Parliament passed the Carbon, Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) bill last month. We discuss what went into the drafting of the law with Amin Abdul Majid and Khoo Yu Lin, who are partners at Zaid Ibrahim & Co.

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With the built environment responsible for approximately 40% of global carbon emissions across its value chain, ESG and sustainability considerations have become embedded in the real estate business. How are UK property developers navigating the sustainability imperative amid competing economic priorities and headwinds? We get a snapshot of the situation from Ghislaine Halpenny, Director of ESG & Corporate Affairs at Regal London, a UK boutique property developer.

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How seriously do businesses take into account human rights, given the widespread adoption of the ESG movement? We discuss this with Dr. Pichamon Yeophantong, the Vice Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, with a special focus on how much children’s rights are prioritised by businesses and why this should become part of corporate considerations.

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Gender representation and diversity have become a core component of sustainability benchmarks, but how coherent are the broader aims of ESG with the national policies being implemented? Ahead of International Women's Day, we reflect on the progress and gaps in Malaysia's policies to advance the socio-economic status of women with Adam Firouz, Research Associate at the Khazanah Research Institute.

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Malaysia has set the ambitious target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which will require a concerted effort by stakeholders of all levels. The Malaysia Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation comes in as the focal agency to coordinate stakeholder involvement towards this aim, including participation at the UN Climate Change Conference. We speak to Shareen Dato’ Abdul Ghani, the MGTC Chairperson of the Board on their efforts to advance the national green technology and climate change agenda.

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How are major palm oil players ensuring smallholders in their supply chain comply with evolving sustainability regulations? We hear from Dr. Shariman Alwani, CEO of SD Guthrie International about the company’s support for smallholders under its Beyond Zero Framework that was launched last year as well as efforts to make sustainable palm oil more mainstream.

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US President Donald Trump took immediate steps to reverse the energy policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden, including by declaring a national energy emergency via Executive Order. How might these moves shape the energy sector moving forward? We discuss this with Kenneth Medlock, Senior Director at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute of Public Policy.

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How can digital technology improve the productivity and supply chain issues of the Malaysian agrofood sector? We speak to Syed Aiman Jaafar, CEO of the agritech platform Farmbyte on how they see digital tech contributing to food security by reducing waste.

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2024 was the year marked by diverging views of ESG between those that support its implementation versus the skeptics, driven by a rise in right-wing politics around the world, especially in the US and Europe. Will we see continued backlash against ESG in 2025 and what does that mean for businesses trying to navigate the international ESG regulations? We discuss how this and other themes could play out in 2025 with Pieter E. Stek of the Asia School of Business.

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Carbon markets received a big boost during the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference with member states adopting new guidelines for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. How will this shape the development of the carbon market landscape moving forward especially in ASEAN? We discuss this with Dr. Renard Siew, President of the Malaysia Carbon Market Association.

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