Daily CSR

South Korea’s Push for Better Disability Accessibility

Debashish Mukherjee — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:14:00 +0200

Sometimes, a barrier only a few inches high can bring movement to a complete stop. In South Korea, employees and community organizations are experiencing accessibility challenges firsthand and responding with practical solutions, one ramp at a time. What starts with understanding the difficulties faced by people with limited mobility is being translated into concrete action that is changing how communities approach accessibility.

In the narrow streets and alleys of Seoul's Jung-gu district, even a small curb can represent a significant obstacle.

During a recent volunteer exercise, employees of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea used wheelchairs to navigate their Seoul office. They encountered sloped surfaces, uneven ground and other obstacles that made seemingly simple movements difficult. After taking part in the simulation, one volunteer said they had not understood the severity of the challenge until a single step stopped them completely.

The experience continued beyond the workplace. Teams ventured into the surrounding community, walking through local streets, visiting businesses and recording accessibility obstacles. For the millions of South Koreans whose mobility is restricted, however, these obstacles are not part of a temporary exercise. They are encountered every day.

South Korea's aging population has made accessibility an increasingly important issue. Almost 15 million people, representing roughly 30% of the country's population, face mobility-related challenges. This group includes older people, individuals with disabilities, pregnant women and parents traveling with children in strollers.

Although regulations concerning ramp installation were broadened in 2022, 98.2% of retail establishments continue to be excluded from the requirements. As a result, everyday destinations such as pharmacies, medical clinics and neighborhood stores can remain difficult—or sometimes impossible—for people with limited mobility to enter.

In December 2024, South Korea's Supreme Court recognized accessibility as a fundamental constitutional right. The decision reinforced the principle that the ability to move through one's community is connected not simply to convenience, but also to dignity, participation and equality.

Soon after the ruling, Boehringer Ingelheim Korea became the first private company to install ramps within a local community. However, changes in legislation cannot by themselves eliminate physical obstacles that already exist throughout neighborhoods and commercial areas.

Turning Awareness Into Practical Action

This is the challenge addressed by the Moving Forward campaign. Built around the message “Everyone's life must move forward,” the initiative represents a long-term partnership between Boehringer Ingelheim Korea and MUUI, a social enterprise established in 2016 to promote accessibility rights for people with limited mobility.

The campaign goes beyond simply raising awareness. Its focus is on finding actual obstacles in people's daily surroundings and addressing them through practical interventions, including the installation of ramps.

Cooperation with local administrative organizations was an important part of the initiative. The project worked closely with bodies including the Jung-gu Administration Office and the Jung-gu Welfare Centre for Disabled People.

Between April and October 2025, the campaign concentrated its efforts on Yaksu-dong, an area of Jung-gu with one of Seoul's largest populations of residents experiencing mobility challenges.

Boehringer Ingelheim employees walked through the neighborhood along routes commonly used by residents. They examined obstacles at street level and experienced for themselves the points where ordinary journeys could become difficult or impossible.

The team combined field assessments with accessibility education and wheelchair simulation exercises. Their work resulted in the identification of 33 possible locations for wheelchair ramps. Priority was given to sites where steep inclines, deteriorating infrastructure and heavy pedestrian traffic created particularly significant challenges.

One participant summed up the experience by observing that a single curb could feel like a mountain.

Creating Better Access Through Collaboration

Following the assessments, 10 important facilities and businesses were selected for customized ramp installations.

Twenty Boehringer Ingelheim employees took part throughout the process. Working alongside MUUI specialists, they measured entrances, prepared surfaces and helped install the ramps.

The hands-on approach was deliberate. Rather than simply learning about accessibility in a presentation or training session, employees directly encountered the physical difficulties and then participated in solving them.

“Awareness comes first,” said participating employee Dongho Park. “Once you are aware, you gain the ability to act. That's what this experience taught me.”

For MUUI, the partnership represents a broader approach to accessibility—one that moves away from treating individual improvements as isolated projects and instead encourages communities, businesses and organizations to share responsibility.

“Accessibility is a right everyone should naturally enjoy in daily life. Through this partnership, I hope awareness grows and communities move closer to guaranteeing mobility as a right, not a restriction,” said Yun-hui Hong, Chairperson of MUUI.

A Continuing Commitment Rather Than a One-Time Project

The Moving Forward campaign is intended to extend beyond a single volunteer event.

