Eco-Business Podcast

Eco-Business talks to environmental psychologist Dr Denise Dillon about Singapore's uncomfortable relationship with nature, whether loving nature is essential for conservation, and why climate anxiety might be a good thing.

Only 9 per cent of the billions of tonnes of plastic produced is recycled, and the business of recycling is beset with challenges. Recycled plastic certification is one way to improve recycled plastic rates, but plastic certification schemes also face obstacles. Ryan Schoenike is the co-founder of recycling certification firm OceanCycle. Tune in as we talk about: Are consumer goods firms living up...

Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to talk about which technologies we need to fight the climate crisis is Hendrik Tiesinga, the outgoing co-founder and chief strategy officer of New Energy Nexus, a clean energy startup accelerator headquartered in California. Join us as we talk about: - Sexy, boring tools to fight climate change - Why we don't need carbon capture technology—yet - Inside the mind of...

The dairy industry has an enormous environmental impact, from the methane emissions of cows, from the land cleared to grow animal feed. Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to talk about how dairy is raising its sustainability game is Karen Scanlon, senior vice president of environmental stewardship for Innovation Center for United States Dairy.

Laos has announced the construction of two new coal plants for this year, despite growing evidence that coal power come with significant financial risk. What is holding back the country from tapping its rich clean energy resources instead?

Speak to CapitaLand Group’s chief sustsainability officer Lynette Leong and she will tell you of a harrowing incident in New Zealand some years ago that forced her to evacuate by helicopter to safety. The unprecedented event, triggered by uncertain weather patterns, helped to hit home the growing threat of climate change around the world. It is with this knowledge that she leads the sustainability...

Gas is still needed in the Philippines’ clean energy transition: PEIC chief Don Paulino by Eco-Business

Are schools preparing students for the climate crisis? And even if they are, how do you teach children about the realities of climate change without instilling a sense of dread about the future? Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to talk about how young people can learn about climate change in a fear-free environment is Leslie Medema, head of learning, at Green School. Tune in as we talk about: A da...

2020 was a car-crash year for plastic recycling and ocean pollution. Eco-Business asked Rob Kaplan, CEO of circular economy investment firm Circulate Capital, how to rebuild the circular economy in Asia this year. Tune as we talk about: What went wrong in 2020 for the circular economy How have recyclers survived a ‘car-crash’ year? Should consumer goods companies also be recyclers? Do we need a pl...

A recent study by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) found that 9 out of 10 accountants want companies to be more sustainable after the Covid-19 pandemic. Eco-Business asked ACCA sustainability head Jimmy Greer about the role accountants play in building a better future. Join us as we talk about: The gripes accountants have about ESG reporting Are there too many sustainabili...

The waste oil dumped into the ocean by ships every year is equivalent to eight Exxon Valdez oil spills, and nowhere is the problem as severe as Southeast Asia. The EB Podcast talks to hotelier Andrew Dixon about how a clever idea using a ship tracking system can help curb an environmental crime that has been largely ignored.

The world's largest asset manager says it has put sustainability at the core of its investment approach. Eco-Business speaks to Shinbo Won, BlackRock's investment stewardship director in Singapore about what this means for investors, and how companies are responding to increased ESG pressure

A Singapore-based firm has just hatched a new plant-based egg product. Will consumers pay more for plant-based eggs, even if they are healthier and less harmful to the planet? The Eco-Business Podcast asked Vinita Choolani, co-founder and CEO of Float Foods.

A new report from Fair Finance Asia points to a bleak future for the region if banks do not embrace sustainable finance. Bernadette Victoria tells the Eco-Business Podcast why banks need to act fast if they are to help the world's most climate-vulnerable region avoid the worst effects of climate change. Tune in as we talk about: Dystopian future: What Asia could be like by 2030 Why the future is a...

As more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and the planet heats, warmed waters are expanding and glaciers are melting, raising the level at which the sea meets the land at an alarming rate. Rising sea levels pose an existential threat to low-lying Singapore, and other island nations. Joining the Eco-Business Podcast is climate scientist Professor Benjamin Horton, who has studied sea-le...

In September and October 2020, China, Japan and Korea announced exciting emissions reduction targets to set their economies in line with the Paris Agreement. On the Eco-Business podcast, Dr Frank Rijsberman, director general of the Global Green Growth Institute, talks about what these targets mean for the region's development and our climate.

Humanity produces enough food to feed 10 billion people — 2.2 billion more people than are alive today — but the way food is produced and what we eat is harming human health and our planet. Joining the Eco-Business Podcast to talk about is Brent Loken, WWF's Stockholm-based global food lead scientist. A flexitarian who holds a doctorate in resource and environmental management, Loken is an authori...

The coronavirus pandemic has brought cleaner air to polluted cities, as the economic slowdown has curbed emissions from factories and traffic. But the air pollution picture is more complicated than that. In some places, such as Jakarta, air pollution has deteriorated during the pandemic, according to a study by Vital Strategies, a public health civic society group. Joining the Eco-Business podcast...

The clean energy sector’s poor human rights performance places its legitimacy at risk. Jessie Cato of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre sheds light on how the industry can avoid labour abuse, land grabs and other violations.

Mining can come at great environmental cost. But it is necessary to fuel the energy transition by extracting the minerals needed to make solar panels and wind turbines. Michael Salvatico from Trucost tells the Eco-Business podcast about the risk and opportunity confronting Australia's mining sector — and what it could mean for Asia Pacific.

Many people think there is no such thing as sustainably grown palm oil. Palm oil’s reputation makes it hard for companies that grow oil palm in a way that doesn’t fit the destructive stereotype of palm oil production. One such company is Rotterdam-headquartered Natural Habitats, which works with independent farmers in South America to grow organic palm oil that is deforestation-free, wildlife-frie...

What can the law do to protect us from a changing climate, and hold those most responsible for climate change to account? A law firm in Australia, Equity Generation lawyers, specialises in climate change risk. In Its most recent case, the firm is representing 8 young students and a nun, who are trying to stop government approval of a coal mine in New South Wales. On this Eco-Business Podcast, Davi...

The ocean floor is scattered with vast beds of minerals that could be used to make modern gadgets from smartphones to solar panels and batteries. But environmentalists warn that mining it could remove entire habitats and threaten as-yet-undiscovered species, and release toxins and create pollution in areas that have been undisturbed for millennia. Though there is rising demand for the materials we...

Air-con provides home comfort and boost works productivity, but it is a dangerously energy-intensive technology. It is the largest and fastest growing use of building energy in Southeast Asia, and by 2040 is predicted to account for 40 per cent of Southeast Asia’s electricity demand. Australian engineer Professor James Trevelyan invented an air-conditioner in 2007 that is smaller scale than regula...

Eco-Business speaks with top Filipino environmentalist Loren Legarda on how the economy can be revived through climate resilience.