Over the past five years, the Eco Money segment has reported on record breaking temperatures, green bonds, blue bonds, brown bonds, and even rhino bonds - and shared the latest news and views when it comes to sustainability investment.

In the last episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly reflects on key topics covered and highlights from the segment.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emissions have continued to slowly increase for equities.

That’s according to the latest research from London Stock Exchange Group.

This despite aggressive global decarbonisation targets.

In its paper - Decarbonisation in portfolio benchmarks - LSEG aims to unlock key trends and  challenges of calculating portfolio emissions.

To get the details, Rachel Kelly speaks to Jaakko Kooroshy, Global Head of Sustainable Investment Research at FTSE Russell 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An unprecedented 128,000 millionaires are expected to relocate worldwide this year.

That’s according to the latest report from Henley and Partners.

The great migrations comes as the world grapples with a perfect storm of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, and social upheaval, millionaires are voting with their feet in record numbers.

Now, another factor is increasingly weighing on the minds of the wealthy when it comes to residency, and that is climate change.

Rachel Kelly speaks to Dominic Volek, Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners to find out more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Temasek has launched its inaugural Sustainability Report.

The state owned investment firm says that this brings together its disclosures and tracks progress, taking into consideration the disclosure requirements issued by the international sustainability standards board.

In its latest review just announced this week- Temasek says it deployed S$3 billion into investments aligned with the Sustainable Living trend in the last year.

Rachel Kelly has the details in this week's Eco Money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks with Susie Burrage OBE, President, Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) on her journey within the recycling industry, being appointed as the first female president of BIR, AND major business trends and investment opportunities within the sector. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kavita Gandhi, Executive Director of SEAS and Christophe Inglin, Vice-Chairman, SEAS/Managing Director, Energetix speak with Rachel Kelly about the latest developments in the regional renewable energy industry. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MSCI research shows that so called sustainability linked products in the fixed income space could offer a greenium, or green premium.  To find out just how much and which sectors top the charts, Rachel Kelly spoke to Jakub Malich, ESG Fixed Income Research Lead at MSCI

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The theme for this year's World Environment Day is land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.

In this episode of Eco Money we look at  hydro-technology, and how hydro is evolving to become smaller, more compact, and its growth as countries across the globe race to net zero targets.

To help us get a better understanding of hydropower in Asia, Rachel Kelly spoke to Brian Selby, Regional General Manager, Asia, China & India, GE Renewable Energy Hydro Solutions, GE Vernova.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GE Vernova is the energy portfolio of GE. It’s been in the news recently as it listed at the beginning of April.

The business trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker GEV.

In this episode of Eco Money Rachel Kelly speaks to Shailesh Mishra, Regional Leader, Grid System Integration APAC, GE Vernona to discuss power grid continuity as the renewable energy pie is ramped up on the road to net zero.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a 1.5 trillion dollar investment gap when it comes to funding Southeast Asia’s green transition, and this means there is opportunity for investors.

That’s according to the latest Green Economy 2024 Report by Bain & Company, GenZero, Standard Chartered and Temasek.

Publishers of the report state that this means Southeast Asian markets now have a window of opportunity to accelerate decarbonization with actionable ideas and accelerators.

To find out more and where exactly the investment opportunities Rachel Kelly spoke to Dale Hardcastle, Director of Global Sustainability Innovation Center at Bain & Company and Tracy Wong Harris, Head of Sustainable Finance Asia, Standard Chartered Bank.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eco Money host Rachel Kelly, attends the AVPN Global Conference in Abu Dhabi to get the latest insights into social investing and what it means to be a social investor. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RHB, Malaysia’s fourth-largest bank by assets has announced ambitious climate targets.

Setting its sights on net zero by 2050 and increasing its sustainable finance target to RM50 billion  by 2026.

The news was shared at the inaugural RHB sustainability media day.

Speaking at the session, Mohd Rashid Mohamad  Group Managing Director / Group Chief Executive Officer of RHB Banking Group shared that the goals are the result of over a year of work under the group climate action programme.

