Austria’s unexpected support means the flagship biodiversity legislation will pass despite opposition from farmers. EU member states have approved the bloc’s central biodiversity policy, the Nature Restoration Law, after Austria made a surprise last-minute decision to back the legislation. As a result, EU members will now be subject to the most comprehensive set of biodiversity targets in the bloc’s history….
Mizuho, Lombard Odier Launch Sustainable Investing Partnership
Tokyo-based banking and financial services company Mizuho Financial Group and global wealth and asset manager Lombard Odier announced the launch of a new “sustainability alliance,” including agreements to partner on sustainable investment products and solutions for Japan-based clients. The new collaboration follows the launch last year by Mizuho and Lombard Odier of a private banking-focused Strategic Alliance Agreement, and, according…
EU Council Agrees on New Rules to Tackle Greenwashing in Product Green Claims
The European Council today announced today that it has reached an agreement on a series of proposals aimed at protecting consumers from greenwashing, setting requirements for companies to substantiate and verify claims and labels regarding the environmental attributes of products and services. The agreement establishes the Council’s position for negotiation with the EU Parliament on the European Commission’s Green Claims…
Sustainability-Focused Consulting and Engineering Firm RSK Raises £500 Million
Sustainable solutions provider RSK Group announced today that it has raised £500 million through a preferred equity investment, aimed at supporting the company’s ambitious growth plans, including both organic and inorganic opportunities. Founded in 1989 by CEO Alan Ryder, UK-based RSK provides environmental consulting and engineering solutions to clients across water, energy, construction and infrastructure sectors, aimed at helping companies…
EU Approves Nature Restoration Law in Dramatic Last-Minute Vote Swing by Austria
Member states in the European Council voted today to approve the long-contested Nature Restoration Law, a key piece of legislation aimed at protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, and creating a mandated target for EU countries implement measures to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, after a last-minute decision by Austria to drop its…
ESG Today: Week in Review
This week in ESG news: 100% of large companies expect to be required to report on sustainability, but less than a third are ready for ESG data assurance, KPMG finds; Microsoft buys nearly 1 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits; BlackRock launches new suite of low carbon transition ETFs; GRI launches standards to report on company impact on workers;…
Telstra Ends Use of Carbon Credits to Increase Focus on Decarbonization Projects
Australia-based telecommunications and information services company Telstra announced today that it will no longer be using carbon credits to offset its operational carbon emissions, shifting focus instead to investments in decarbonization projects to reduce its direct emissions footprint. In addition to moving away from offsetting, Telstra also announced an increase in its decarbonization goals, raising its scope 1 and 2…
Swiss Re Signs 70,000 Tonne Biochar Carbon Removal Agreement with Carbonfuture
Carbon removal solutions provider Carbonfuture and Swiss Re announced today that they have signed a new biochar carbon removal (BCR) agreement, with Swiss Re purchasing at least 70,000 tonnes of BCR credits, sourced from Carbonfuture partner Exomad Green’s new Riberalta facility in Bolivia. Biochar, or biological charcoal, is produced by heating biomass, such as forest residue, wood or crop waste,…