SFi June & July 2025 Newsletter
- annashuvalova2
- Jul 31, 2025
- 4 min read
Hello Impact Ecosystem! Whilst the heat of summer is a constant reminder of the urgent need to resolve the climate crisis, it is also a driving force as we continue to facilitate dialogue and action around impact investing in Asia Pacific. These include a panel around decarbonisation as part of the legacy of Asian family businesses, as well as a site visit to local recycler and social enterprise V Cycle. Finally, our CEO Katy Yung also traveled to Singapore to speak at Schroders' inaugural Asia Pacific Family Office Forum. Find out about all these and more in this month's newsletter.
Sustaining Legacy and Decarbonising Asian Family Businesses
Asian family businesses operating in emission-intensive industries such as steel, cement, shipping, real estate, garment manufacturing, and agriculture face many unique challenges in their journey to decarbonise their businesses. Delving more deeply into how Asian family businesses are navigating the energy transition to preserve and grow intergenerational wealth, we hosted an insightful event on Sustaining Legacy and Decarbonising Business, in partnership with Barclays Private Bank.
Our expert panel, consisting of Delman Lee (TAL Apparel), Adriel Chan (Hang Lung Properties), Li Tan (Audacy), and Sophie Chapman (EcoBricks), shared that for them, sustainability is both a business strategy and personal commitment. The key objective is achieving sustainability without compromising quality or cost, and NextGen business leaders have learnt to focus on the cost savings/efficiencies of new solutions, rather than their sustainable elements.
The discussion was moderated by Damian Payiatakis of Barclays Private Bank, drawing out insights that point towards greener industries, behavioural change, and a lasting positive legacy.
Transforming Waste and Empowering Lives at V Cycle HK
We also organised a site visit for SFi members to V Cycle in Hong Kong. It was an inspiring journey to discover how V Cycle transforms waste into valuable resources, whilst creating jobs for the elderly and individuals with special learning needs. V Cycle's founder, Eric Swinton, kindly showed us around their Tuen Mun facilities, explaining how every month they transform 15,000kg of B2B plastic waste - including 5 million plastic bottles per day - into raw materials ready for developing into eco-friendly products such as stools, soap dishes, and recycling bins.
Participants also joined V Cycle's cadre of staff to help sort and process waste. This not only highlighted the hands-on nature of the work, but also provided an opportunity for workers to share their stories of leaving behind back-breaking work collecting cardboard, and raising their hourly income from HKD3 to HKD50 since joining V Cycle.
We were inspired by Eric and his team's innovativeness and dedication in overcoming the many operational, financial, and mindset challenges associated with pursuing recycling in Hong Kong, made all the more impressive through the additional integration of poverty alleviation.
SFi at Schroders Asia Pacific Family Office Forum
Our CEO, Katy Yung, spoke at the inaugural Schroders Asia Pacific Family Office Forumin Singapore. Katy shared SFi's observation of families embarking on impact investing, noting that each family's impact journey differs depending on their life stage, generation/age range, and family structure of respective asset owners.
Nevertheless, whilst first steps will vary, there are common threads linked to successfully kickstarting an impact journey, from active learning and "low-hanging fruit" actions, to open communications to build conviction and consensus amongst the family. Peer support is also important, and many families have benefited from being part of a community of impact investors, such as SFi.
At the forum, we continued to observe a maturing of the Asia Pacific Impact Investing sector, with asset owners steadily advancing their impact journey with cautious optimism, amidst geopolitical and economic uncertainties. This aligns with our own findings from our recent SFi Impact Summit, and we expect to see Asia Pacific impact investors rise to the occasion in the coming years.
Save the Date: SFi Singapore Roadshow
SFi will be hosting a Roadshow in Singapore on the 15th of September, providing SFi members and our close ecosystem with the opportunity to gain firsthand insights from leading figures in the Asia Pacific impact investing sector and to foster meaningful connections that will set the tone for Singapore Impact Week. For more information, please reach out to the SFi membership team.
Terra CO2 have raised USD124.5 million in a Series B round to scale production of its low-carbon cement alternative that cuts CO₂ emissions by 70%.
Hong Kong-based insurance firm AIA have made a USD200 million investment into impact fund manager LeapFrog Investments, highlighting further interest in impact from the Asia Pacific region.
New Zealand-based livestock management platform Halter raised USD100 million in Series D funding, making the company a unicorn.
responsAbility will invest up to USD23 million in KIS Group, a Singapore-based company provider of sustainable clean technologies for the waste-to-energy and related sectors, as part of its broader climate investment strategy aimed at actively reducing CO₂ emissions in Asia.
Amidst a "flight to quality" as tenants increasingly demand sustainable and ESG-aligned spaces, older properties face mounting competitive challenges. In a new report, JLL explores actionable insights, from energy-efficient upgrades to tenant-centric improvements, to help safeguard asset value and adapt to market shifts.
Our member Lai Chong Au recently shared her perspectives on impact investing and succession planning on RTHK3. In the interview, she highlighted how impact investing creates long-term value—not only for family legacies, but also for the broader community.
Registration is now open for the inaugural ASIFMA Asset Management Conference 2025, to be held at the Fairmont Hotel, Singapore, on 23 October 2025. The conference will feature a line-up of industry experts discussing the latest trends, regulatory changes, and innovative strategies shaping the sustainable finance sector.
We invite Family Office Principals, Private Investors of an endowment or foundation, or NextGen Investors to reach out to us to find out more about the benefits of joining the Sustainable Finance Initiative community. Don't miss out on members' only opportunities, and contact us today!
Stay updated on these gatherings, as well as impact news, research and events we have highlighted for the SFi community in our full newsletter! Let's keep bringing purpose to capital!
