Land Use Finance Impact Hub | Country Factsheet: Investor guide to environmental and social opportunities and risks, Lower Mekong Region

United Nations 3 months ago

The Lower Mekong Region fact sheet is the third in a series, following Indonesia and Brazil. It summarises the environmental and social challenges and opportunities associated with investing in the sustainable land use sector, and to a lesser extent, marine and freshwater use, and serves as a guide for private investors (e.g., impact investors, asset owners, asset managers, insurance companies…) interested in the region. The fact sheet spans across 4 impact areas as structured in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Land use Finance Impact Hub (climate, biodiversity and natural habitats, sustainable production, livelihood and gender) and 10 opportunity areas that are aligned with country priorities to attract private investment.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 12 hours ago



Lincoln CDM Services is expanding its role in health and safety consultancy for the built environment after securing tailored invoice finance. Strengthened financial stability underpins its ability to support sustainable construction by embedding safety, compliance, and efficient delivery into projects. This highlights how unseen financial structures support environmental sustainability in construction and ensure that sustainable building practices remain viable within a challenging market.

Babcock & Wilcox, working with Denham Capital, has launched initiatives to repurpose redundant coal plants into energy sources for data centres across Europe and the United States. Though focused on digital infrastructure, the strategy embodies adaptive reuse, an essential part of eco-design for buildings and broader efforts to reduce Whole Life Carbon in materials. It gives a practical example of how carbon-heavy assets can be redirected towards low carbon design models that contribute indirectly to net zero whole life carbon goals.

In Taiwan, the E.SUN Sustainability Hall, designed by Tadao Ando, will serve as an international centre for environmental learning and innovation. Its architectural ambition aligns with sustainable building design principles and reinforces the connection between design excellence and life cycle thinking in construction. The project provides a cultural and educational framework for future leaders committed to reducing the carbon footprint of construction worldwide.

Circular Economy Week 2025 is preparing to convene global stakeholders this October. Construction remains among the heaviest consumers of resources, and dialogue on the circular economy in construction is critical for scaling circular construction strategies, promoting resource efficiency in construction, and ensuring measurable reductions in Whole Life Carbon. Such forums remain essential platforms for advancing lifecycle assessment methods and practical tools such as Whole Life Carbon Assessment.

Rising public scepticism about the affordability of tackling climate goals poses a reputational risk for the sector. Misconceptions about costs overshadow clear evidence that Life Cycle Cost analysis and sustainable material specification reduce long-term expenses while delivering net zero carbon buildings. More effective communication is required from industry leaders to establish the link between sustainable design, eco-friendly construction outcomes, and the economic resilience of net zero carbon strategies.

The combined picture signals steady but uneven progress. Financial innovation, adaptive reuse of carbon-intensive infrastructure, architectural leadership, and circular economy frameworks show how sustainable construction is moving from vision to practical delivery. The next step is embedding embodied carbon reduction, building lifecycle performance, and carbon neutral construction into mainstream supply chains to accelerate decarbonising the built environment.

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