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The Vietnamese environment sector’s main tasks this year include administrative reform, tightened controls on natural resources and more measures to tackle climate change.

This was revealed at a conference last week to review the 2015 performance of the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry as well as to introduce its working plan for this year.

Deputy Minister Tran Hong Ha said that last year marked a milestone for Vietnam’s environment sector in improving the legal framework with new laws like the Law on Sea and Island Natural Resources and Environment, the Law on Meteorology and Hydrology, nine governmental decrees, seven decisions and 75 circulars.

As many as 30 land-related administrative procedures were removed last year. One-shop registration offices for land use rights were opened nationwide, which helped ensure transparency and simplicity for residents.

Last year also saw strong punishments for polluters as 392 out of 439 major polluters across the country were penalised. Pollution at 11 trade villages was tackled. Waste water was treated in two heavily polluted rivers – Nhue-Day river in the north and Dong Nai river in the south.

Environment minister Nguyen Minh Quang said that this year, the ministry would improve, review and implement laws, policies and strategies on natural resource management.

Quang said the ministry also planned to tighten management on land use with a focus on reducing land-related complaints by land users.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai praised the ministry’s 2015 performance and agreed with its new-year resolutions.

Hai asked for an improvement of legal documents to create an effective mechanism in natural resource management.

He suggested a pilot model with three independent parties of state, investor and land users who have land taken for project development.

The deputy PM also called on the environment sector to develop, implement and oversee environment projects that help Vietnam realise its commitments to international partners.

He said that Vietnam – a country lying at the lower part of rivers – faced a shortage of water, so drastic measures were needed for effective use and to manage the valuable resource. —Viet Nam News, ANN

 

AirAsia boosts community projects

AirAsia is inviting the public to organise community projects from January 29 to 30 through the ‘AirAsia #GREEN24 Challenge’.

The best community project carried out during the period will win 24 AirAsia return flights* to a destination of their choice.

The contest is open to everyone residing in Malaysia and the public can participate by following these five simple steps:

Step 1: Download the registration form at the #GREEN24 website airasia.com/green24

Step 2: Plan and organise a community project to be carried out anytime from January 29 to 30 2016

Step 3: Complete the registration form and email it [email protected] by January 27 2016

Step 4: Carry out the planned project between January 29 to 30 2016 and hashtag #GREEN24Challenge on the specified social media channels listed in the registration form

Step 5: Submit a report of the project, based on the report template by February 5 2016 via email to [email protected]

Aireen Omar, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad said, "#GREEN24 is a regional initiative, and throughout the 24-hour period offices all across AirAsia group will be organising various activities with their communities.

Our affiliates in Thailand are organising a reef clean-up while our offices in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia are holding education programmes on recycling and planting trees by the river to avoid erosion. These are just a few of the examples of the things taking place," she said in a statement.

AirAsia’s #GREEN24 campaign was first launched last November as part of the airline’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

The initial activity saw over 150 volunteers from across the AirAsia Group and Tune Group of companies come together to clean the Kanching rainforest waterfall in Rawang. Nearly 600kg of garbage was collected in a short duration of 90 minutes during this waterfall clean-up activity.

 

A $59 trillion tailwind spurs |governance changes in Asia firms

A surge in socially responsible investments to $59 trillion globally over the past decade is nudging Asian firms to change a notoriously insular management style to one that actively addresses corporate governance concerns.

As earnings growth and China’s economy slow, corporate executives are becoming more receptive to the investment messages from funds committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles.

That commitment can be measured in trillions of investment dollars - global investors who have signed the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (PRI) now own or manage $59 trillion, a surge from a mere $4 trillion in 2006, reflecting growing evidence that responsible investments translate to higher long-term returns.

Companies in Asia are beginning to take heed as boardroom indifference to issues like minority shareholder rights and the environment is giving way to stronger corporate governance that seeks to satisfy all stakeholders.

Asian firms now make up more than half the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index, a benchmark for environmental, social and governance performance. Seven of the 13 additions to the index last year were from Asia.

"A company’s willingness and ability to address ESG issues relevant to its business can be a material driver of the company’s performance and valuation," said Arthur Lau, head of Asia ex-Japan fixed income at PineBridge Investments, a signatory to the UN PRI.

Indeed, even as profit growth remains a focus for managers, an increasing number of Asian businesses and regulators are linking this growth to moves they are making to improve corporate responsibility such as tracking carbon footprints and creating indices of sustainable businesses.

Asian investors and managers who have signed the PRI climbed to 70 in 2015 from seven in 2006.

Malaysia and Japan introduced their own responsible investment indices in 2014.

In a sign that such investments are growing in importance to investors, Japan’s trillion-dollar Government Pension Investment Fund, the world’s biggest, now benchmarks its performance against the JPX-Nikkei index 400, instead of the traditional Nikkei 225 or the Topix.

This probably explains why places such as Thailand, where historically corporate responsibility has taken a back seat, have begun to embrace change.

"Investors are increasingly looking for values beyond the common capital gains and dividends," said Bordin Unakul, executive vice president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, the country with the most additions in Asia to the Dow Jones index last year.

Take the case of Thailand’s Advanced Info Service, which entered the Dow Jones sustainability index in 2015.

The company has created a whistleblower hotline to identify misconduct and fraud, and has begun tracking carbon emissions to reduce its environmental impact. – Reuters