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Dear readers,

More than 150 world leaders formally approved “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by
2030” at the UN Summit on Sustainable Development in 2015, which includes one declaration,
17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), and 169 targets.

The SDGs are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and
ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity.

The 17 SDGs, especially Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, require that consumers
and businesses be highly responsible and contribute to protecting the environment and climate.
This means that while trying to achieve economic growth and sustainable development, we must
urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and
natural resources.

With that goal in mind, businesses must strengthen their Environmental, Social, and Governance
(ESG) practices.

Mr. Aurelien Vincent, a Partner with Strategy& Middle East, part of the PwC network, and Mr. Andrew
McDowell, a Partner with Strategy& Luxembourg, also part of the PwC network, in their article “Banks
must act now to capture ESG opportunities”, which originally appeared in Arabian Business in
November 2021, noted that “ESG is not new, but it has become a priority for business leaders” and that
“one of the megatrends that will shape business over the next decade is ESG. It will force businesses
across industries to drastically transform their operating models, perhaps even shifting to net zero
emissions in coming decades.”

ESG criteria are a set of standards for a company’s behavior used by socially-conscious investors to
screen potential investments. Environmental criteria consider how a company safeguards the
environment, including corporate policies addressing climate change. Social criteria examine how a
company manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where
it operates. And Governance criteria deal with a company’s leadership, executive pay ratio, audits,
internal control, and shareholder rights.
ESG criteria can also measure a business’s corporate social responsibility for green and sustainable
development, including responsibility for environmental and climate protection.
Moreover, consumers have, for a long time now, made a habit of choosing products and services from
manufacturers and providers that apply ESG criteria in their business strategy.
Our Cover Story in this July edition therefore looks at the strategies of companies in Vietnam in
regard to capturing ESG opportunities and meeting demand from consumers for environmentally-
friendly products and services.

We also feature a Special Report this month on the policies and solutions being applied by the central
city of Da Nang to attract foreign investment.

DR. CHU VAN LAM
Editor-in-Chief