“This agreement is not a one-off activity,” said Ana-Maria Boie, General Manager of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea. “With our rapidly aging population, accessibility has become a critical social issue. We are committed to working with communities to create environments where everyone can move safely and freely—today and in the future.”

Employees of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea and MUUI continue to work together through the campaign, combining community knowledge, employee participation and physical improvements to address accessibility challenges.

This combination has helped move the initiative beyond conventional volunteering toward a longer-term model of community-based change. Following the campaign's progress, Moving Forward has become one of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea's strategic sustainability initiatives.

The program's future focus is on improving social participation and accessibility for people with limited mobility. It also aims to encourage stronger relationships between businesses and community organizations, creating a greater sense of shared responsibility.

By demonstrating how companies and local partners can work together to tackle practical social challenges, the initiative could also provide a model for other organizations pursuing sustainability programs with tangible community benefits.

Accessibility Can Affect Everyone

Mobility limitations are not confined to any single section of society.

Circumstances can change unexpectedly. A temporary injury, a newborn requiring a stroller or responsibility for an elderly family member can suddenly make previously insignificant obstacles much more difficult to navigate.

In such situations, accessibility is no longer an abstract policy discussion. It directly affects a person's independence and freedom to participate in everyday life.

Every ramp installed through the Moving Forward campaign therefore represents more than a physical modification to a building entrance. It can provide easier access to healthcare, workplaces, shops and the wider community.

Accessibility is ultimately a shared concern. Removing barriers can help create communities in which more people can move independently, participate fully and access the places and services they need.

In that sense, every barrier removed helps make it possible for life to keep moving forward.

Emerging Markets: The Energy Transition Opportunity

Debashish Mukherjee — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 06:51:00 +0200

The global shift toward cleaner energy is creating significant opportunities for emerging markets (EM), but the benefits will not be distributed evenly. Many EM economies are turning to lower-cost renewable energy to reduce dependence on imported fuels, improve power-price stability and strengthen energy security. Countries and businesses that can capitalize on their positions in critical minerals and clean-energy technologies may gain a competitive advantage, creating significant differences in investment outcomes.

After years of relatively subdued growth, global electricity demand is accelerating, driven in part by artificial intelligence and the infrastructure required to support it. Electricity consumption per person is expected to reach new highs across many parts of the world by 2030. With populations growing faster than those in developed economies, EM countries are likely to account for a substantial share of this additional demand.

At the same time, the composition of global energy production is changing. Renewable sources are expected to account for most new power-generation capacity across much of the developing world over the coming decades, with solar and wind playing leading roles. This appears to be more than a temporary shift. Population expansion, urbanization and increasing electrification are creating long-term structural demand for additional clean power.

Renewables Can Support EM Growth and Energy Security

Renewable-energy deployment is expanding across emerging markets as governments improve grid infrastructure and introduce supportive regulatory frameworks. In many major EM economies, renewable generation can also be developed and operated at a lower cost than in developed markets, helping countries improve competitiveness while supporting industrial expansion.

EM's growing control over many critical minerals, combined with the potential for greater energy-cost stability, is strengthening its position in the global energy transition. These advantages can support economic resilience across a wide range of emerging economies.

Many EM countries have spent years reducing their dependence on imported energy. Recent geopolitical disruptions have reinforced that objective, highlighting the economic risks associated with volatile fossil-fuel prices. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty is encouraging governments to explore green financing and renewable-energy investment as a way to reduce exposure to fluctuations in global energy markets.

The Benefits Are Not Being Shared Equally

However, access to renewable resources alone does not guarantee economic gains. Critical minerals still need to be extracted, transported and processed before they can become part of the clean-energy supply chain. Performance across these stages has varied considerably, with a relatively small group of countries accounting for a significant share of critical-mineral production.

Countries that have successfully expanded mineral production and developed related industries can gain greater geopolitical influence, stronger energy security and increased economic resilience. Countries that have struggled to develop these capabilities may instead remain exposed to supply-chain disruptions while capturing only a limited portion of the economic value.

This widening divide between countries that are successfully building energy-transition capabilities and those that are not is likely to produce increasingly different economic and investment outcomes. As a result, country selection and security selection may become increasingly important for investors.