Rachel Kelly with the details.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sustainability may be a top business priority, BUT would it surprise you to know that only 6% of business leaders report that their organisation has completed at least one round of sustainability implementation according to  NTUC Learning Hub’s Sustainability for Business Resilience Report 2024.

Holding back efforts seems to be a gap between management and employee expectations when it comes to sustainability training and implementation. 

Rachel Kelly speaks to Mr Low Choon Chye Head, Sustainability, NTUC LearningHub to get the details.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sustainable City is the first operational Net Zero Energy city in Dubai, modelled to become an international showcase for high quality sustainable living.

It’s been 9 years since the first set of keys were handed over to tenants in this community with solar panel clad homes and shaded vehicle free pedestrian streets.

Now, it’s been one year since I moved to Dubai and I can’t help but wonder why there aren’t more of such developments across the globe.

To find out more about the project, I caught up with Marwa Al Nahlawi, General Manager of Diamond Developers.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a capitalist world, can profits still be attained while leaders pursue purpose? Can a balance between environmental needs with those of corporations be struck?

Rachel Kelly speaks with Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre and author of the book Sustainable Sustainability to discuss  the role corporates play in tackling climate change and how steward leadership can help us combine profits and purpose.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many ways investors can address climate risks in fixed income portfolios, including financing issuers that deliver climate solutions.

That said, due to the complexity of fixed income markets investors often struggle to identify and track exposure to bonds that are associated with carbon-intensive activities.

In a report just out titled 'Tracing Carbon-Intensive Debt' , London Stock Exchange Group developed a methodology to track carbon-intensive fixed income holdings.

Rachel Kelly speaks to Nitish Ramkumar, Senior Research Lead, Sustainable Investment Research, LSEG to find out more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that 2.2 billion people on the planet still live without safely managed drinking water?

And at least half the worlds population experiences water scarcity for at least part of the year.

World Water Day is celebrated on 22nd March and this year’s theme is water for peace.

But what role does finance play?

Rachel Kelly takes a look in this week's Eco Money

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you don’t take advantage of grants provided by the government to green your business, your competitors will.

Those were the words of Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu speaking at the Navigating Climate and Business in 2024 dialogue organised by The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).

During the session key insights into how SMEs can work with the public sector and MNCs to grow their business were discussed. 

Rachel Kelly with the details in this week's Eco Money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world - an average 140,000 vessels call annually.

The city state is serious about fostering sustainability within the industry - to bolster efforts the government has just announced a new Sustainability pillar under the maritime cluster fund.

Speaking in parliament this week at the debate for the Transport ministry’s budget Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat says the initiative will support first mover adoption of sustainable solutions.

Rachel Kelly has the details in this week's Eco Money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Security and sustainability go hand in hand for business and the nation.

This was highlighted in two key sustainability areas of this year’s Singapore National Budget which rolls out the first instalment of the Forward Singapore programmes.

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered his third annual Budget speech in Parliament on February 16th - he highlighted that for firms to be competitive, they also need to embrace sustainability.

Rachel Kelly takes a closer look at the sustainability elements of Budget 2024.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colour analysis to produce a palette that best compliaments your skin and hair tone may have become the latest trend, but have you given any thought to how the dyes for your clothes are produced?

Colorifix is on a mission to tackle toxic dye pollution caused by the industry and reduce water consumption. 

Rachel Kelly speaks to Orr Yarkoni, Founder and CEO of Colorifix to find out more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Pole’s latest Net Zero Report has shown that 44% of surveyed companies say external communication on climate targets has become more difficult in just the past year, and 58% are decreasing communications as a result.

A sign that green hushing is the new norm?

Host Rachel Kelly, takes a closer look at the report in this episode of Eco Money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Buildings alone account for close to 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions.

And with many of the buildings around today expected to still be standing by net zero target date of 2050  - Rachel Kelly speaks to Adrien Pierson, Vice President of Strategy, iviva to find out if the industry is progressing fast enough.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a special report by consultancy, XDI - close to one in 10 assets belonging to Reits across Asia-Pacific will be at high risk from the effects of climate change and extreme weather by 2050. 

The 2024 Singapore Governance and Transparency Index has also indicated that S-Reits commonly identified climate change as a material issue.

