REDEFINING ESG CLAIMS IN AN AGE OF GREENWASHING 


WEBINAR RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE

 

 

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

As demand for sustainable and climate finance has boomed in APAC markets, concerns have grown about ‘greenwashing’ – that is, representing products, portfolios and institutions as more sustainable than they really are. The financing gap for climate adaptation in Asia, estimated at US$25 billion per year up to 2030, is one example of the huge opportunities available to institutions that can build a credible approach.

Regulators around the world are introducing legally binding disclosure standards for products as well as scrutinizing the ESG credentials of institutions. However, enforcement of disclosure and transparency is still low, some disclosure rules are not applicable at the product level, and further harmonization of standards is required in terms of deciding what is ‘green’ and the best way to measure and communicate this at various levels, e.g. to regulators, sales teams and investors.

This webinar brings together leading industry thinkers to review the rising threat of greenwashing in APAC sustainable finance markets, discuss the most pressing questions, and consider how financial institutions can build greater transparency. 



Watch the webinar recording to learn about three key issues from a portfolio, product, and data strategy perspective: 

  1. The current state of greenwashing in APAC markets and why this is a concern, including consistency issues such as whether an institution is ‘green-washing’ if it rolls out green-labelled products while remaining a top financer in sectors that are considered ‘not-green’.
  2. What lessons APAC can learn from front runner regions such as the EU when implementing green taxonomies and product disclosure rules, and how APAC FIs can build strategies to navigate upcoming disclosure rules across multiple markets.
  3. Which strategies and approaches – including ESG integration, ESG metrics, data-driven ESG due diligence and monitoring, reporting tools, and technology accelerators such as AI and blockchain – can most help banks, asset managers and capital market participants to become more transparent and avoid accusations of greenwashing.

 

SPEAKERS

  • Keynote: Adrian Schatzmann, CEO, Asset Management Association Switzerland
  • Christopher Tung, Partner Hong Kong, K&L Gates 
  • Ellie Tang, Director, Sustainable Investing, Fidelity International 
  • Mervyn Tang, Head of Sustainability Strategy APAC, Schroders  
  • Sébastien Renaud, Regulatory Change Lead, Pictet Asset Management
  • Moderator: Shelley Zhou, APAC ESG Lead, Capco
  • Facilitator: Sarah Bidinger, Deputy ESG Lead, Capco Switzerland
     

 

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

  • Hong Kong Green Finance Association 
  • HKUST Business School 
  • Asset Management Association Switzerland

 

For any questions, contact APACMarketing@capco.com.

 


 

 

 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

 

Adrian Schatzmann, CEO, Asset Management Association Switzerland
Adrian Schatzmann became CEO of the Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) in January 2021. He is also a board member of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) and a member of the Board of Directors of Swiss Fund Data AG. Prior to that, he held various consulting positions, including with the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), and was founder and Managing Director of Clear Minds Investment AG. Adrian worked for UBS for more than 20 years in Switzerland and Asia in roles such as head of global fund and ETF distribution. He studied economics at the University of St. Gallen.


Christopher Tung, Partner Hong Kong, K&L Gates
Chris has practised in Hong Kong since 1992 and is active in dispute resolution, construction, planning and environmental law, clean energy and carbon finance.  He is one of the few internationally recognized sustainability and climate change law specialists based in Asia. He has contributed to the environment chapter of Practical Law on the updated ESG Guide for compliance and reporting to align the 2020 ESG requirements of the listing rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which added climate risks to environmental and social risks to align with the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations. He is Associate Editor (Asia Pacific) of the Carbon & Climate Law Review, Lexxion; a founder and councillor of the Hong Kong Climate Change Forum; and a member of the Environment Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong.


Ellie Tang, Director, Sustainable Investing, Fidelity International

Based in Hong Kong, Ellie is responsible for the integration of sustainability considerations into Fidelity’s real estate investments and supporting the firm in areas including proprietary sustainability ratings, engagement and voting activities with investee companies, as well as sustainability product offerings. Ellie joined Fidelity from the Hong Kong-listed real estate company, New World Development, where she was Head of Sustainability. Previously, she held sustainability positions at Link Asset Management and HSBC. Ellie serves on the Urban Land Institute Hong Kong Executive Committee and the Environmental Campaign Committee and the Green Tech Fund Assessment Committee of the HKSAR Government. She is also a WELL AP.

 

Mervyn Tang, Head of Sustainability Strategy APAC, Schroders  
Mervyn is responsible for Schroders’ Sustainability Strategy in the Asia Pacific. In this role he works in partnership with client facing and product teams to build sustainable investment propositions across the region and leads the company’s Regional Centre of Excellence for Sustainability. Prior to this he was Global Head of ESG Research at Fitch Ratings from 2019 to 2021, overseeing a research team of four analysts across London and Hong Kong with a focus on thematic and cross sector ESG research. Mervyn was also Head of Fixed Income, ESG Research, at MSCI from 2017 to 2019, a Sovereign credit analyst at Fitch Ratings from 2015 to 2017, an Economist at the Bank of England from 2009 to 2015, and an Equities Sales Analyst at Citigroup in London from 2007 to 2009.


Sébastien Renaud is the Regulatory Change Management Lead for Pictet Asset Management 
Sébastien is responsible for defining and delivering the major projects required to comply with new and evolving regulations impacting the business worldwide. Over the last two years, he has been particularly focussed on the success of projects linked to EU Sustainable Finance initiatives and regularly represents the firm in industry bodies including for EFAMA, ALFI, IA and FINMA. Since moving from Management Consultancy to Pictet in 2008, Sebastien has held varied project roles across Technology, Finance, Reporting and Distribution.


Shelley Zhou, Managing Principal and APAC ESG Lead, Capco

Shelley currently leads ESG services in APAC for Capco and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Shelley has over 15 years’ experience as a carbon, climate and ESG professional focusing on corporate sustainability, environmental and carbon management consultancy, new energy and biotechnology. Shelley has led and delivered numerous carbon consultancy projects in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Singapore, covering government, banking, financial, real estate and retail sectors. She actively engages with non-governmental organizations and professional associations, and is currently a Director of the Hong Kong Association of Energy Engineers (HKAEE) and Deputy Chair of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE) Environmental Division.