Expanding Energy Production Can Help Companies Move Up the Value Chain

China and Southeast Asia provide examples of how companies and economies can use scale and renewable resources to improve their competitive positions.

China Hongqiao, one of the world's major aluminium producers, illustrates this approach. Aluminium production is highly energy intensive and has traditionally relied heavily on coal, resulting in substantial carbon emissions. After operating for years in Shandong, the company shifted some production to Yunnan, where abundant hydropower, wind and solar resources provide access to cleaner electricity.

The company has also made substantial investments in supporting infrastructure, including annual spending of roughly RMB 2–3 billion on grid maintenance and around RMB 6 billion on solar development. These investments have helped China Hongqiao improve the predictability of its energy costs, reduce exposure to carbon-related trade measures and strengthen its competitive position as global markets move toward lower-carbon production.

Other Chinese companies have used scale in renewable energy to expand revenues while improving profitability. Solar-equipment manufacturer Sungrow, for example, has combined solar-generation equipment with energy-storage systems, both of which are increasingly important for large utility-scale projects. This broader product offering has contributed to a growing revenue base.

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world's largest electric-vehicle battery producer, has similarly relied on manufacturing scale and cost advantages to address growing demand for grid-scale battery storage. Increasing production volumes while improving margins demonstrates how scale can help companies capture more value from the energy transition.

South Korea has followed a somewhat different route. The country remains significantly dependent on imported coal and natural gas and faces periods of uncertainty around nuclear-power availability. However, increased renewable capacity has helped bring down energy costs, improving the competitiveness of renewable power relative to conventional fossil-fuel generation.

Elsewhere, governments are experimenting with innovative financing structures to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels. Chile, for instance, has worked with private-sector participants to expand its green and sustainability-linked bond markets, creating additional sources of capital for renewable-energy development.

Comparable initiatives are emerging throughout the developing world, although the pace and effectiveness of implementation vary substantially. Investors therefore need to distinguish between markets and companies that possess genuine competitive advantages and those that may struggle to convert the energy transition into sustainable economic gains.

Scalability and Execution Will Determine the Winners

Ultimately, the ability to scale projects and execute effectively will be crucial for countries and companies seeking to move higher up the clean-energy value chain. Over time, a broader group of emerging markets may be able to capture the economic benefits associated with renewable energy. At present, however, only a select number of countries and businesses appear particularly well positioned.

For investors, this uneven development creates both opportunities and risks. Active management, careful country analysis and disciplined credit selection may therefore be essential for identifying the potential beneficiaries of the energy transition.

The original authors acknowledged contributions from Waseem Amin, ESG Strategy and Client Solutions Analyst, and Sourish Chatterjee, Research Analyst.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment research, investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell securities. The views expressed may not represent those of every portfolio-management team and may change over time.

References to individual securities are illustrative and should not be interpreted as recommendations. There is no assurance that investments in any securities discussed have been or will be profitable.

Click here to know more.

Reclaiming The Greenery In Horqin Desert

Lorene Stevens — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 19:49:00 +0200

Timberland returns to restoration work in Horqin Desert to celebrate the Earth Day.

Dailycsr.com – 29 July 2019 – A region of grasslands located in northern China which used to be a lush green sight to behold fell victim of “overpopulation, overgrazing and the impacts of climate change”, whereby the healthy corner of the Mother Nature turned into the Horqin Desert, which matches the “size of Switzerland”.

The Horqin Desert in situated in “Inner Mongolia” which began to cast “far-reaching impact” as agricultural practice took a beating and sandstorms went on to affect northern part of China while its reach didn’t even spare “Japan, South Korea and Taiwan”.

From the year of 2001, Timberland joined hands with Green Network, a Japanese non-profit, as they duo has been working through “reforestation project” wherein “nearly 300 days of employee volunteer hours” are put in. Moreover, this year, Timberland chose the Earth Day and went back to work to reclaim the desert.

As a result, at present nearly “2.6 million trees” are breathing in the lap of Horqin Desert, as the greening region covers an area of almost “1,500 football fields”. This change helps to suppress sandstorms besides improving the quality of air.

You can get a glimpse of Timberland’s work in the Horqin Desert on the Earth Day and also come to know more about its “environmental commitment” by watching a video, which can be availed by click on the link provided below:
https://youtu.be/NKCX3PgK6f4

References:
3blmedia.com