Why 2026 is Asean’s make-or-break year for ESG

Looi Teck Kheong is PublicPolicyAsia Advisors’ lead ESG consultant (Asean). He was formerly the assistant director of market integration for the Asean Economic Community and the concurrent head of consumer protection, competition and intellectual property rights division at the Asean Secretariat (2019-2022). He was admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore in 1990.

The conversation around ESG in Asean has shifted decisively from “if” to “how”. After a year defined by accelerated policy articulation—culminating in the recent flurry of national net-zero roadmaps and investor mandates—2026 is poised to be the year of implementation. It is a critical inflection point where high-level aspiration must meet granular, on-the-ground reality.

As someone deeply involved in shaping regional regulatory frameworks, I see 2026 as a strategic juncture demanding integrated, impactful action. Success will hinge on Asean’s ability to turn its foundational documents—its taxonomies, roadmaps and plans of action—into unified commercial and political leverage.