To get a clearer picture when it comes to the impact of climate change on Reits Rachel Kelly spoke with Lee Wei Hock, Deputy Assurance Leader, Ernst & Young LLP.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2023 may have seen a spotlight cast on controversy around ESG investing.

Greenwashing and confusing terminology may have punched a dent in ESG’s credibility.

Could this give way to greater clarity around language, goals and intentions in the year ahead?

MSCI ESG Research’s Sustainability and Climate Trends for 2024 is hot off the press.  Rachel Kelly speaks to Yu Ishihara, Executive Director, MSCI ESG & Climate Research to get the details. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s official, 2023 was the hottest year on record.

That’s according to the latest findings from the Copernicus  2023 Global Climate Highlights report.

And not only was 2023 the hottest, 2023 was the first year on record where all days were in excess of 1°C above pre industrial leves, with two days exceeding 2°C for the first time.

Rachel Kelly has the details in this episode of Eco Money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you need to look out for in the year ahead when it comes to sustainable business and investing? And, now that the dust has settled on COP28, which key dates do you need to highlight in your diary? 

Eco Money's Rachel Kelly takes a look at reports from Allianz Global investors and MUFG Research for key themes and what to watch in the year ahead.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year - over 430 million tonnes of plastic is produced globally.

According to the UN - two-thirds of that are short-lived products that soon become waste.

In fact, abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear is the deadliest form of marine plastic, threatening 66 per cent of marine animals.

Earlier this year, Gopaal  Jeyaram Founder of Big Fins & Underwater Zombie - came face to face with ghost nets 60 meters underwater in Bali.

Rachel Kelly speaks to Gopaal in this week's Eco Money to find out more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National climate action plans remain insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

That's according to the latest report from the UN.

Even with increased efforts by some countries, the report shows much more action is needed now to bend the world’s emissions trajectory further downward and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Timely that in the same week - KPMG released its 2023 Net Zero Readiness Report.

The report highlighted that Governments and industry must deliver transformative change on net zero but are currently hamstrung by significant barriers, including global public debt, domestic tensions, increased opposition to decarbonization plans, and the need to guarantee energy supply.

Rachel Kelly speaks with Sharad Somani, Head of Infrastructure for KPMG Asia Pacific and Head of KPMG ESG at KPMG in Singapore.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global CCUS uptake needs to expand 120 times from current levels by 2050, rising to at least 4.2 gigatons per annum of CO2 captured, for countries to achieve their net-zero commitments. That's according to a McKinsey report.

At the Asia Clean Energy Summit organised by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, we heard highlights from industry on transformation in this area and what more needs to be done. 

This podcast includes comments from:

Singhi Mahendra, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Dalmia Cement, 

Paul Kennedy, VP of International Business Development, Carbon Engineering 

Fadhl Zayed Fadhl Ahmed, (Acting) Manager Strategic Partnerships, Emirates Steel Arkan

Prabhat Agrawal, Senior Advisor at GaffneyCline

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would it surprise you to know that the number of instances of greenwashing by banks and financial services companies around the world rose by 70% in the past 12 months.

Are all of these instances intentional? OR are companies getting caught up in eco jargon?

What is greenwashing anyway? And what role does the media play in tackling the issue.

This was the topic of a recent panel discussion organised by the Singapore Press Club titled “Cutting Through the Greenwashing”.

I sat on the panel and was joined by Esther An, CSO, CDL, Anil Changaroth, Partner at RHT Law, Quentin Fouesnant, Managing Director Zuno Carbon, Robin Hicks, Associate Editor, Eco Business and Jasmine Tuan, Co-founder of Cloop

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Developing countries face an investment gap of $2 trillion annually for the energy transition, out of a $4 trillion annual funding gap for the Sustainable Development Goals. That’s according to the United Nations.

Earlier this year it called for urgent support to developing countries to enable them to attract significantly more investment for their transition to clean energy.

But barriers remain, policy, politics, and perhaps technology.

So how do we bridge this financing gap? Rachel Kelly speaks to Kelvin Wong, Managing Director and Deputy Head of Energy, Renewables and Infrastructure, DBS to find out. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 60 percent of US companies expect ESG backlash to continue or increase over the next two years.

