Sungdong-gu, a 'Sustainable City,' Publishes the First 'E+ESG Report' Among Local Governments

In 2022, the first local government to add the essential element of Economy for urban sustainability named it E+ESG... On August 30, Seongdong-gu Office website disclosed trends and policy outcomes of 82 Seongdong-type E+ESG indicators
Notable achievements in areas such as gentrification prevention policy, coffee grounds collection, essential worker support, and publicizing the mayor's dedicated text complaint phone number

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeong Won-oh) announced that it has published the E+ESG report, the first of its kind among local governments, and disclosed it on the Seongdong-gu Office website.

The ESG report is primarily used to evaluate and compare the sustainability of companies, and as the mandatory disclosure of ESG is being discussed, the number of companies and public institutions publishing such reports is increasing.

Since 2022, Seongdong-gu has been implementing pioneering policies by introducing ESG into district administration and developed 82 E+ESG indicators, the first among local governments. Since then, it has promoted ESG practice public projects annually, supporting a total of 47 projects across ESG fields from 2022 to this year.

On August 30 of this year, Seongdong-gu disclosed the report for the first time among local governments to share the achievements of ESG administration and to spread ESG awareness internally and externally. Notably, unlike previous reports, it added Economy, an essential element for urban sustainability, and named it the E+ESG report.

The report referenced guidelines from international sustainability disclosure standards (GRI, K-ESG) for ESG disclosure and report production in the public sector, utilizing disclosure data from Statistics Korea, Seoul Metropolitan Government, and others.

Through this, the report includes the ESG materiality assessment process, trends in data changes of 82 E+ESG indicators, and policy cases, allowing verification of Seongdong-gu’s sustainability. It also contains a Q&A section on the concepts and necessity of ESG to help anyone easily understand ESG.

According to the report, the district shows remarkable achievements in each E+ESG field: economy, environment, society, and governance.

▲ Economy Sector

Seongdong-gu’s GRDP growth rate (as of 2022) was 10.9%, ranking first among Seoul’s autonomous districts. This is mainly attributed to proactive policies such as gentrification prevention and social venture support aimed at revitalizing the local economy and creating jobs.

▲ Environment Sector

The per capita daily household waste generation (as of 2022) was 0.99 kg, lower than the Seoul district average of 1.18 kg. Especially during the COVID-19 period, when single-use product usage increased and household waste generation rose significantly across districts, Seongdong-gu’s waste generation did not increase much. Representative waste reduction policies include operating separated recycling stations in residential areas and collecting coffee grounds.

▲ Social Sector

The citizen awareness index for socially vulnerable groups is also notable. According to the Seoul Survey, the inclusion index for people with disabilities, the elderly, and women has steadily increased, with Seongdong-gu ranking first among Seoul’s districts in 2023. The district is implementing various inclusive policies for vulnerable groups, such as providing essential worker allowances, issuing care career recognition certificates regardless of gender, and offering health management services like the Eolsarang health doctor for elderly home visits.

▲ Governance Sector

In the civil service evaluation indicators, the district has consistently maintained the highest grade. It is promoting various communication policies to enhance convenience and satisfaction for civil complaints, such as establishing a smart civil complaint form system and publicly sharing a dedicated mobile phone number for text complaints to the district mayor.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “E+ESG policies are essential elements to solve various social issues such as the climate crisis and social inequality,” adding, “We will continue to promote E+ESG policies to minimize conflicts and lead sustainable and balanced urban development.”