Eco-Business
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Eco-Business is an independent business intelligence and advisory company in the Asia Pacific. Founded in 2009, the company is headquartered in Singapore and has a presence in Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.[1]
In 2021, it was reported to have more than 3 million page views annually and over 89,000 global subscribers to their weekly newsletter.[2]
The digital-only content platform focuses on business and policy developments around the world through an environmental, social and governance (ESG) perspective.[1]
Eco-Business was founded in 2009 by Jessica Cheam, a journalist formerly with The Straits Times. While reporting on energy issues for the Singapore daily newspaper,[3][4][5] Cheam observed that issues related to climate change and sustainable development received limited coverage in mainstream media, despite their growing importance.[6]
Eco-Business was established[7][8] to provide a platform for discussing sustainability issues in the Asia-Pacific region.[3][4][5]
It became Asia's first sustainability news desk and has expanded in size, reach and readership, establishing representatives across the region and globally.[9]
Originally launched as a digital news organization through the online site eco-business.com, Eco-Business later expanded its activities to include consulting and advisory services, white paper publishing, sustainability training and capacity building.[10][11] Within a few years of their initial launch, Eco-Business expanded its services to include the publication of job and event listings, press releases, research and business intelligence.[2]
Over the years, Eco-Business has won regional and international recognition for its work. In 2013, it was awarded the Lee Foundation Excellence in Environmental Reporting by a Media Organisation Merit Award at the Asian Environmental Journalism Awards.[12] The company became carbon neutral in 2017.[13] In 2018, it received a Jackson Wild Media Award for its documentary From Asia to Antarctica.[14] The following year, in 2019, Eco-Business won the Best Site / Mobile Site award at the Asian Digital Media Awards, organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).[15]
In 2020, it received recognition from WAN-IFRA in categories such as Best Native Advertising/Branded Content, Best Use of Online Video, and Best Project for News Literacy. Its editorial work has been acknowledged by the Society for Publishers in Asia (SOPA).[16][7][17][18]
Initiatives
In 2016 and 2017, Eco-Business collaborated with City Developments Limited to launch EcoBank, an annual initiative involving a marketplace and silent auction of second-hand items, aimed at encouraging responsible consumption through collaboration between the private and public sectors.[19][20][21]
Eco-Business also partnered with OCBC Bank in the development of the OCBC Climate Index, a measure of environmental sustainability awareness and climate action among Singaporeans.[22] The index was designed as a tool to inform policymakers and support efforts toward more sustainable behaviour.[23]
In 2018, it launched an annual flagship thought leadership platform with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) focused on sustainable finance and business, called Unlocking capital for sustainability,[24] convening high-level decision makers across business, finance, civil society and government to discuss and support initiatives that mobilise capital for sustainable development projects.[25]