As the US gears up for a historic election this November, we reflect on the differing realities under each President and the how the makeup of Congress could potentially shape climate and ESG legislation in a polarized political landscape. While climate and ESG issues aren’t explicitly “on the ballot”, we examine some of the key policies and initiatives that are…
Allianz Trade Launches Surety Solution to Enable Clients to Invest in Cleantech, Renewables Projects
Insurance and investment group Allianz’s trade credit insurance unit Allianz Trade announced the launch of Surety Green2Green, a new solution aimed at enabling clients to engage in low-carbon technologies and renewables projects through issuance of surety bonds and guarantees securing project completion. Surety bonds support companies’ contractual obligations with customers and suppliers, protecting business partners against loss arising from late…
Coty Sets New Sustainable Packaging, Water Targets
Beauty company Coty announced today a series of new sustainability goals, targeting areas including sustainable packaging and water use, including a goal to reduce water withdrawal by 25% by 2030, on a 2019 basis. The new goals were announced alongside the release of Coty’s 2024 sustainability report. According to Coty, the new water reduction goal follows an initial water stress…
DBS Appoints Shilpa Gulrajani as Head of Sustainable Finance for Institutional Banking
Singapore-based financial services group DBS Bank announced the appointment of Shilpa Gulrajani as its new Head of Sustainability for its Institutional Banking Group. According to a DBS spokesperson, in her new role, Gulrajani will have responsibility for “leading DBS’ sustainable finance business franchise and engagement in the region, driving ESG business origination, advisory and financing solutions to enable corporates and…
ESG Today: Week in Review
This week in ESG news: EU cuts greenhouse gas emissions by more than 8% in a year; Morgan Stanley softens climate targets; CFOs see greenwashing risk from ESG reporting due to data problems, EY survey finds; new climate reporting standard for public sector released; 500 companies commit to report on nature, biodiversity; EU regulator prioritizes compliance with new sustainability reporting…
IPSASB Releases Proposed Climate-Related Reporting Standard for Public Sector
The International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) announced the release of SRS ED 1, a new draft climate-related disclosure standard for governments and other private sector entities, which would be the first sustainability reporting standard for the public sector. The new standard is being developed with the support of The World Bank, which called on IPSASB in 2022 to lead…
EU Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions by More than 8% in 2023
Net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the EU fell by 8.3% in 2023, according to a new report released by the European Commission, marking one of the largest declines in decades, with the exception of a 9.8% COVID-19-driven drop in 2020 (which was followed by a 4.8% increase the following year), and a significant acceleration from the 3% reduction in…