Sustainability is reshaping markets as capital moves at scale. Ongoing transitions are steering industries toward new frontiers whilst making clear-eyed choices about what deserves investment and what gets left behind. As Marisa Drew puts it, “The transition is like a massive cruise ship in forward motion, too big to turn back now.”

The energy transition alone demands an estimated $4.5 trillion a year by 2030, yet many of the projects that matter most, especially in emerging markets, still struggle to secure the capital they need.

Few have a clearer view of this push and pull than Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered. “I see my role as a catalyst for mobilising capital at scale to tackle some of the world’s thorniest issues, whether they be environmental or social,” she says. “At Standard Chartered, we’re at the forefront of this effort, working across markets to drive real impact, channelling finance into solutions that support systemic change and sustainable growth.”

Progress is real, but so are the challenges. In this conversation, Drew lays out where momentum is building, where barriers remain, and why she sees reasons for optimism in the face of uncertainty.

Here are 4 wins, 3 challenges and 2 sources of inspiration from Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Standard Chartered, to consider this week.

Four Wins

1. Scaling Finance for the Energy Transition

“One of the biggest wins in sustainability is the sheer scale of finance now flowing into greener solutions. The energy transition underpins almost every industry, so shifting investment this way is critical. Last year, global renewals investment hit a record $2 trillion, not just remarkable for the sheer amount; it’s where the money is going. Despite the geopolitical headwinds, this transition is like a massive cruise ship in forward motion, too big to turn back now. At Standard Chartered, we see this shift first-hand, ensuring capital flows into the right places, particularly in emerging markets where the need is greatest.” 

2. Solutions from the Fringe to Industrial Impact

“Sustainability is seeing real technological breakthroughs. We’re seeing significant advances in how food is grown, making agriculture better suited to a world under climate stress. Across industries, innovation is accelerating, driven by new nuclear technologies, breakthroughs in material science, and major advances in battery storage that are reshaping entire sectors. Circular economy solutions, such as large-scale waste-to-energy, are moving from the fringes toward industrial scale. It’s a classic Moore’s Law effect, costs are coming down as performance improves and scale economics are realised.”

3. The Global South at the Table

“For too long, sustainability conversations were shaped by the West, with developed economies setting the rules and emerging markets largely the takers. That’s changing. Countries across the Global South are no longer just participants in these discussions, they are actively shaping the agenda. Let’s watch as they may even take the lead as the world transitions. As a cross-border bank in emerging markets, this shift is close to our hearts and central to our work, with almost 80% of our sustainable asset base being deployed in emerging markets.”

4. The Rise of Adaptation Finance

“Two years ago, adaptation wasn’t even on the private finance radar. Today, it’s becoming a recognised market, and businesses are realising that future-proofing communities and economies is essential for long-term economic and financial stability. Standard Chartered’s Adaptation Innovation Hub is helping define adaptation finance for the private sector and mobilise capital into resilience. We are witnessing extreme weather hitting harder – and emerging markets, often with limited excess financial capacity, are bearing the burden. The private sector can step in, not as charity, but as a return-making investment in resilience.”

Three Challenges

1. The Long-Term vs. Short-Term Investment Dilemma

“Many sustainable investments, like large-scale renewable energy infrastructure, require significant upfront capital and take years to pay off and this can be even harder to rationalise when viewed from a traditional risk-adjusted-return lens. Similar challenges apply to early-stage breakthrough technologies, which need patient capital and investors willing to take on higher risk until the solutions can achieve commercial viability. But this is where traditional financial models fall short; they don’t price in either the environmental or social co-benefits of sustainable models – or the risks of maintaining the status quo.”

2. Political Uncertainty and Polarisation: 

“Climate action has become polarised, especially in major economies, rendering sustainable policy-making far more unpredictable. While businesses are pushing ahead, uncertainty creates inefficiencies and slows progress. The challenge is keeping the positive outcomes focused on forward momentum, despite shifting sentiments. At the end of the day, it is hard to argue against a healthy planet, free from pollution, with thriving biodiversity that can can continue to sustain its inhabitants. That’s the ambition. Despite the challenges, my belief is that the necessity of sustainability for our own self-preservation will ultimately prevail.”

3. The Complexity of Systemic Change 

“There is no roadmap for the kind of change we are seeking across all industries and all geographies in a compressed timeframe. This work requires collaboration that is cumbersome and complex, with legacy systems, different starting points and economic dependencies across the globe that influence sustainability adoption. We are working to remove barriers to delivering this systemic change by teaming up with large global corporate buyers to support women-led SME suppliers in emerging markets. When they thrive, their businesses have outsized positive impact on their local economies. We’re trying to prove that systemic change can happen when the right financial mechanisms are in place and like-minded parties are collaborating.”