Eco-Business

Sustainability awareness is generally low in public relations agencies in Asia, which could expose brands to greenwashing risk. New guidelines aim to help PR practitioners avoid greenwashing and land the right sustainability messages with consumers.

Most corporate sustainability functions in Asia evolved out of the communications department. Does that imply that sustainability is more about image than action? Where should a sustainability leader sit to drive real change?

Sembcorp Energy India Limited (SEIL) coal plant SLBs

Increasing investor scrutiny, alongside macroeconomic uncertainty, has led to a slowdown in the issuance of sustainability-linked bonds globally. How can this emerging financing instrument be structured to ensure greater transparency?

At least 19 new gas fields in Southeast Asia have been sanctioned for development but these activities, as well as further oil and gas exploration, are incompatible with scientific consensus on climate change, said Global Energy Monitor.

By Robin Hicks

By Rhick Lars Albay

Thomson Reuters Foundation

By Gabriel Lee

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While the media paints sportswashing as evil, more research is needed to evaluate whether it is really changing attitudes on the ground. By Michael Skey

Large companies worldwide have made net-zero pledges, but they often rely on misleading or false claims. New rules and recent court cases promise to make it harder for firms to pose as “climate leaders” while maintaining pollution as usual. By Richard Black

The first global sustainability reporting standards, to include new requirements for Scope 3 emission, is expected to be published in June 2023. Energy companies would be wise to have robust decarbonisation plans, as opportunities for greenwashing will be limited once full emissions are reported. By Christina Ng

If sustainability really was at the heart of everything businesses did, the planet probably would not be 1.2°C warmer than it should be. It's time for corporates to stop using the same meaningless catchphrase – or risk alienating consumers By Robin Hicks

By Adam Austen Kay

By Kate Yeo

By Michael Schaper and Ryan Wong

By Christina Ng and Sam Reynolds

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In the video, environmental law group ClientEarth compares the oil and gas giant's advertisements on its low-carbon investments to a burger chain claiming that they’re vegan because they’ve got salad on the menu.

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Japan-based academic Kim Schumacher, who coined the term "competence greenwashing", believes that the pursuit of societal harmony might be standing in the way of Asia calling out greenwashing. He tells the Eco-Business Podcast how exaggerated ESG claims are likely to be tackled in 2023 and beyond.

Pretending to be an ESG guru while actually knowing little or nothing about environmental or social issues is known as competency greenwash

Former Monetary Authority of Singapore sustainability chief Darian McBain and recruiter Paddy Balfour tell the Eco-Business podcast why people are exaggerating their ESG expertise and why that's a problem in a key region for sustainable development.

Greenwashing has become a growing problem

Greenwashing has become a big problem for consumers, investors and regulators as brands spend millions on marketing their sustainability credentials. Eco-Business asked expert communicators Janissa Ng and James Lorenz why greenwashing is so dangerous, and what can be done to stop spin in sustainability communications.

EB Podcast with Elena Philipova, director of sustainable finance, Refinitiv

It is no longer business as usual when it comes to how we tackle climate change and rising global temperatures. Eco-Business speaks to Elena Philipova of Refinitiv about how data can ensure countries and businesses are delivering on pledges to decarbonise.

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