This week in ESG news: EU lawmakers reject deal to cut sustainability reporting & due diligence laws; GHG Protocol launches update of Scope 2 emissions reporting framework; French court rules TotalEnergies misled consumers in landmark greenwashing case; U.S., Qatar threaten EU over supply chain sustainability law; Schneider Electric launches global sustainability, energy & technology consulting business; Glass Lewis restructures proxy…

Google, infrastructure investor I Squared Capital and its decarbonization-focused portfolio company Low Carbon Infrastructure (LCI) announced the launch of a new partnership, including an agreement to develop a large-scale natural gas power plant integrated with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology in the U.S., with Google purchasing most of the power generated by the project. The project marks the first-ever…

ISS Sustainability Solutions, the sustainable investment-focused business of ISS STOXX, announced the launch of Real Asset Climate Solutions, a new suite of tools aimed at enabling investors to assess and mitigate climate-related impacts in their portfolios. According to ISS, the new set of solutions was designed to support institutional investors, banks, insurers, and reinsurers to identify and manage climate risks…

The Paris Judicial Court ruled against TotalEnergies in a landmark greenwashing case today, finding that claims by French energy giant about its ambitions regarding its role in the energy transition and its carbon neutrality goals were likely to mislead consumers, and ordering the company to remove a series of sustainability claims from its website. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed…

The government of New Zealand announced a series of changes to its climate-related disclosure (CRD) regulation, including significantly raising the reporting threshold to exempt smaller companies from the scope of the compliance requirements, and reducing liability risk for company directors. New Zealand launched its CRD regime in 2021, introducing requirements for banks, credit unions, insurers and investment scheme managers with…

Sustainability-focused investment manager Mirova announced that it has reached €1.2 billion (USD$1.4 billion) in commitments at the second close of Mirova Energy Transition 6 (MET6), the sixth vintage of its flagship energy transition investment strategy. Mirova launched MET6 in 2023, following the final close of its predecessor fund, MET5, which raised €1.6 billion. Mirova said that it is targeting €2…

Governance, risk and compliance (GRC) solutions provider Diligent and carbon accounting and sustainability management software company Persefoni announced the launch of a new strategic partnership, bringing together the companies’ solutions to help companies navigate sustainability reporting. Under the new agreement, Diligent will transition its carbon accounting clients to Persefoni’s platform, and will also take an equity position in Persefoni. According…

Energy technology solutions provider Schneider Electric announced the launch of SE Advisory Services, its new global consulting practice focused on helping clients solve complex energy efficiency, sustainability, and technology challenges through electrification, automation, and digitalization. According to Schneider Electric, the launch of its dedicated consulting practice comes as companies face a range of interconnected challenges including rising global electricity demand,…

Sustainability advisory and solutions firm Anthesis announced today the appointment of EY climate and sustainability leader Dr. Matthew Bell as its new Group Chief Executive Officer. Bell will take on the new role in December from Anthesis co-founder and current CEO Stuart McLachlan, who will remain on the firm’s board of directors. Founded in 2013, London-based Anthesis works with companies,…

Clean Power startup Arbor Energy announced that it has raised $55 million in a Series A funding round, with proceeds aimed at advancing its next-generation turbine technology aimed at delivering clean baseload power to decarbonize energy intensive industries. Arbor was founded in 2022 by veterans of SpaceX, who have been leveraging recent advancements in oxy-combustion and supercritical turbomachinery – many…