Eco-business Podcast

Speaking to the EB Podcast from the INC-5.2 talks in Geneva, Singapore Youth for Climate Action president Terese Teoh said that  there is no explicit Asean-wide support for caps on plastic production, despite the region’s vulnerability to plastic pollution. She argues that no treaty is better than a watered-down treaty with no production limits.

Eco-Business spoke to Hang Lung Properties deputy director of sustainability John Haffner for the latest episode of On the frontlines, which profiles change-makers on the hard edge of sustainable business. Tune as we discuss: Discipline and sustainability spending Are our sustainability targets too weak or too ambitious? How do you justify your job? Managing greenwashing risk Advice for sustainability aspirants Burnout risk

The EB Podcast spoke to Dr Bosco Chan, WWF Hong Kong's head of conservation, and Dr Stephan Gale, head of flora conservation at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, about threats to Hong Kong's unique biodiversity from mega-projects. We discussed: Conservation with Dr Bosco Chan The state of Hong Kong biodiversity: reasons for concern The Northern Metropolis development – what will it mean for Hong Kong's wildlife? How can developers reduce the impact on wildlife? Do cityfolk living in Hong kong or Singapore care about species loss? Models to follow in biophilic city design Conservation with Dr Stephan Gale The climate implications of Hong Kong's mega-projects Why nature restoration matters Nature-sensitive building design The importance native plant species matter to Hong Kong and Singapore "Listen to ecologists"

On the latest edition of On the frontlines, which profiles changemakers on the hard edge of sustainable business, Aun Abdullah tells the EB Podcast when corporate India cannot retreat from climate action at a time of conflicting priorities.

In the third episode of ‘On the frontlines’, the Christer Gaudiano, sustainability chief of Meralco’s power generation arm says Filipino companies show no sign of backtracking on their sustainability pledges.

In our series 'On the frontlines', which profiles changemakers on the hard edge of sustainable business, Hendrik Rosenthal, CLP’s sustainability director, tells the EB Podcast that open dialogue with internal stakeholders is key to transitioning a company that has committed to a complete exit from coal by 2040. Tune in as we discuss: Recycling, Chernobyl and Canadian wastewater: Rosenthal’s route into sustainability Where does sustainability sit in CLP’s corporate structure? How is sustainability incentivised at CLP? How realistic are CLP’s decarbonisation ambitions? Advice for a new generation of sustainability practitioners

Podcast with climate scientist Professor Benjamin Horton. Tune in as we discuss: Horton’s career in climate science, built in the US, shaped by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy How the US and Singapore view climate science differently Why the attack on climate science in the US matters to Asia The private sector’s response to climate policy Why businesses need climate scientists Climate risks, Singapore and Hong Kong compared

Despite a drop in high-profile cases of greenwashing, Japan-based academic Kim Schumacher tells the EB Podcast that the problem isn’t going away, it’s just changing form. Tune in as we discuss:  Is greenwashing really in decline? Why has greenhushing spread to Asia? The vulnerability of the EU Greens Claims Directive Why has the finance sector been the fastest to respond to greenwashing risk? Is greenwashing awareness growing? Is competence greenwashing declining? Changing use of the term "ESG"

A podcast with the chief executive of World Resources Institute Ani Dasgupta on tariffs, funding cuts, climate finance and the COP climate talks

Fireside chat with Dr Mark Konyn, Group Chief Investment Officer, AIA Group with Jessica Cheam, CEO, Eco-Business Hong Kong plays a pivotal role in Asia's growth, serving as a major hub for sustainable development investments. Leveraging its robust financial infrastructure and strategic position in the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong has emerged as a gateway for international investors seeking to capitalize on Asia's — and particularly China's —growing demand for sustainable capital. As part of its efforts to foster sustainable growth, Hong Kong has launched a comprehensive array of capital market initiatives, including promoting green bonds, sustainable banking, and ESG disclosures – supported by regulatory frameworks that provide clear guidelines and incentives. The city also plays a crucial role in fostering innovation and collaboration across the region. With China on track to peak emissions by 2025 and achieve carbon neutrality ahead of its 2060 target, the region is at the forefront of global climate

Interview with the chief sustainability officer of one of India's largest conglomerates

Plastic waste is flooding the planet. Instead of waiting for regulation to drive change, give value to recyclables and mobilise the people, says Plastic Bank.

