The Greener Way

This week we have Duncan Paterson, Director of Investor Practice at the Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) on the show to discuss Australia’s mandatory climate reporting regime. It’s undoubtedly a massive opportunity to open the door wider to green investment and reach net zero by 2050. However, investors face the unique challenge of understanding portfolio emissions, as well as growing concerns around exposure to greenwashing – and ‘greenhushing’ – risk.  How can we ensure that climate reporting goes beyond a mere compliance exercise and provides investors and stakeholders with genuinely useful and actionable information? To unpack this topic and many more, the IGCC is holding its annual Climate Finance and Investment Summit, on 7-8 November at the Sofitel, Melbourne.  This unmissable event brings together leading investment experts, policymakers, academics, and industry associations dedicated to driving the transition towards a decarbonised economy. The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.  This podcast episode is brought to you by the IGCC. For more information, visit igcc.org.au. To book your ticket and view the agenda for IGCC’s Annual Summit, visit the event website here.

With ESG and sustainability roles in high demand, many professionals are eyeing a career change into this impactful sector.In this episode, host Rose Mary Petrass speaks with Belinda White, who successfully transitioned from a communications background into the world of responsible investing and ESG.She now works company-side at Telix Pharmaceuticals as Director of Investor Relations and ESG.Belinda shares valuable advice on leveraging transferable skills, effective networking, common misconceptions, and facilitating better stakeholder relationships between investors and companies.Whether you're considering a career change or simply want to understand the ESG landscape better, this episode is packed with insights.

Australia recently gave employees the right to ignore their boss outside of ordinary work hours.The law is meant to protect the health and wellbeing of workers and reduce stress and overwork, allowing for better work-life balance in a time when the world is more hyper-connected than ever before.But what role does corporate culture and employee satisfaction play in financial performance, and will financiers actually consider the new law when making investment decisions?Today, we are joined by Emma Pringle, Head of ESG and Portfolio Manager at Maple-Brown Abbott, a boutique firm with around $9 billion in assets under management.Pringle will explain how investors and asset managers respond when workplaces are exposed as dysfunctional or 'toxic' - and what impact this has on business performance.The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.

Responsible investors are pushing back against so-called ‘Tea and Scones Stewardship’ and demanding meaningful company engagement.Done right, stewardship can steer companies toward net zero; done wrong, it’s as unsatisfying as a lukewarm brew and a stale scone.Today, we’re joined by Rachel Halpern, head of sustainability at JANA Investment Advisers, which advises on over $1.3 trillion in funds. She’ll discuss responsible stewardship strategies for achieving real impact.Rachel is the head of sustainability at JANA Investment Advisers, an advisory firm with over $1.3tn funds under advice.The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.

When investors want to avoid specific activities in their portfolio – like tobacco, gambling, weapons, or adult entertainment – they turn to ESG screening.But what happens behind the scenes when fund managers make these crucial decisions? Are all ESG funds created equal? And how can an investor be sure their money isn’t inadvertently supporting sectors they wish to avoid?In this episode, we’re joined by Julia Leske, managing director and senior consultant in ESG strategy at ISS ESG.Julia sheds light on how ESG professionals navigate the fine lines in screening and controversies – from vapes to toilet paper and beyond.The host of The Greener Way is Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.ISS ESG is part of ISS STOXX, publisher of FS Sustainability.

This episode outlines the climate and commercial case for sustainable buildings.With buildings and building materials in hot demand, especially as the nation grapples with meeting its housing targets, momentum is growing on the sustainability side.To discuss, host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability welcomes Davina RooneyDavina is CEO of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) – a group helping steer Australia’s built environment sector towards highly efficient, low carbon, healthier places that are future-focused and resilient.The GBCA’s Climate Positive Roadmap advocates for all new buildings net zero by 2030 and existing buildings well before 2050.

There are currently more than 400 nuclear power reactors in 32 countries, generating about a tenth of the world's electricity.The Coalition’s plan to build seven nuclear power plants to replace Australia's ageing coal-fired power stations and to abandon the government's 2030 net zero target has been receiving plenty of attention.Is this idea viable? To discuss we have Jai Mirchandani, founder and portfolio manager at ELM Responsible Investments. Jai sits down with host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability, to discuss the timeline, costs, and safety of nuclear power, as well as the geopolitical risks that are associated with this renewable energy source.

No one should be left behind in the transition to a net zero economy – and behind the scenes, both private and public sectors are working hard to understand where funding needs to flow.But putting aside nice-to-haves, will achieving a just transition have an impact on investor returns and reduce risk whether financial, reputational or systemic?Amanda Cahill is the CEO of the Next Economy, which acts as a sort of intermediary between regional communities, government, investors and industry to accelerate the transition to a climate-safe, socially just and regenerative economy.Amanda joins host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability to discuss.

The US Inflation Reduction Act will crowd in more than $3 trillion US dollars of investment over the next decade. The Future Made in Australia Act has been billed as Australia’s response to the US IRA – but are taxpayer dollars better spent elsewhere?Today, we discuss climate finance and the role of government in de-risking climate investing. And we ask the ultimate question: can the market solve climate change? To answer this, we are joined by Blair Palese, director of philanthropy at Ethinvest, Australia’s oldest ethical investment firm. Blair is also the founder of Climate Capital Forum, the global climate editor and managing director at Climate & Capital Media, and co-founded 350.org Australia.She joins host Rose Mary Petrass, senior journalist at FS Sustainability.

This episode is all about the power of advocacy and moving business towards a low carbon economy.Influential public figure, philanthropist Jon Dee is the founder of a number of initiatives including Planet Ark, DoSomething, and National Recycling Week. He is also the chair of the Forest Stewardship Council of Australia and New Zealand.Host Rose Mary Petrass, Senior Journalist at FS Sustainability, sits down with Jon to find out how to motivate business to take action on climate.