Karina Cady

Is recycling still the benchmark for how corporates mitigate their environmental impact? Or should we shift our focus to reducing waste intensity as the true north? The public message is clear: support the National Environment Agency’s Bloobin campaign (https://lnkd.in/gQsmxtQX) and help raise Singapore’s overall recycling rate as we #GoGreenSG. But is recycling alone enough to address the broader issue of waste, especially when our resource loop remains open? In a world increasingly constrained by resources, closing the loop is essential. This means designing systems where nothing goes to waste—where the output of one process becomes the input of another. Yet, challenges persist. Oversupply of recyclable materials can drive up the cost of recycling, making it less economically viable. ♻️ Recycling is still essentially a business, influenced by global market dynamics, infrastructure availability, and regulatory complexity. Take paper, for example: 1️⃣ Singapore’s domestic recycling rate hit a 10-year low of 17%, with the steepest drop in paper and cardboard—from 44% in 2019 to 38% in 2020. NEA attributes this to the suspension of door-to-door collection by karang guni and the Cash-for-Trash scheme. https://lnkd.in/gcpKPcMT Singapore oldest recycling firm Tay Paper Recycling was also set to close last year due to financial constraints and low paper prices. https://lnkd.in/g_aM5hPz 2️⃣ Corporate sustainability data transparency remains to be a challenge. While one may receive proof of diversion from incineration or landfill to recycling, but downstream data from Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) or alike across the ASEAN region may tell a different story. The complexity of tracking materials across the value chain remains a challenge. Unlike countries like Sweden, where waste producers bear the full cost of collection and disposal, Singapore’s system sees recyclers paying to collect waste paper. Moreover, current waste removal fees may not be strong enough to shift public behavior. So, is corporate and individual responsibility enough to drive change? Or will it take a moment of resource scarcity—like Japan’s adoption of the Mottainai mindset (adding a 4th R: Respect)—to truly transform our approach? https://lnkd.in/gCVRwySe

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ESG Assurance --- IN #Malaysia, large #plcs are required to report climatic risk basing on #nsrf, as from 2025. THIS Malaysian requirement contains limited assurance that must be known to also smaller PLCs and non-listed large corporate, following phased timeframe specified. BY PACE, an important feature of the NSRF, and without undue cost and time, but with training kit provided, #SMEs are effectively bound to comply if they service the 3 stated categories of companies. THE government's intent is to make NSRF the Malaysian ESG standard since Companies Act 2016 and other relevant laws will be amended to mandate non-financial reporting gradually. THEREFORE, unaware of where Malaysia is pivoting within NSRF is as good as lost in the future wave of #sustainability in Malaysia. Malaysian Association of Public Advocacy for Nature (MAPAN) https://linktr.ee/esgmapan https://einkmedia.com/NMMd #environmentalsocialandgovernance

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Part 3 / 5 – ESG Integration That Actually Drives Performance Most people talk about ESG as if it’s a checklist. For me, it’s always been something simpler: a decision-making system. When it works, ESG doesn’t live in a sustainability report, it lives in how investment teams decide what to buy, improve, and hold. Over the past few years, I’ve seen a clear pattern across funds that get this right: ESG that drives performance = Insight → Action → Outcome Here’s what that looks like 👇 1️⃣ Insight – use ESG data to see what others miss. Energy performance, governance gaps, exposure to climate regulation, this is about visibility, not virtue. 2️⃣ Action – use those insights to make practical choices. Refurbish what adds value, phase what doesn’t, and plan CapEx with carbon in mind. 3️⃣ Outcome – reduced OpEx, stronger tenant retention, and better exit liquidity. ESG done right shows up in the numbers. One mid-size hotel investor I worked with took this approach. Instead of adding a dozen KPIs, they built a simple operating dashboard: energy, waste, water, staff retention. Within a year, they’d cut utility costs by 22 % and improved RevPAR. No buzzwords, just better management. And that’s the point: if ESG doesn’t change the investment outcome, it’s just admin. ⸻ 💬 Question for you: Where have you seen ESG actually improve performance, and where is it still theatre? ⸻ 📘 Next in the series (Part 4): How to turn data into foresight, the role of digital tools in building smarter, lower-carbon portfolios.

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Some timely, positive news to celebrate. Progress can be made working collectively and with purpose. A conversation in Japan at CEOS 2024 focused on the need for biodiversity data by markets in order to enable reporting and assessment, both regulatory and voluntary. The acknowledgement by all was that the use case is of course much broader. Today European Space Agency - ESA BIOMASS satellite delivers first data to map world’s changing forests and carbon storage - and its open! Launched in April 2025 and now commencing scientific operation, the NCEO-led mission will provide insight on changes from deforestation and forest growth to inform more effective climate strategies. The BIOMASS satellite was built in the UK, brought in nearly £77 million in contracts, through ESA membership, and supported 250 jobs. #geodata #biodiversity #EO

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Can Asia and the Pacific afford to ignore nature in its growth story? The region holds 60% of the world’s population and some of the planet’s richest biodiversity but it is also at the heart of the global biodiversity crisis. A new report highlights why investing in biodiversity and nature is no longer optional but foundational to development. ➤ Asia-Pacific hosts 17 of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots, yet nearly 25% of endemic species are threatened ➤ Around 63% of the region’s GDP, roughly $19.5 trillion, is dependent on nature ➤ The global biodiversity finance gap has widened to $942bn, while nature-negative finance stands at $5 trillion ➤ A shift to nature-positive development could unlock $4 trillion in opportunities and over 230 million jobs in the region What’s changing is the approach. From treating biodiversity as a safeguard requirement to mainstreaming nature across infrastructure, agriculture, energy, cities, and finance through nature-based solutions, natural capital accounting, and thematic bonds. The message is clear: climate goals, food security, resilience, and economic growth are deeply intertwined with how we value and finance nature. Are financial systems ready to price nature as an asset rather than an afterthought? Share your perspective in the comments below. Follow Shaurya Gupta, CFA for more insights on climate, sustainable finance, and transition pathways. Credit: Asian Development Bank report – Investing in Biodiversity and Nature in Asia and the Pacific #sustainablefinance #biodiversity #naturepositive #climatefinance #asiapacific

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Take a look at the quote below from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore, Chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and one of the most credible voices on the value of water reuse. This is ahead of the official launch of The World Bank Group's new report: Scaling Water Reuse, in New York tomorrow afternoon. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/g_k_eFCZ

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