A Game-Changing Partnership for ESG Reporting
Manila, Singapore, September 11, 2023 – In a landmark move to bolster environmental, social, and governance (ESG) transparency, Philippine Dealing System Holdings Corp. (PDS Group) has announced a strategic partnership with STACS, Asia’s leading ESG data and technology solutions company.
This alliance is set to revolutionize corporate sustainability and ESG reporting for businesses and issuers in the Philippines. The collaboration is part of the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA) pilot initiative, aiming to bridge ESG data and disclosure gaps in ASEAN markets.
ESGpedia – A Game-Changer in ESG Data
At the heart of this partnership lies ESGpedia, Asia’s largest ESG data registry. Boasting over 5 million sustainability data points and diverse use cases across sectors, ESGpedia simplifies ESG data reporting by offering a guided approach and incentive programs.
It is already a technology platform partner for SFIA’s Single AccessPoint for ESG Data Initiative Pilot, which seeks to unify and empower key industry players across ASEAN through comprehensive and reliable ESG data reporting.
Paving the Way for ESG Reporting in the Philippines
Under the partnership, PDS Group will promote ESGpedia’s use, initially among its community of listed issuers, and subsequently among all Philippine companies. This move is expected to simplify the integration of ESG data reporting into standard corporate disclosures.
ESGpedia’s digital platform simplifies various ESG standards and frameworks, offering an easy and guided path towards sustainability. It also provides tools to automatically convert operational data into greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, customized to the Philippines, giving companies valuable insights into their carbon footprint.
An Incentive for Sustainability
ESGpedia has also teamed up with the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Asia-Pacific Green Deal Program, offering participants the chance to earn Green, Silver, or Gold Green Deal Badges upon completing their company’s ESG profile.
This profile incorporates data submitted through disclosures and supplements it with aggregated data from public sources, serving as an incentive for companies to showcase their commitment to sustainability to customers, investors, and financiers.
Unveiling the Cross-Border Partnership
They officially unveiled the partnership in Manila on September 11, 2023. The event witnessed the participation of numerous key players in the Philippines, including corporations, financial institutions, the United Nations Global Compact Philippines, the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Securities and Exchange Committee.
This announcement follows the successful launch of ESGpedia in Vietnam in August, in collaboration with Bamboo Capital Group, also part of the SFIA SAFE Initiative.
Antonino Nakpil, PDEx President and CEO, expressed his enthusiasm, saying,
“The first step to corporate sustainability is awareness and an understanding of the company’s own ESG standing. To this end, we are delighted to support the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA) Single Accesspoint for ESG Data (SAFE) Initiative.”
“Powered by our partner STACS’s ESGpedia, SAFE will facilitate Philippine businesses’ access to credible, consistent, and comprehensive ESG data, generation of insights into their GHG emissions, and streamline their corporate sustainability and ESG reporting.”
PDS Group’s Central Role in ESG Reporting
PDS Group, as it receives corporate disclosures from its community of issuers, has positioned itself effectively as a hub for the new reporting regimes for corporate ESG data. By promoting this digital portal for information, the group aims to empower its community and enable a wider range of Philippine corporations to achieve both national and ASEAN goals towards net-zero emissions.
Benjamin Soh, STACS Managing Director, added,
“Countries across Asia are transitioning towards mandatory ESG disclosures. To facilitate likely-to-be-required disclosures for businesses in the Philippines, we are delighted that ESGpedia is partnering with PDS Group as part of the ASEAN Single Accesspoint for ESG Data initiative, to promote ESGpedia for use by its community of listed issuers and all other Philippine companies.”
“These companies will benefit from a free and guided program on ESGpedia to kickstart their ESG data reporting and decarbonization journey. Through a community-centric approach, we look forward to shaping the future of the ESG data landscape and empowering ASEAN nations in their mandatory ESG reporting and sustainability journey.”
ESGpedia – Transforming Sustainability
Covering over 5 million sustainability data points, ESGpedia empowers financial institutions and companies to achieve strategic sustainability goals. It offers harmonized and standardized asset-level ESG data, as well as solutions for sustainable finance and supplier sustainability monitoring.
ESGpedia achieves this through AI-powered aggregation and harmonization, seamlessly combining public ESG data with primary disclosure data collected directly through the platform.
Furthermore, ESGpedia’s impact extends beyond borders; currently, it powers the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) Greenprint ESG Registry and the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Asia-Pacific Green Deal digital assessment. Expanding its influence, ESGpedia is poised to revolutionize the landscape of ESG reporting and sustainability across the region.