That’s according to a recent report by The Conference Board.

As anti-ESG backlash and confusion around ratings muddies the waters - how can corporates best navigate?

Rachel Kelly speaks to Tim Mohin,  a global Partner and Director with Boston Consulting Group or B-C-G. He is the former CEO of carbon accounting startup Persefoni, and former CEO of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the world’s largest sustainability reporting standard.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ringing in a new era of hope for climate action.

That is the weight that hangs above this year’s conference of parties or COP28.

COP28 President-Designate, Dr Sultan Al Jaber literally did that in New York as the first COP president to ring the New York Stock Exchange bell to help raise awareness of climate finance in the US business community.

Rachel Kelly has the latest in this week's Eco Money. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore has once again emerged as the ASEAN leader in energy transition efforts, for the second year in a row.

That's according to the latest annual survey by the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) with 250 industry professionals from the energy sector.

However, nearly one-third of energy professionals believe the city-state’s renewable energy targets need more aggressive action.

SEAS says respondents are concerned that Singapore remains dependent on natural gas and see lack of regulatory frameworks and barriers in cross-border interconnection agreements as well as regulatory uncertainties in tightened energy markets as hurdles.

Rachel Kelly speaks to Kavita Gandhi, Executive Director of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore to find out more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dust has settled on this year's F1 weekend in Singapore, a massive global event that attracts spectators from across the globe.  And like many large scale events it has announced energy goals, the Singapore Grand Prix has  pledged to reduce 50% of their energy emissions by 2028. How will this be achieved? And what do businesses need to know about net zero events?

In this week's Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks to Vinod Kesava, Council Member, Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and Co-Founder / MD & CEO, Climate Resources Exchange International to find out. 

SEAS will be holding a FULLY carbon neutral event in October - Asia Clean Energy Summit. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Blue, Grey, Pink, and even Turquoise - its the colour that counts when it comes to sustainable hydrogen.

And as conversations of the gas as an eco energy alternative heat up - Rachel Kelly speaks to Dr Thomas Koller APAC Hydrogen Lead at DNV to find out what you need to know when it comes to Green Hydrogen.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In sunny singapore solar is an important component of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

But as we know, the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day, so for those looking to implement solar panels - how can they store that energy?

VFlowTech is a Singapore-based long duration energy storage solutions provider manufacturing low-cost and efficient modular vanadium redox flow batteries. 

Sounds technical doesn’t it?

Rachel Kelly speaks to Dr. Arjun Bhattarai is the Co-Founder and CTO at VFlowTech to find out more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have heard, COP28 is taking place in Dubai this year.

But what is COP, and why does it matter?

Here’s an explainer and what you need to know!

In this episode of Eco Money you'll hear from industry players on what they hope from this year's COP.

Comments from:

Anita Neville, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Sustainability Relations, Golden Agri-Resources

Dale Hardcastle, Global Head of Carbon Markets and Director of Global Sustainability Innovation Center, Bain & Company

Kavita Gandhi, Executive Director, Sustainable Energy Association Singapore

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this it was announced that Malaysia will lift a ban on exports of renewable energy.

Rachel Kelly speaks with  J Y Chew, Head of Asia Renewables & Power Research, Rystad Energy, to find out what this might mean for Singapore when it comes to the energy sector and your power bills.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The healthcare industry is responsible for 4.4% of global CO2 emissions.

That may not sound like a lot, but to put things in perspective, if it were a country, it would be the fifth largest emitter on the planet.

According to a report released by Health Care Without Harm and independent sustainability consultancy, Arup, the  top three emitters, the United States, China, and collectively the countries of the European Union, comprise more than half the world’s total health care climate footprint (56%)- with hospitals and health facilities being major resource and energy consumers.

In this episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks with Simarna Singh, Regional Sustainability Manager, Business Unit Healthcare for APAC at DKSH, a healthcare services and distribution company, to find out more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore-based Alora paints claims to be the country’s first carbon neutral certified paint.

But what does that mean for consumers?

And what do you need to know when it comes to sustainable paints?

In this episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks with Alora Paints Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Kok.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sustainable travel is a key trend for the business and leisure industry.

