Events
Making Profits, Protecting Our Planet
Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Performance in Asia and the Pacific
ADB Launched Its Second Asian Environment Outlook Report
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched on 10 October 2005 its second Asian
Environment Outlook (AEO) entitled, "Making Profits, Protecting
our Planet." AEO 2005 builds on work initiated through AEO 2001,
which identified opportunities for governments of Asia and the Pacific
to more effectively address their environmental concerns through
a mainstreaming of these considerations into economic and sectoral
policies and programs. AEO 2005 argues that there is still a critical
missing ingredient in the pursuit of a sustainable future for Asia
and the Pacific -- that of a fully engaged private sector. It examines
how companies are responding to new legal, social and market pressures
for their improved environmental performance and how the public
sector can best influence corporate behavior and join with the private
sector to achieve environmental and economic goals.
The key findings of AEO 2005 were presented at the opening session of the 6th Asia-Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production held in Melbourne, Australia on 10-12 October 2005. The presentation was delivered by Mr. Nessim Ahmad, Director of the Environment and Social Safeguards Division of ADB's Regional and Sustainable Development Department.
AEO 2005's findings were also discussed and disseminated at three other international events:
- First Regional Dialogue Towards Green Growth in Asia and the Pacific: Eco-efficiency through Green Tax and Budget Reform (Seoul, Republic of Korea, 8 November 2005)
- International Symposium on Corporate Sustainability Management (Bangkok, Thailand, 24 November 2005)
- Asia-Europe Environment Forum on 1/3 of Our Planet: What Can Asia Do for Sustainable Development? (Jakarta, Indonesia, 25 November 2005).
Read the full report, Executive Summary and Highlights .
Workshops and Other Events
In March 2005, the 5th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific held in Seoul, Republic of Korea saw the soft launch of AEO 2005. Two side events -- a Private Sector Forum on "Corporate and Public Policies to Promote Green Growth" and a luncheon for ministerial heads of delegation -- provided an opportunity to receive feedback on the report's findings and conclusions.
In October and November 2004, ADB sponsored two consultation workshops-one in The Netherlands, the other in Hong Kong, China-to present the authors' initial findings and seek feedback from relevant stakeholders.
The European Workshop was held in conjunction with the three-day meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) from 25-28 October 2004. A select group of about 20 participants comprising executives from companies with supply chains deep into Asia and the Pacific as well as representatives of WBCSD attended the workshop.
The Hong Kong, China workshop was held during the annual Greening of Industry Network Conference last 7-10 November 2004. Nearly 70 participants out of the 300-plus conference delegates attended the ADB workshop.
Also in November 2004, AEO 2005 lead author, Peter King, made a presentation on the report's preliminary findings at the Global Synthesis Workshop on "Markets, Business, and the Environment: Strengthening Corporate Social Responsibility, Law, and Policy." The workshop was held at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Bangkok, Thailand.
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