Linking ESG
for people and planet
Addressing climate risks and the socio-ecological impacts
An understanding of the social, economic, governance and political (ESG) issues arising from ecological changes and variability such as
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climate change
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biodiversity loss
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biogeochemical flows changes
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land-system change
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ocean acidification
is key to building corporate regenerative and sustainable values.
Hi, I'm Catherine Chong
I am an Environmental, Social, and Governance Advisor.
I help companies, investors, and governments to understand, integrate and adapt to sustainable and regenerative values.
18 Years of ESG, Sustainability, Impact Investing and Tech Professional Experience in Asia, North America, and UK.
A strategist and an analyst by nature, I work with companies to identify, link and then disentangle economic, ecological, social, and governance (ESG) risks and impacts into corporate decisions.
My professional experience extends from management roles in banking to corporate consulting for farming, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), forestry, to finance, especially private equity and sovereign wealth funds.
Across my portfolio, I have worked on national green accounting standards, farm- and product-level environmental impact and outcome metrics and frameworks. Most recently, the UK DEFRA FDTP and BSI.
My expertise also includes crop certification, ethical lending and investment practices, payment-for-ecosystem-services schemes and sustainable product strategies in food, fashion, and other consumer goods categories.
5+ Years of Activism in the UK
Growing up, I saw the socioecological harm that industrial farming inflicted on my family and community in the Global South.
Co-founding Farms to Feed Us in 2020, a platform linking consumers with small-scale UK farmers, became both an act of service and a personal path to healing.
In 2021, I co-founded and have since lead engagement at CLEAR, a consortium of 40+ organisations spanning diverse environments, animal welfare, human health, and landworkers' interests.
We lobby for policies and regulations relating to food system accountability and transparency to support the transition to agroecology. See our latest work on food environmental labelling at clearfoodlabeluk.org/ecolabelreview
I recently developed and delivered corporate training on climate-food risks and actions, including a program specific for CFOs and CROs.
Photo by Joanna Yee
Speaking Engagements
Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum. (2025 ) ‘Priorities for data and transparency in the food system.’ Groundswell. (2025) 'Seeing the Whole Picture: Towards Accurate food Eco-Metrics.' Groundswell. (2025) 'Regenerative Sourcing: a symbiosis of chefs, farmers & middlemen?' CLEAR. (2025) ‘Food System Accountability and Transparency for UK Agricultural Transition: Institutional Learning and Collaboration.' UKRI Agri-food for Net Zero Network+ (2024) 'Diversity for Net Zero'. Symbiocene Summit. (2024) Plant the Future: Right To Grow.' Aspen Institute UK. (2023) ‘Critical Conversations 4: The Future of Food Systems’ Groundswell. (2023) ‘Is it time to certify regenerative agriculture’ IEMA. (2023) ‘Environmental Disclosure and Sustainable Food Production - Friends or Foe?’
Interview & Press
FoodService Footprint. (2025) ‘Health leads the charge for data transparency.’ The Plantbase (2025). ‘Organisations call for mandatory reporting of plant-based protein sales as part of UK government’s new initiative’ Green Queen (2025).’Plant Protein Split’ Must Be Part of Mandatory Reporting on UK Food Sales, Say 200+ Organisations’ FoodService Footprint. (2025) ‘Can eco-labels evolve into something useful?’ Delicious Magazine. (2025)'15 Food Heroes Making Change in 2025'. The Leathersellers' Foundation . (2024) 'A System of Nature Regenerative Agriculture'. The Grocer (2024) ‘How Many Food Environmental Labelling Schemes Are Too Many?’ The Grocer (2023) ‘IGD Faces Backlash Over Front-of-Pack Eco-label Plans’ British Vogue (2023) ‘Great Britain: Tradition And Revolution - Forces for Change” EllenMacarthurFoundation.org (2023) ‘The Foundation's podcast makes the Lovie Award Shortlist’ Farmers Guardian. (2022) ‘Retailer eco-label has potential to 'mislead' shoppers” Food Navigator. (2022) ‘Poor data is hindering eco-label plans, group warns” Country and Townhouse. (2022) July/August Issue. ‘We need Regeneration’
Books & Reports
UK Food Ecolabel Methodological Review. (2025) UK Parliamentary POST Briefing (2023) ‘Research Briefing: Measuring sustainable environment-food system interactions’ UK Parliamentary POST Briefing. (2023) ‘Environmental Impacts of (and Risks for) the Food Production System.’ Footprint Intelligence. (2023). ‘A transparent future for food service: How environmental data is greening supply chains and empowering the public’ Natural Environment Research Council and the British Science Association. (2023) ‘Roundtable: What is the role of eco-labels in driving clean growth?’
John Lewis Partnership