On the podcast, moderated by Eco-Business associate editor Robin Hicks: Adelia Dinda Sani, freelance contributing writer and multimedia journalist, Deutsche Welle Hannah Alcoseba Fernandez, Philippines chief correspondent, Eco-Business Gerald Flynn, Southeast Asia staff writer, Mongabay Nadiah Rosli, freelance environmental journalist and capacity development programme manager, Ocean Discovery League Tune in as we discuss: The challenges environmental journalists are facing in Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Malaysia Stories from the field and lessons learned What are the type of environment stories people want to read, and what stories do editors commission? How to sustain independent journalism in Southeast Asia

Andrew Buay is VP of group sustainability for Singtel and Optus. He has spent the last eight years in sustainability in a dual role that also covers talent development, based in Australia – a country that has motivated him to work in sustainability, such is its exposure to climate impacts. He was in Australia in 2012, when the most intense cyclone in the country’s history – Cyclone Yasi – struck. Tune in as we discuss: Why a SingTel “lifer” pivoted to sustainability Responding to anti-ESG sentiment Doing two jobs at once – how to avoid burnout Driving the sustainability agenda across cultures Physical and transition risks in Singapore and Australia Survival strategies for CSOs Advice for aspiring sustainability practitioners Dealing with “Chief Anti-Sustainability Officers”

Speaking at Eco-Business’s Sharpening the ESG focus: CSO Outlook 2025 dialogue held on 21 January in Singapore, Jaclyn Dove, global head of sustainable finance for Standard Chartered Bank and Mervyn Tang, Asia Pacific head of sustainability for asset management firm Schroders, joined a panel discussion moderated by Eco-Business founder Jessica Cheam. Tune in as they discuss: 2025’s sustainable finance and investment outlook Do global net zero alliances have a future? Transition finance as a huge opportunity for Asia The region’s pragmatic net zero agenda

CapitaLand sustainability chiefs Vinamra Srivastava and Giovanni Cossu tell the Eco-Business Podcast that there is a viable path to net zero for the world’s fastest growing cities. Tune in as we discuss: Where is Asia Pacific on the road to a net zero built environment? CapitaLand’s net zero progress The embodied carbon conundrum Decarbonising an Asian multinational Built environment low-carbon solutions – what works? Isn’t the only real decarbonisation solution to build less?

Indonesian courts have seen a steady increase in climate litigation over the past decade. Last year alone, the indigenous Knasaimos peoples in Southwest Papua won a long fight for legal land rights, while citizens in South Sumatra sued three pulpwood companies for burning in their concessions that contributed to toxic haze air pollution. While these cases could have substantial impacts on the environmental rights of Indonesians and their children, raising awareness about climate litigation has been challenging for environmental campaigners, said environmental lawyer Sekar Banjaran Aji, who is also a campaigner for Greenpeace Indonesia. In response, Greenpeace Indonesia worked with journalist and author Titah Aw and illustrator Sekar Bestari to produce a series of children’s books that simplified these topics into narratives that could be easily understood. In this podcast, they share: *How they combined key facts and imaginative elements to tell climate stories *Why it is important for stories of climate c

The joke in Alasha League in China’s Inner Mongolia region is that people in Beijing only discovered their existence when local newspapers blew over to the capital city in a sandstorm. Such growing pollution in the 1990s nearly spelt the end of traditional animal herding in Alasha (also spelt Alxa), as China banned livestock and resettled herders to tame the deserts and restore grasslands. But community leaders lobbied for their camels – their beasts of burden since time immemorial – to be recognised as a “protected livestock breed”. And camel herding continues to this day. Success story? It’s not that simple to Dr Thomas White, a researcher who spent years living with the herders to understand what they’re going through. In his recently published book China’s Camel Country, he documented the tensions the herders faced to keep in line with China’s nation-building project. Taboos also emerged as culture courted capitalism to survive – think embellishments for tourism and butchering a treasured species to fe

Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to discuss the implications of RSPO’s draft revised standard is the organisation's director of standards and sustainability, Yen Hun Seng. Tune in as we discuss: What’s changed about RSPO in the last five years How has RSPO managed lobbying from various interest groups? How has the new standard changed on deforestation? How does the standard align with EUDR? What about smallholders? What to expect from RSPO’s annual conference this month?

A climate science group under the United Nations recently faced a fight over the date of its next set of reports – a seemingly small squabble that could have big implications on future global climate policy. Many countries want these reports, covering the science behind the latest trends and ways to tackle the growing risks, by 2028, in time for a review of whether global climate efforts are sufficient. But others want a longer timeline, an ask that critics think represents some governments avoiding advice they do not want to hear. So how does this whole process work? What is the IPCC doing in the years between the major reports, and what challenges do they have to deal with? More broadly, how is the IPCC keeping itself useful – given that most people today generally think they know enough about climate change? The interaction and debates between science and policymakers becomes “more heated” as global warming raises the stakes for governments to get climate action right, Dr Theresa Wong, head of science a