Eco-Business

Winner | Asian Digital Media Awards 2023

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An advertisement for Australia's petroleum lobby was banned in July 2023

Australia's advertiser association has released a new code for environmental claims that could prevent Big Oil from making spurious green claims. Activists say the new code could go further by preventing net-zero claims based on offsets.

Your cheatsheet to a list of clichés and overused jargon by the sustainability sector this year, along with some new and revived phrases that made us stop and think.

What can generative AI do for sustainability? Who in the sector are paid most? Stories that attempted to answer these questions captured the attention of Eco-Business readers in 2023.

From supply chain decarbonisation to evolving trade regulations, here are a few of the things that got under the skin of Asia's corporate sustainability leaders in a year that geopolitics complicated climate ambition in the boardroom.

By Robin Hicks

By Ng Wai Mun and Raja Aiman

By Robin Hicks

By Rhick Lars Albay

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Sportswear, athleisure and sneakers are big business. But they depend on fossil fuel-based materials, and recycling them is particularly tricky. By Alexandra Sherlock and Rebecca Van Amber

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

By Robin Hicks

By Adam Austen Kay

By Kate Yeo

By Michael Schaper and Ryan Wong

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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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