According to a report by our Expedia Group Media Solutions team highlighted that 90% of consumers look for sustainable options when traveling, though 70% feel overwhelmed navigating available options and on starting the process of becoming a more sustainable traveler.

To find out more, Rachel Kelly spoke to Aditi Mohapatra, VP of Global Social Impact and Sustainability at Expedia on eco travel trends,  and Timothy Go on his sustainable hotel entrepreneurial journey.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore-listed CapitaLand Investment’s portfolio spans the globe.

The real estate investment player has operations in more than 40 countries and more than 220 cities. 

And with such a significant global footprint, it’s no surprise that its keeping an eye on a different footprint. carbon footprint.

CLI recently refreshed its sustainability master plan - integrating its 2050 net zero carbon emissions commitment.

To find out more, Rachel Kelly spoke with Mr Vinamra Srivastava, CLI’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Palm oil can be found in roughly 50% of products on supermarket shelves. 

But, this extremely versatile product is also a highly contentious one. 

That is because of the way sustainability and ethical concerns surrounding palm oil farming.

Golden Agri Resources is a global leader in palm oil production, it says that sustainability is at the heart of its daily operations, and has been for more than two decades, since it became the first Indonesian palm oil company to adopt a Zero Burning Policy in 1997.

To find out more about sustainable palm oil production - Rachel Kelly spoke with Anita Neville, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Sustainability Relations, Golden Agri-Resources.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s been a sharp decline in CEOs’ prioritization of sustainability - that’s according to the latest research from Bain & Co.

Instead AI, growth, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty have risen to the top of their agendas.

That said, this slowing momentum on sustainability could come with a tangible cost.

Bain estimates a temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius could cut $6 trillion from the value of the S&P 5001, in addition to the devastating environmental and social consequences.

Many companies are reassessing, adjusting, and, in some cases, retracting their climate commitments.

Rachel Kelly has more in this week's Eco Money.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As city dwellers, we spend about 90% of our time indoors. But, have you ever wondered about the sustainability of the building around you?

From the energy used to the carbon footprint - there are now tools available to help business calculate the sustainability of a building.

Corporate Facility Partners or CFP Green Buildings, a green real estate company from the Netherlands, has unveiled its innovative Green Buildings Tool in Singapore.

Rachel Kelly speaks to Olivier Noorduyn, Head of International Partnerships at CFP Building to find out more. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How often do you conduct a financial transaction online or on your mobile phone?

This luxury isn't available to everyone. 

In Southeast Asia for example, 225 million people lack access to a bank account, and 350 million do not have access to formal credit. 

Micro, small and medium enterprises are also facing a significant funding gap as a result of being underbanked. In fact, 39 million micro, small, and medium enterprises face a funding gap of up to US$300 billion.

To get a better understanding of the unserved situation, Rachel Kelly speaks with Dawn Chan, she is the CEO of the Centre for Impact Investing and Practices.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems over the past few years that countries have been rolling out net zero goals faster than you can say - decarbonisation.

But the clock is ticking towards these targets and it is time for action.

According to the latest report by Bain & Company, Temasek, GenZero and Amazon Web Services  - Governments across Southeast Asia have set climate ambitions, but not enough action has been taken to meet nationally determined contribution targets by 2030.

The report highlights that SEA faces a unique set of challenges, making decarbonization particularly difficult.

In this episode of Eco Money, Rachel Kelly speaks to Dale Hardcastle, Global Head of Carbon Markets and Director of Global Sustainability Innovation Center, Bain & Company to find out more.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asia’s wealth management revenue is expected to reach $90 billion by 2025.

That’s as private banking in Asia is expected to display significant growth in the coming years as the number of ultra-high net worth individuals in the region increases.

This is according to the latest report by WWF-Singapore.

The nature group states that It is therefore more relevant than ever to stress the importance of sustainable practices in private banking and wealth management.

To dive deeper into how banks in Singapore are currently position, WWF conducted a pilot study of seven private banks.

Rachel Kelly speaks to Akshat Garg, Assistant Vice President, Asia Sustainable Finance, at WWF Singapore to get the details.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.