ESG Currents

More than 10,000 companies have been certified as B Corps, which requires them to change their legal structures to ensure their boards consider all stakeholders, not just shareholders; measure and manage impact; and commit to continuous improvement. On this week’s episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Clay Brown, chief standards officer at B Lab, joins Eric Kane, Bloomberg Intelligence director of ESG research, to discuss how companies balance fiduciary responsibilities with commitments to people and the planet. They also explore the biggest risks and opportunities for B Corps today, how the B Corp standards have changed over time, and much more.
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From technology to food, global supply chains depend on Asia, making climate risks there relevant to investors everywhere. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence sustainable-finance analysts Grace Osborne and Conrad Tan speak with Nana Li, Head of Sustainability and Stewardship for Asia Pacific at Impax Asset Management, about why sustainability in Asia is more than a compliance exercise. From China’s industrial transition and clean-technology leadership to Japan’s governance reforms, they discuss why understanding the region’s diverse investment drivers is essential for building resilience, capturing opportunity and generating alpha.
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Green-bond rules are spreading across governments, but fragmentation may emerge as a hurdle for sustainable finance. Different legal frameworks across jurisdictions are raising questions about how issuers and investors can move capital across borders without added complexity. On this week’s ESG Currents, Aldo Romani, head of sustainable finance, and Tomomitsu Maruta, sustainable finance officer, both in the Finance Directorate at the European Investment Bank, join Bloomberg Intelligence’s Chris Ratti to discuss how the Green Bond Principles and European Green Bond Standard have helped sustainable-debt markets evolve by improving clarity around labeled-bond structuring. Recorded June 18.
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As climate change intensifies, physical risks to property are mounting. On this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence sustainable-finance senior analysts Gail Glazerman and Andy Stevenson speak with Daryl Fairweather, chief economist of Redfin, about how homebuyers are responding to physical risks, the challenges for home affordability — especially insurance costs — and how markets are adapting, including signs of climate migration.
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How does a sustainability focus support a pension fund's duty to safeguard the retirement future of a country's workers? What does effective engagement with companies look like? In this ESG Currents episode, Shahida Jaffar, Head of Corporate Sustainability at Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund, joins Bloomberg Intelligence ESG analyst Conrad Tan to discuss the key principles guiding EPF's engagement with investee companies and why it sees the defense of biodiversity and natural capital as a critical priority. She also shares why she's optimistic that AI can help sustainability professionals better understand company impacts and dependencies on nature. EPF had 1.44 trillion ringgit ($360 billion) in total investment assets at end-March.
This episode was recorded on May 22.
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