In 2025, the world stands at a crossroads of rapid transformation, driven by relentless innovation and the urgent need to address pressing global challenges, including climate change, resource scarcity, and social inequality.

Companies, as key players in the global economy, face a pivotal moment. They must balance competing demands, profitability, stakeholder expectations, and operational resilience, while seizing the opportunity to lead the charge towards a sustainable future.

Meanwhile, technological advancements, such as breakthroughs in green hydrogen and AI-driven resource optimization, are reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace. Many companies are under pressure to adapt swiftly, not only to remain competitive but also to align with growing consumer and regulatory demands for sustainability.

Recent events underscore the urgency and potential of corporate leadership, particularly in Asia, for companies to rise as global beacons of ambition and innovation.

Already, financial regulators in Asia have been proactive in incorporating sustainability into the practices of companies in the region, often aligning with international standards, such as those established by the International Sustainability Standards Board ( ISSB ).

According to a survey by the Asian Development Bank Institute, nearly 70% of responding Asian financial regulators already require or plan to mandate climate-related disclosures, with 42% planning to include Scope 3 emissions alongside Scope 1 and 2 requirements.

The leading Asian financial hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore are already requiring listed companies on their respective bourses to publish annual sustainability reports aligned with ISSB standards, starting from January 2025.

Other key markets such as mainland China drafted climate-related disclosure standards in April 2025 aligned with ISSB. In March 2025, the Standards Board of Japan released inaugural sustainability disclosure standards incorporating ISSB elements, such as IFRS ( International Financial Reporting Standards ) S1 and S2. In Thailand, stricter ESG reporting requirements will take effect from the start of 2025, with detailed Scope 1-3 emission disclosures for companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Key qualities in sustainability leaders

As part of our coverage of corporate sustainable leadership in Asia, Asset Benchmark Research ( ABR ) took a deep dive into the key factors that make a leading sustainability-focused company with the key foundational factors of intention, disclosure, and performance being core traits.

When it came to addressing environmental issues, leading companies were those that successfully embedded environmental considerations into their key business decisions. Moreover, these companies would have clear and ambitious climate targets, backed by third-party verification, and include strategies aimed at improving energy efficiency or exploring carbon offsetting measures. Once seen as a nice-to-have, biodiversity is also becoming a core part of how several companies view environmental schemes, with the implementation of initiatives to safeguard nature.      

Social factors were equally adopted by leaders in corporate sustainability, with areas such as human capital management core to their operations. This involved a company that invested in talent development and crafting clear targets for gender equality and inclusion for instance. Another core principle was having a formalized whistleblower policy in place, along with open communication channels that employees could use to provide feedback and suggestions. Activity in community engagement and social impact was a must for these companies, demonstrating awareness of the impact of the wider ecosystem they operate in.    

As a core foundation for any sustainability-focused company, having a sound and proactive governance system that can stand the test of time is essential. At the very basic level, leading companies shouldn’t have any conflicts of interest when it comes to their board structure, ensuring full accountability. This would require the greater involvement of independent non-executive directors in the audit, remuneration, and nomination committees of a company.

Other important areas of governance include having a robust supplier code of conduct, routinely examining the third parties they work with, and being aware of possible violations of child labour, health/safety, and freedom of association, for instance. These were just the key qualities seen in the various companies ABR engaged with over the past few months.

Amid these transformative times, The Asset is pleased to announce the winners of The Asset ESG Corporate Awards, updated as The Asset Corporate Sustainability Leadership Awards 2025 – Asia’s longest-running programme dedicated to recognizing management excellence and ESG integration – refreshed to focus on governance and corporate sustainability.

Transforming into The Asset Corporate Sustainability Leadership Awards redefines the programme, inspiring organizations to go beyond compliance to create lasting, positive impact. They celebrate visionary leadership, align with global sustainability trends, and position them as a catalyst for driving transformative change in the corporate world.

This year, we enhanced our sustainability evaluation process by taking a deep dive into the performance of winning companies. We assessed how they stack up against over 500 companies across various markets and industries throughout the Asia region.

To view the winning companies for this year’s Corporate Sustainability Leadership Awards, please go here.

Interested to attend our awards gala on November 6th, 2025 in Singapore? Please contact us at celebrate@theasset.com

To learn more about this award programme, please go here.