As the battle to contain Covid-19 in the Asia-Pacific region enters another year, the scars of this health emergency on lives and livelihoods have become the painful reminders of the urgency to do better. Yet, there is a silver lining to this pandemic: conversations on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have become far more widespread than ever.
Indeed, ESG is now an unstoppable movement. At the centre of the discussion is how to redirect private capital to ESG companies – whether it is in the form of equity, fixed income, or financing for working capital. A growing number of asset managers and financial institutions, keen to reinforce sustainability credentials, are starting to apply additional ESG factors in their assessments.
Regulators in the region are also stepping up to the challenge. Initiatives, guidelines and action plans towards sustainability frameworks, a green taxonomy and other ESG standards are being rolled out in the coming months. The way businesses are run, growth capital is allocated, and the impact businesses have beyond financial metrics will redefine the value of everything. Increasingly, ESG will become the pathway to achieve differentiated performance.
It is a period of rising expectations. Companies in the Asia-Pacific are busy building their knowledge base, generating new sets of data, and setting the right frameworks to assess the impact of their actions as they chart a course to become better and more sustainable companies.
To highlight this exceptional opportunity, The Asset Events+ is delighted to be organizing Asia-Pacific’s leading ESG forum, the 4th ESG Summit, with this year’s theme being Rising Expectations. The summit brings together ESG thought leaders from top companies, organizations, and investment and financial institutions to share their insights on their ESG journeys.