Oslo-based power and heat provider Hafslund Celsio announced today a new carbon removal offtake agreement with Microsoft, with the tech giant purchasing more than 1 million tons of carbon credits over ten years, to be generated by a new carbon capture project at Norway’s largest waste-to-energy plant. Hafslund Celsio operates the Klemetsrud waste-to-energy facility in Oslo which incinerates around 350,000…

The government of Norway announced a new climate target, aiming to reduce absolute economy-wide emissions by at least 70% to 75%, on a 2019 basis, by 2035. The new decarbonization goal will form Norway’s new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. NDCs are national climate action plans presented by each country under the agreement, and are required to…

The Green Claims Directive, a new proposed regulation aimed at protecting consumers from greenwashing claims about the environmental attributes of products and services, has not been withdrawn by the European Commission, according to a statement provided by a Commission spokesperson to ESG Today. The clarification followed an earlier statement from the Commission just prior to scheduled trilogue negotiations, which were…

Biofuels producer EcoCeres announced today a new multi-year sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) transaction with British Airways, supplying the airline with SAF produced from waste-based biomass feedstock to help meet its sustainability goals. According to EcoCeres, the new agreement will enable British Airways to reduce fuel lifecycle carbon emissions by approximately 400,000 metric tonnes compared with conventional jet fuel, equivalent to…

The Swiss government announced a decision to pause the revision of its ordinance on climate disclosures for companies, delaying the implementation of new climate-related reporting rules for companies, including a requirement for companies to provide plans to align with Switzerland’s net zero by 2050 climate target. The delay of the new climate reporting rules comes primarily in response to the…

This week in ESG news: UK releases new sustainability, climate reporting standards; GRI releases climate, energy reporting standards; Microsoft signs two multi-million ton carbon removal deals; EU states target bigger cuts in sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements; IFRS publishes transition plan disclosure guidance; EU’s new rules to help fund cleantech, industrial decarbonization; JPMorgan signs carbon removal agreement with Oxy;…

Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp owner Meta and clean energy developer Invenergy announced that they have signed a series of agreements, providing Meta with nearly 800 MW of renewable energy from new wind and solar projects in the U.S. to support its operations and data center growth. Under the new agreement, electricity from four new projects in Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas…

The Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Singapore’s key business association representing over 32,000 companies, announced the release of a statement today, asking regulators to delay climate-related disclosure requirements for smaller companies, set to begin from this year, by one to two years, to give businesses more time to prepare. The statement follows the announcement early last year by the government of…

“Carbon intelligence” solutions provider Climatiq announced that it has raised €10 million (US$11.7 million) in a Series A funding round, with proceeds aimed at accelerating its AI-powered solutions to help companies integrate carbon data into their business decisions. Founded in 2021, Berlin-based Climatiq offers software infrastructure designed to embed carbon intelligence into decision-focused business tools. The company provides a carbon…

The Republic of Slovenia announced its inaugural sustainability-linked bond (SLB) offering, raising €1 billion from the issuance of a new 10-year benchmark issuance, with interest tied to the country’s performance towards its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets. The offering is the first-ever sustainability-linked bond from a European Sovereign, marking a significant milestone for SLBs. After significant early growth, the volume of…