Today, profit alone is no longer a compelling enough reason for investors and, more importantly, for consumers to support a company. Brands need to be able to embed positive impact into the actions of their businesses. This helps a company create enterprise value beyond profitability, one that helps expand a brand’s mission and relevance in society at large.

The umbrella term for this is environmental, social, and governance (ESG), encompassing various aspects of positive influence categorised under three factions. First is in environmental aspects which focuses on matters such as climate change, sustainability, and energy efficiency, among others. The second one is social aspects, focusing on people and relationships such as supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in relation to customer experience and employee engagement. Lastly is governance which focuses on administrative structures, data security, and anti-corruption efforts, among others.

Also read: Echelon 2022: The evolving role of digital infrastructure

ESG has become so high up in the priority list for investors globally that global ESG assets under management (AUM) forecasted to triple between 2020 and 2025 to USD$6.5T.

With greater importance being placed on ESG, we pose the question: what opportunities and challenges must companies prepare for in order to meet the demands of our ever-changing market?

Echelon 2022: a panel discussion on ESG

In order to shed light on the different issues surrounding ESG opportunities in Southeast Asia, Echelon Asia Summit 2022 will feature a panel discussion on the matter to be moderated by Theresa Evanoff (Director – ESG Startup Accelerator, Moodys). Entitled “How can startups and investors tap on the burgeoning ESG opportunities?” the programme will also feature a diverse panel of industry insiders that include Quentin Fouesnant (Managing Director, FiscalNote ESG Solutions), David Ng (CEO, Pollen), and Marie Cheong (Founding Partner, Wavemaker Impact).

Also read: SEA’s mobile-first population are spending all their time on mobile phones: Are you?

The event aims to flesh out and provide answers for the following key points:

• What challenges might we face in trying to balance out growth and sustainability?
• What are the greater interest in ESG investing that correspond to investment opportunities?
• What are the challenges and risks to the implementation of ESG strategies?
• Which sectors/industries will be most affected?
• Where and how can ESG help accelerate change to a more social and environmentally friendly future?
• What values are different in the Sustainability Innovation space?

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Echelon Asia Summit 2022 (October 27-28) returns after a three-year hiatus. It aims to gather the most influential decision-makers and industry leaders from the Southeast Asia tech and startup ecosystem.

Register for Echelon Asia Summit 2022 now!

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Photo by Narcisa Aciko via Pexels

The post Echelon 2022: How startups should approach ESG opportunities appeared first on e27.

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