Happy World IP Day!

This year’s theme is ‘IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity’. At HGF we are committed to supporting our clients in sustainable technologies and routinely develop IP strategies that help clients achieve their sustainability goals. We have also set emission reduction targets for ourselves to become a more sustainable business. Our transition to hybrid working, reducing our carbon footprint and phasing out single-use plastics are just a few ways the firm are being sustainable.

Read our Q&A with Hsu Min Chung, HGF Partner and board sponsor for the Sustainability team:

🚙 Are you seeing any key trends in sustainable technologies? In February this year, the UKIPO produced a report tracking the progress of green innovation through IP. The report shows that growth in green technologies has been consistently higher than total growth across all areas of technology. Patent filings relating to greener vehicle technologies have seen the largest absolute increase in patent filings over the past 20 years. However, since 2018, we have seen a notable growth in global filings in carbon capture and hydrogen technologies.

🌍 Are the SDGs having an impact on patent filings? I am not sure that SDGs are having an impact on patent filings. However, there has been increasing interest in mapping patenting activity against the SDGs. This may help to provide a better indication of innovation trends across the SDGs. The recent UKIPO report highlights particularly strong growth in patenting activity against SDGs, such as SDG12 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG13 (climate action) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production).

✔ What are the next steps HGF will make to show support to the SDGs? We shall continue to make sustainability central to our business strategy. As a responsible business, we are committed to reducing our GHG emissions across all our offices. We have also invested heavily in acquiring and developing the technical skills necessary to support clients in the emerging and sustainable technology space, with the aim of helping them deliver against their SDG goals. We are also committed to championing the role of IP in the sustainability space through e.g., Green IP groups at international IP organisations, such as IPO, and CIPA.

Click here to read about our sustainability:

Click here to read about sustainable technology and how we support our clients.