharing how the Group has incubated sustainable technologies such as waterless dyeing, salt recovery, and indigo recovery across its supply chains to reduce environmental footprint while evolving business model. “We only make money that we believe doesn’t harm the planet,” she said. “We come from a narrative of acquiring knowledge to make the world a better place, building our communities and cities wherever we live and work.”

She also stressed the vital role of government in advancing sustainability through regulation, policy, and targeted funding. “It’s about sharing information, setting priorities, and creating a platform for collective understanding of the risks of inaction,” she noted, emphasizing the need for strong public-private collaboration to build resilient, sustainable communities.

The discussion closed on a unifying note: climate action in the region requires collaboration, cultural understanding, and a shared willingness to rethink how capital, technology, and policy intersect. Whether through philanthropic risk-taking, patient capital, or pragmatic innovation, progress happens when actors across sectors work together with clarity of purpose and a long-term mindset.

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