Baker McKenzie took home the "Net-Zero Transition Award" in recognition of the Firm's work in relation to energy transition and its efforts toward sustainability at the 2024 IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards.
Baker McKenzie is at the forefront of the global energy transition and broader sustainability solutions. We work with clients across every industry, enabling them to transform powerfully to meet the challenges of a fast-changing, increasingly complex regulatory environment and intensifying sustainability-related stakeholder demands. In the past 12 months, we acted on a number of significant net-zero transition deals, which include the following:
- Advised the Queensland government on its AUD 500-million Land Restoration Fund, which has been set up for the state to invest in emission-reduction projects and foster the Queensland carbon-farming industry. The Fund is the first of its kind in Australia and a key aspect of Queensland's climate change strategy. The team was led by Anna Vella and Tanya Denning and was supported by Sebastian Busa and Teresa Ientile.
- Advised Indonesian nickel-mining company, PT Vale Indonesia Tbk (PTVI), on a proposed collaboration between PTVI, battery-minerals producer, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. ("Huayou"), and automaker, Ford Motor Co., to advance more sustainable nickel mining and refining in Indonesia. This project will create significant economic benefits for Indonesia, as part of the government's strategy to further develop a sustainable mining industry — both upstream and downstream. The team was led by Norman Bissett and Luke Devine of HHP Law Firm, and Tanya Denning of Baker McKenzie.
- Advised the bank group on a USD 700 million sustainability-linked syndicated term loan facility for PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero) ("PT SMI"), a state-owned enterprise under Indonesia's Ministry of Finance. The MLABs included MUFG Bank, Ltd., United Overseas Bank, Bank of China, CTBC Bank, DBS Bank and Mizuho Bank. The facility is PT SMI's first ever sustainability-linked loan, which features concrete performance targets that are in line with its ESG commitments. The team was led by Chu Kah Chin of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, and Mita Guritno of HHP Law Firm, with support from Lim Yin Li and Agung Wijaya.
The IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards recognize the region's most innovative and complex deals, as well as the firms that worked on them. The Net-Zero Transition Award recognizes a firm, in-house team or project that has taken positive steps towards net-zero transition, through initiatives that improve sustainability, work that helps clients to decarbonize, or innovative deals that advance market policy, frameworks and regulations for sustainable corporate finance.