. Therefore, “Our greatest asset is the enormous average level of education and maturity of society. We must start using this collectively to find new solutions, otherwise they will blow us out like a candle in 15 or 20 years,” says Karel Kotoun, one of the founders of the startup Green0meter, in an interview with CSRD.cz, who shared with us his recent impressions from his trip to Asia. How are Asian markets doing with sustainability compared to Europe? And what surprises Asian companies the most? You will learn this and much more in our interview.
You recently returned from a business trip to Asia. What brought you there?
>>>>>>>We have clients in Indonesia, so I was mainly there – servicing chinese overseas asia database existing ones and looking for new ones. But I was also in Hong Kong and Singapore. As part of business development, we organized training for managers of companies who are in charge of ESG locally and need to calculate the carbon footprint, secure green financing or perhaps solve offsets. Another key region for us is China, where we now operate our subsidiary. It is essential for us to have a local partner in Asia, especially given the recent introduction of the CBAM regulation. Importers of high-emission commodities face a number of challenges in collecting data in their supply chain. For our company. Therefore, which provides assistance in processing CBAM reports, this local presence is a great advantage.
We see Southeast Asia and China as a strategic region, which will be of great importance in the future. At the same time, as a European company, we have a great competitive advantage over local ones. Local regulations copy European ESG reporting. Listed companies must have some kind of rating and report according to international standards. But because we have a small stock market and there are not many foreign investments in the Czech Republic, we were not forced to deal with it.
What impressed you the most from a sustainability perspective?
A big surprise for me is the maturity of companies. For example, they how consumer behavior influences marketing strategy are intensively addressing deforestation, which is a huge topic. I met a company that produces palm oil – every basket on the plantation has a chip and they can determine exactly where the harvest comes from, collect and evaluate data. And this is just one example. If you look at their ESG reports, they are really ‘poor’.
In Europe, we should open our eyes and start using our strengths. Asian countries have more resources, capital, people. Our greatest asset is the huge average education and maturity of society. We must start using this collectively to find new solutions, otherwise in 15 or 20 years they will blow us out like a candle.
How does Asia generally differ from Europe in its approach to sustainability?
>>>>>>In Europe, the approach to ESG and sustainability is very sophisticated, reflecting our strong regulations and comprehensive systems such as the EU Taxonomy and the European Green Deal. In Asia, although there are large differences in approach between countries, there is a growing interest in green finance and sustainable innovation. The motivation is often visible problems such as air pollution in large cities.
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations, editor’s note) has been solving these problems through local agreements, but Singapore has gone so far as to pass a law. According to him, any other country or company that has a negative impact on the climate in Singapore is criminally liable. People often associate Asia with garbage on the streets and polluted rivers, or tourist destinations. But what is the reality?
Yes, there is a perception that Asia is less concerned with thailand data waste sorting and management than Europe. However, the reality is diverse; while some countries really struggle with efficient waste management. Therefore, others like Japan or South Korea have very strict sorting and recycling systems. The differences are due to a combination of economic conditions. Therefore, public awareness and government policies.
Where do Asian countries draw inspiration from in their approach to sustainability?
In some Asian countries, the sustainability agenda is growing organically, driven by an internal need to address environmental issues.