Dear EB reader,

A new carbon standard-setter just launched in Singapore and Hong Kong. The Asia Carbon Institute wants to help fund tech-based climate solutions in Asian megacities using offset credits.

The venture could unlock new decarbonisation opportunities, but forays in frontier sectors also carry risks. A prominent plastics recycling firm based here is winding down, raising questions about the viability of startups in the region's nascent circular economy sector.

Beyond financial uncertainty, sustainability ventures, if misguided, can also fall short of their green claims. Singapore is hot on hydrogen fuel, but transition risks lurk in funding fossil-based variants, even if they come with carbon capture. Big forest conservation projects overseas that the city-state can source carbon credits from may harbour human rights violations.

These warnings should not be cause for inaction, but provide impetus for a more critical approach to innovation, with integrity, guardrails and good planning needed – as our battery recyclers will tell you.

We're B Corp certified

Eco-Business is happy to share that we have attained "B Corp" status, joining a global movement recognising corporate environmental and social performance. It is a pat on the back, and a reminder to continue staying true to our mission of advocating for sustainable development.

Carbon credit diplomacy

Singapore this month signed two letters, with Sri Lanka and Chile, to collaborate on carbon markets, while making progress on talks with Vietnam. The city-state has been forming bilateral deals at a brisk pace in recent years. It now has about 15 partners globally.

Bird society of Singapore

A group of avian experts and photographers have launched a research and conservation society. The group of volunteers has been documenting Singapore's wild birds since 2016, and now wants to scale up its outreach activities. Public membership application is not open yet, but the seven-member leadership team is open to collaboration on new projects. 

People moves

Palm oil giant Wilmar appoints new sustainability leads as Perpetua George moves to PwC

Finance veteran Vikas Arora joins AVPN as impact investing chief

Keppel Corp hires Bennett Wong from Paia Consulting to drive net-zero targets

Standard Chartered Bank appoints first head of social sustainability

Jay Mariyappan joins PetroChina International to lead its carbon and renewables division