The Greener Way

Despite global sustainable funds recording more than US$80 billion in net outflows in 2025, Australia and New Zealand are bucking the trend and continue to attract new capital.
In this episode, Australian Ethical deputy chief investment officer John Woods unpacks how ESG investing is evolving in 2026, explaining why there's still plenty of opportunities out there for sustainable investors, the importance of transparency, and the need for a reliable ESG fund labelling system.
He also breaks down Australian Ethical’s approach to investing in emerging markets, and how it's looking at renewables, climate tech, private credit, and solar‑driven infrastructure.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

This week on TGW, host Michelle Baltazar welcomes ESG and responsible investing leader Dr Ian Woods to discuss 'ESG Unlocked', a new book he has co-authored with Josh Dowse, which was written to address the disconnect between how companies and investors understand and apply ESG.
Woods explains that the book’s aim is to demystify ESG by reducing jargon, joining the dots between corporate and investment perspectives, and showing how ESG integration can support both sustainability outcomes and profits and investment returns.
00:42 Meet Dr. Ian Woods + introducing the book 'ESG Unlocked'
02:07 How the book was born: Bridging the company–investor disconnect
03:52 From climate pioneer to ESG mainstream: What changed over time
06:18 Case study: IAG’s investor-aligned climate journey
08:00 Common ESG investing myths: Divestment, materiality and performance
11:50 The ticking clock: Physical climate risk vs transition risk
14:34 Natural, social, human and financial capital: making ESG relevant
16:21 Behind the scenes: Writing during COVID + making ESG readable
19:04 The next decade: No more “ESG teams”?
Links: ESG Unlocked

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar from FS Sustainability, discusses the increasing climate-driven risks to data centers with Julia Leske, managing director at ISS Sustainability.
They explore the challenges posed by extreme heat and water stress on data centres globally. Julia shares insights from ISS's report, Actionable Insights: Top Sustainability Themes in 2026, revealing infrastructure vulnerabilities, the urgent need for resilient cooling systems and investment implications.
00:36 Exploring climate risks for data centres
01:06 Data centre resilience
01:44 The biggest climate threats to data centres
02:24 Case Study: Heat waves and water stress
03:47 Global analysis of data centre risks
04:07 Future projections and regional vulnerabilities
06:45 The need for advanced cooling technologies
09:02 Business continuity planning and gaps
Links: https://www.issgovernance.com/sustainability/actionable-insights-top-sustainability-themes-in-2026/

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar discusses the critical and complicated role of steel in the transition to a decarbonised future with Fidelity International's Sue-Lyn Stubbs.
They discuss the steel paradox and its essential role in economic growth, green technology development versus its high emissions footprint, the financial and regulatory implications, and the effect of methane emissions on the industry.
02:04 Understanding the steel paradox
04:10 Financial risks and opportunities in the steel value chain
06:35 The importance of methane emissions
07:49 Impact on Australian mining companies
08:33 Future of green steel technologies
10:44 Investor engagement and regulatory developments
16:03 The steel methane investor initiative
Links: The methane blindspot: Why investors are rethinking their steel value chain exposure

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Can we really trust the tools measuring biodiversity risk?
This week on TGW, Michelle Baltazar, Executive Director of Media at FS Sustainability, sits down with Dr. Jennifer Willetts of Franklin Templeton to unpack one of the biggest questions facing investors today: how do you actually measure biodiversity risk—and are current tools up to the task?
Dr. Willetts breaks down the challenges, the latest innovations, and the emerging opportunities for investors looking to understand their biodiversity footprint and drive more sustainable outcomes.
00:00 Introduction: Disagreement among biodiversity tools
00:29 Introducing Dr. Jennifer Willett and her research
01:30 The Complexity of biodiversity metrics
04:00 Key Findings from the biodiversity study
07:04 Challenges and solutions for investors
12:29 The Role of regulation in biodiversity risk
14:24 Emerging opportunities for investors

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy