Our “Asia Sustainability Conference 2020” is finally happening. It has been quite a journey.

SCMP has never done a sustainability event before. Sure, we cover the topic as part of a bigger conference, such as the Redefining Hong Kong series or the China Conferences. But a standalone conference on sustainability? Definitely an unchartered territory.

But we thought with the Covid19 pandemic rewriting the rules of everything, purposeful investment in sectors that will help the world tackle the climate crisis seems more important than ever. With that in mind, the concept of Asia Sustainability Conference is borne.

The idea is to discuss the latest investment trends in different areas of sustainability, and what it means to impact investors. We first plan this to be a physical event in Hong Kong in Q1 2020, but then Covid19 hit. We then rescheduled it to August 2020, and the third wave hit Hong Kong.

Finally, after much deliberation with our sponsors and speakers, we decided to run the entire event as a virtual conference. Asia Sustainability Conference will now be run as a virtual conference on November 4, 2020.

Here’s some background of the event.

Despite Asia’s impressive growth and emergence as a global economic powerhouse, little attention and investment have been spent on key environmental and social issues such as climate change, food sustainability and safe water. In this sustainability conference, we invite you to join our expert speakers to discuss the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the importance of sustainable investing in reaching these targets.

Highlights will include:

The rise of ESG in Asia post COVID from the regulatory, industry and investment perspective

Join four experts in advocacy, economy, and sustainability to examine why some of the world’s biggest firms are better positioned to deal with the associated risks, remote work, and broken supply chains of the coronavirus pandemic. Highlighting the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, this panel will consider whether more Asian companies will embrace ESG going forward.

Juan Aronna, Head of Investment Solutions and Products, Asia, Royal Bank of Canada will moderate a panel of renowned experts, such as:

• Ellie Tang, Head of Sustainability, New World Development Company Limited & K11 Concepts Limited
• Mary Leung, Head, Advocacy, Asia Pacific, CFA Institute
• Rami Hayek, Senior Advisor, Hong Kong Monetary Authority

Crazy Green Asians: A taste for alternative foods

With Asia’s population expected to increase from 4.6 to 5.3 billion in 2050, how can the food industry meet skyrocketing demand without degrading natural resources, reducing biodiversity or creating food waste? Panellists will discuss alternative options and new trends like plant and insect-based proteins, hydroponic produce, faux-fish products, lab-grown steaks, and more as opportunities for eco-friendly responsible investment.

Arjan de Boer, Head of Markets, Investments and Structuring, (MIS), Indosuez Wealth Management will moderate a panel of sustainable food advocates, including:

• Alvin Li, Co-Founder and CEO, The Kommon Goods
• Donna NguyenPhuoc, Managing Partner, SPARQ Capital
• Elaine Siu, Managing Director, The Good Food Institute

Investing in every drop

For the 29 out of 49 Asian countries that lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation, following health officials’ advice to “wash your hands” to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic is not as straightforward as it sounds. Hosted by Debra Tan, Director and Head of China Water Risk, this fireside chat will discuss Asia’s current water crisis and what is needed to spur developments in water infrastructure, recycling programmes, affordable water purification and effective water management.

The conference will open with an overview of Asia’s progress towards the SDG targets, delivered by H.E. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary General, U.N. and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

To register and to view a full list of speakers and panels, please visit the conference website. Registration for the event is free and will open until Nov 3.