A selection of the week’s major stories impacting ESG investors, in five easy pieces. European and UK policymakers were given a consistent message by the private sector this week – more or less. Mixed messaging – Seventy-two large companies signed the Antwerp Declaration, calling for a European Industrial Deal to complement and reinforce the existing European Green Deal. The signatories…
LOIM Wins £5 Billion Sustainability-Focused Investment Mandate from Nest
Global wealth and asset manager Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) announced today that it has been selected by UK workplace pension fund Nest to manage a global thematic equities investment mandate targeting a series of climate, environmental and social themes. According to Nest, the pension fund aims to invest £5 billion in the LOIM-managed strategy by 2030. Ritesh Bamania, Head…
SIX Launches Solution Enabling Banks to Assess Sustainability of Small Businesses in their Loan Books
Financial market infrastructure provider SIX and sustainability reporting software provider Greenomy announced today the launch of a new solution aimed at enabling SIX’ banking clients to efficiently assess the sustainability performance and transition trajectories of their small to medium enterprise (SME) loan customers. The new solution comes as banks increasingly set commitments to monitor and improve the sustainability performance of…
Clean Energy Provider GeoPura Raises $70 Million to Accelerate Green Hydrogen Buildout
Clean energy provider GeoPura announced today that it has raised £56 million (USD$70 million) in an investment round aimed at accelerating the adoption of green hydrogen in the UK, with expanded production and increased deployment of the company’s power generation technology. Founded in 2019, GeoPura supplies clean energy to users that require power at temporary sites, long-term backup, off-grid power, and…
Guest Post: Leveraging ESG to Future-Proof Corporate Performance
By: Karen Abramson, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Corporate Performance & ESG Sustainability considerations are now at the top of the corporate agenda for organizations of all sizes – as strong ESG performance is increasingly linked as a key performance indicator of a healthy, thriving business. A recent KPMG study showed that while 47% of businesses use spreadsheets to manage ESG…
Walmart Hits Goal to Reduce 1 Billion Tons of Supply Chain Emissions 6 Years Ahead of 2030 Target
Retail giant Walmart announced today that it has achieved its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons across its product supply chain, hitting the milestone accomplishment 6 years ahead of its 2030 target. The target was initially set by Walmart in 2017, at the launch of the company’s Project Gigaton, its initiative to engage suppliers, as…
Microsoft Signs 350,000 Tonne Nature-Based Carbon Removal Deal with Catona Climate
Microsoft and climate finance company Catona Climate announced today that they have signed a new 6-year offtake agreement, with Microsoft purchasing 350,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits generated through agroforestry projects in Kenya, and marking the latest in a series of large-scale nature-based carbon removal deals for the tech giant. The carbon removal credits for the new agreement stem from…