The Greener Way

AI, Workplace Culture and Labor Rights: Why human capital risk is financially material
This week on The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Emily DeMasi, regional team lead - North America EOS at Federated Hermes, about why human capital risks, such as workplace culture, harassment and violence, labour rights, and supply chain conditions, are financially material for investors through impacts on productivity, reputation, and long-term returns.
DeMasi explains how stewardship engagement assesses human capital using employee surveys, whistleblower mechanisms, and core disclosure metrics such as workforce size (including gig and contract workers), turnover, demographics, and total workforce cost.
They discuss AI’s double-edged impact, from efficiencies and training needs to job displacement anxiety and potential worker surveillance.

00:39 Why human capital matters
02:45 Workplace harassment as material risk
04:29 Do employee surveys work?
05:50 Investor engagement metrics
07:55 AI workforce disruption
11:13 Case studies
13:43 Best practice supply chain frameworks
16:18 Why stewardship is crucial
17:42 Looking ahead on AI and governance

We record on Gadigal land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders past and present.
https://www.fssustainability.com.au/

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

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Why Australia Is a Clean Energy Investment Hotspot: Solar, Wind, Batteries & Energy Security | Joost Bergsma
On The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Joost Bergsma, global head of energy at Nuveen Infrastructure, about clean energy investing, energy security, and why Australia is attractive for large-scale renewables.
Bergsma reflects on his the last two decades in the sector and describes how capital raising has evolved from needing to explain basic technologies to today’s dedicated institutional infrastructure teams, alongside greater competition.
He explains clean energy investments across solar, onshore/offshore wind and battery storage that appeal to Nuveen’s institutional clients.
He also highlights what’s new in the battery storage sector and Australia’s land-driven scale advantages versus Europe.
For investors just entering the clean energy sector, he explains the need to address China-concentrated supply chains and Australia’s grid buildout needs.
01:02 A career milestone in clean energy
02:13 Capital raising outlook
03:09 Nuveen infrastructure strategy
04:43 Geopolitics and energy security
06:47 Data centres and demand surge
08:41 Risk return spectrum explained
09:45 Australian investor appetite
10:54 Nuveen’s local pipeline
12:04 Ten-year outlook on batteries
14:40 What could go wrong?
We record on Gadigal land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders past and present.
https://www.fssustainability.com.au/

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

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Who Really pays tariffs? Stanford economist breaks down the hidden consumer cost
In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with Stanford University economist Luke Heeney about the often-overlooked social impacts of industrial policy, focusing on the 2025 US tariffs and their effects on the automotive sector.
Heeney explains why accounting for tariffs on intermediate inputs is crucial, finding that many US producers lose billions when parts are included, with only one company coming out ahead due to greater domestic sourcing.
He also finds the largest percentage of financial losses fall on the lowest-income households, costing billions of dollars.
00:00 Who pays tariffs?
00:58 Industrial policy focus
03:11 Tariffs study setup
04:30 Key findings explained
06:27 Lessons for Australia
07:37 Why impacts are overlooked
09:37 Staggering consumer costs
12:04 Building better toolkits
14:27 What the government can do
We record on Gadigal land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders past and present.
https://www.fssustainability.com.au/

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

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Critical Minerals Supercycle? How AI, Clean Energy & Geopolitics Are Reshaping Supply Chains
In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar chats with Vinnay Cchoda, responsible investment manager at BetaShares, about the predicted shortage of some critical minerals in the next couple of decades and how that could force a resetting of investment expectations and strategies.
Cchoda says the convergence of electrification, AI-driven data center buildout, and unstable geopolitics is causing supply chain issues.
He argues that the supercycle of critical minerals is directionally right but too simplistic, with uneven outcomes across the different types of minerals. For example, lithium and nickel are seeing faster supply responses and price corrections, while copper has hit new highs.
The discussion highlights why investors need to look at their diversification strategies and how to respond to the cycles within the supercycle impacting investment outcomes.
Read: Critical minerals in the age of AI and tariffs (Link: https://www.fssustainability.com.au/article/critical-minerals-in-the-age-of-ai-and-tariffs)
01:08 Three forces converge
04:17 Supercycle creates uneven outcomes
07:27 When AI meets clean energy
09:06 Predicted 40% supply shortage
10:52 Supply chain bottlenecks
13:05 Investor playbook
We record on Gadigal land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders, past and present.
https://www.fssustainability.com.au/

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

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Deep Green vs Medium Green Investing: Returns, Volatility & ESG Trade-Offs | The Greener Way
In this episode of The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar speaks with financial adviser Alex Jameison of Jamieson Private Wealth about how investors reassess sustainability preferences amid fuel shortages, energy insecurity, and geopolitical shocks.
Jamieson explains starting with a client’s values and ESG preferences, clarifying what they want to exclude or include (such as mining, defense, tobacco), and discussing “levels of greenness” and potential performance trade-offs—especially when sectors like materials or oil and gas outperform. He notes medium-green portfolios may not see major performance trade-offs, while very deep-green approaches can increase volatility due to concentration and may require a more global investment mindset, with Europe offering larger opportunities than Australia.

02:03 Deep green vs returns
03:54 Explaining cycle differences
05:25 Volatility and global diversification
06:15 Investor expectations and greenwashing
07:59 ESG options and advisor role
09:45 Geopolitics and renewables trends

We record on Gadigal land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders past and present.
https://www.fssustainability.com.au/

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

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy