InvestorDaily's ESG Summit Showcase: The state of ESG in Australia: An expert insight with Dugald Higgins

In this episode, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic sits down with Dugald Higgins, head of responsible investment and sustainability at Zenith, to discuss the current state of ESG in Australia. Before diving into the sentiment towards ESG in Australia, Mr Higgins separates ESG from sustainability and explores why it's important to do so. With so many ESG investment strategies and funds available, he discusses how advisers and asset managers can best align their clients' values to strategies to maximise returns and adhere to best interest duties. Mr Higgins then shares whether there's a simple way to carry out ESG assessment of funds and how asset managers and advisers can recognise companies that engage in greenwashing. Looking forward, Mr Higgins explores ESG investment issues that will be front and centre in 2023. Finally, he touches on Australia lagging behind the rest when it comes to regulation and discusses how alignment with international trade partners on key ESG commitments is crucial.