Back to all articles
Blog post
August 31, 2024

Driving Sustainability: how different industries are viewed in SEA

Southeast Asia is embracing ESG principles to drive sustainability across key industries. Banking, automotive, energy, and government sectors are leading efforts through innovation and collaboration, highlighting their strategies and contributions to a greener future.

Banking and finance pioneers sustainable finance

This sector has emerged as a leader in ESG adoption, reflecting its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. Across Southeast Asia, financial institutions are focusing on green finance initiatives such as carbon emission reduction projects and issuing green bonds. Thai banks, for instance, are embedding sustainability in operations, with strategies like Krungsri’s “3GO” approach (Go Green, Digital, Beyond). This trend highlights the sector’s role in financing environmentally and socially conscious projects while fostering regional ESG integration​​.

Automotives drive towards electrification and mobility

The automotive industry in the region is embracing ESG through electrification and sustainable mobility. Governments and companies are collaborating to build robust EV infrastructure, integrating renewable energy solutions, and advancing battery technologies. Brands like Toyota lead with innovations in hydrogen fuel cells and hybrid vehicles with events like Intermach 2024 underscoring Southeast Asia’s focus on technology-driven carbon neutrality in manufacturing. These efforts aim to reduce the sector’s reliance on fossil fuels while improving production efficiency​.

Energy, power and manufacturing: A shift to green innovation

Energy-intensive sectors are focusing heavily on clean energy transitions, with solar, wind, and green hydrogen projects at the forefront. Regional collaborations help industries adopt renewable energy solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Thailand’s solar farms for example, and international partnerships for wind energy projects are proof of some of the proactive work done in this domain. Events like the ASEAN Sustainable Energy Week highlight technological advancements and collective efforts in decarbonization and sustainable manufacturing.

Governments working to enhance policy leadership and strategic partnerships

Governments across Southeast Asia are shaping ESG agendas with policy initiatives like green bonds and support for sustainable aviation fuels. Thailand’s commitment to a green economy, as showcased in its “Fiscal GreenPrint” and the electric vehicle ecosystem project, reflects regional autonomy on such initiatives and that governments are open to inculcating ESG goals on all fronts. Collaborative efforts between public institutions and private players are fostering innovation in green tech, emphasizing the role of governance in advancing sustainability goals​.

Focus on emerging trends and challenges

ESG narratives are increasingly interconnected across industries. For example, banking initiatives are driving green investments in energy and mobility sectors. However, misinformation and political opposition challenge adoption, particularly in regions sceptical of its benefits. The anti-ESG movement’s framing of sustainability as “politicized” highlights the need for clear communication and stakeholder engagement​.

A Collaborative ESG Landscape

Southeast Asia’s ESG journey is marked by collaboration, innovation, and a shared vision for sustainable growth. From financing renewable energy projects to fostering green mobility and enacting supportive policies, the region is setting benchmarks for integrating ESG principles. Continued regional cooperation across sectors are key to scaling these efforts.

Want to catch up to our latest insights and reports? Contact nikita.gundala@isentia.com to learn more.

Share

Similar articles

object(WP_Post)#8518 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(40427) ["post_author"]=> string(2) "36" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2025-06-25 23:15:57" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-06-25 23:15:57" ["post_content"]=> string(2105) "

Every stakeholder relationship is different, and managing them effectively takes more than a one-size-fits-all approach.

From campaign planning to long-term engagement, having the right tools and strategy in place can make the difference between missed connections and meaningful impact.

This guide covers:

  • Identifying and understanding your key stakeholders
  • Mapping and modelling for influence and engagement
  • Equipping your team to maintain and grow strategic relationships

Get your copy now

" ["post_title"]=> string(40) "The fundamentals of stakeholder strategy" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(128) "A practical guide to tailored stakeholder management, offering strategies and tools to identify, map, and nurture relationships." ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(40) "the-fundamentals-of-stakeholder-strategy" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2025-07-01 05:46:20" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-07-01 05:46:20" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(32) "https://www.isentia.com/?p=40427" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }
Blog
The fundamentals of stakeholder strategy

A practical guide to tailored stakeholder management, offering strategies and tools to identify, map, and nurture relationships.

object(WP_Post)#11013 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(40160) ["post_author"]=> string(2) "36" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2025-05-26 02:54:37" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-05-26 02:54:37" ["post_content"]=> string(3706) "

Across the communications landscape, teams are being asked to do more with less, while staying aligned, responsive and compliant in the face of complex and often shifting stakeholder demands. In that environment, how we track, report and manage our relationships really matters.

In too many organisations, relationship management is still built around tools designed for customer sales. CRM systems, built for structured pipelines and linear user journeys, have long been the default for managing contact databases. They work well for sales and customer service functions. But for communications professionals managing journalists, political offices, internal leaders and external advocates, these tools often fall short.

Stakeholder relationships don’t follow a straight line. They change depending on context, shaped by policy shifts, public sentiment, media narratives or crisis response. A stakeholder may be supportive one week and critical the next. They often hold more than one role, and their influence doesn’t fit neatly into a funnel or metric.

Managing these relationships requires more than contact management. It requires context. The ability to see not just who you spoke to, but why, and what happened next. Communications teams need shared visibility across issues and departments. As reporting expectations grow, that information must be searchable, secure and aligned with wider organisational goals.

What’s often missing is infrastructure. Without the right systems, strategic relationship management becomes fragmented or reactive. Sometimes it becomes invisible altogether.

This is where Stakeholder Relationship Management (SRM) enters the conversation. Not as a new acronym, but as a different way of thinking about influence.

At Isentia, we’ve seen how a purpose-built SRM platform can help communications teams navigate complexity more confidently. Ours offers a secure, centralised space to log and track every interaction, whether it’s a media enquiry, a ministerial meeting, or a community update, and link it to your team’s broader communications activity.

The aim isn’t to automate relationships. It’s to make them easier to manage, measure and maintain. It’s about creating internal coordination before the external message goes out.

Because in today’s communications environment, stakeholder engagement is not just a support function. It is a strategic capability.

Interested in how other teams are managing their stakeholder relationships? Get in touch at nbt@isentia.com or submit an enquiry.

" ["post_title"]=> string(52) "SRM vs CRM: which is right for PR & Comms teams?" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["ping_status"]=> string(4) "open" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(44) "srm-vs-crm-which-is-right-for-pr-comms-teams" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2025-07-01 05:47:27" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-07-01 05:47:27" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(32) "https://www.isentia.com/?p=40160" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" }
Blog
SRM vs CRM: which is right for PR & Comms teams?

Across the communications landscape, teams are being asked to do more with less, while staying aligned, responsive and compliant in the face of complex and often shifting stakeholder demands. In that environment, how we track, report and manage our relationships really matters. In too many organisations, relationship management is still built around tools designed for […]

Ready to get started?

Get in touch or request a demo.

Contact us Request a demo