DOING well by doing good – that has largely been the mantra fuelling environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing for the last few years.

The landscape of ESG investing is entering a new phase, though, where trade-offs have to be acknowledged, said Tan Jenn-hui, chief sustainability officer (CSO) of Fidelity International. 

“I think there was a time when ESG was always ‘I make money by doing good’,” said Tan in an interview with The Business Times. “I think you have to be honest about it and say that now, where ESG is coming to, you need to acknowledge what (the) trade-offs are.”