Eco-Business

The US and the European Union have intensified efforts to secure the minerals needed for a clean energy transition. But as investment grows, so does conflict throughout the sector.

Old ships contain mountains of scrap needed for lower-carbon steelmaking. But the course from ship to furnace is made harder by global politics.

Small-scale farmers who underpin Thailand’s lucrative natural rubber industry are under pressure to prepare for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), due to take effect at the end of the year.

Bangladesh has become a net importer of e-waste despite being a signatory to the Basel Convention and having its own national e-waste rules in place.

By Gerald Flynn

By Niu Yuhan

By Siva Selan

By Wang Hanjie, Ali Hasanbeigi, Cecilia Han Springer

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Perhaps the most unsettling lesson from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the gap between what we knew and how we prepared. Countries should use whatever easing of immediate pressures occurs to strengthen resilience before the next shock arrives. By Máximo Torero

Instead of allowing external powers to dictate their development, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam have balanced strategic international engagement with domestic capacity-building and decision-making. This model has become newly relevant for Canada, the United Kingdom, and other middle powers. By Ashok Lavasa and Roli Asthana

Workers in an electronic manufacturing factory in a Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) area in Laguna.

The World Bank has made a volte-face on industrial policy. Southeast Asian countries will need to consider the new policy, but calibrate it across vastly different national contexts. By Marco Kamiya

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz could push Aseans farmers and food prices to the brink, but the region has options to ease some of the pressure. By Elyssa Kaur Ludher and Paul Teng

By Dianne Araral and Eduardo Araral

By Le Hong Hiep

By Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, Kayven Tan and Mely Caballero-Anthony

By Derek Grossman

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EB podcast - Resilience episode one image

In the inaugural episode of Eco-Business's new Resilience podcast series, industry leaders say the palm oil sector's ability to weather disruption will depend not on certification alone, but on rethinking the relationships that underpin the entire supply chain.

EB Studio As Malaysia forges ahead with its 2050 net zero climate ambition, businesses must reshape their supply chains for a low carbon future. This Eco-Business video looks at how SMEs can adapt to new sustainability reporting requirements.

Katherine Desbaillets, co-owner of SaladStop!

As Singapore-based salad bar chain SaladStop! marks its 10th anniversary, co-owner Katherine Desbaillets talks to Eco-Business about phasing out meat, food waste and single-use packaging, and dealing with customers who refuse to pay 10 cents for a plastic bag.

Simon Lord and Pamela Mar on Sustainability One on One

In the first in a new video series where sustainability leaders interview each other about the toughest things about their jobs, Simon Lord of Malaysian palm oil giant Sime Darby Plantation went head to head with Pamela Mar of Hong Kong-based textile and apparel giant Fung Group.

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A small-scale miner in Bicol, Philippines

Critical minerals will be central to this year’s Asean meetings, said environment assistant secretary Noralene Uy, as the Philippines ushers the region towards domestic processing as summit chair.

The climate non-profit's head Sherry Madera insists there are just 450 questions, not over 5,500 as some industry players have cited, in its new questionnaire, which has faced pushback for failing to ease disclosure burden as intended.

EB Studio Transboundary haze pollution is back with a vengeance in Southeast Asia. The Eco-Business Podcast talks to RSPO CEO Joseph D'Cruz about what the palm oil sector can do to put out the peatland fires that have burned annually for four decades.

Pretending to be an ESG guru while actually knowing little or nothing about environmental or social issues is known as competency greenwash

Former Monetary Authority of Singapore sustainability chief Darian McBain and recruiter Paddy Balfour tell the Eco-Business podcast why people are exaggerating their ESG expertise and why that's a problem in a key region for sustainable development.

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