• info@esgwise.org

Business and Human Rights: Norwegian NCP issues Final Statement on Telenor

The Norwegian National Contact Point (“NCP”) issued its Final Statement on 11 December 2025 regarding a complaint filed by SOMO on behalf of 474 Myanmar-based civil society organisations (“CSO”) against Telenor ASA (“Telenor”) concerning Telenor’s operations and exit from Myanmar following the February 2021 military coup. The NCP concluded that Telenor did not conduct ongoing human rights due diligence commensurate with the severity and likelihood of…

Geothermal Startup Zanskar Raises $115 Million to Find and Develop Carbon-Free Energy Using AI

Geothermal Startup Zanskar Raises $115 Million to Find and Develop Carbon-Free Energy Using AI

Geothermal energy exploration and development company announced that it has raised $115 million in a series C funding round, with proceeds from the financing aimed at expanding its AI-powered geothermal discovery platform, and to develop power plants that it has uncovered with its technology. Launched in 2021 by co-founders CEO Carl Hoiland and CTO Joel Edwards, Salt Lake City, Utah-based…

Wolters Kluwer Appoints Maria Montenegro as New CEO of Corporate Performance & ESG Unit

Wolters Kluwer Appoints Maria Montenegro as New CEO of Corporate Performance & ESG Unit

Professional services and information solutions provider Wolters Kluwer announced the appointment of Maria Montenegro as CEO of its Corporate Performance & ESG (CP & ESG) division. Montenegro takes on her new role after 4 years at Wolter Kluwer, where she has been most recently serving as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer. Prior to joining Wolters Kluwer, Montenegro worked at McKinsey…

SBTi Passes 10,000 Companies with Validated Science-Based Climate Targets

SBTi Passes 10,000 Companies with Validated Science-Based Climate Targets

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) announced today that it has passed a new milestone, with the number of companies with validated science-based climate targets passing 10,000. The achievement marks significant growth for the organization, with more than 2,800 new companies validated in 2025, and the total number of validated companies increasing nearly 40% from around 7,200 in early 2025, and…

TotalEnergies CEO Says Company will Reduce Investment in Clean Fuels on Expectation that EU Will Water Down SAF Mandate

TotalEnergies CEO Says Company will Reduce Investment in Clean Fuels on Expectation that EU Will Water Down SAF Mandate

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné said that the company will reduce its planned investments in clean fuel capacity, based on his prediction that the EU will not stick with its mandated targets for required sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use. Pouyanné statement, made Wednesday during a panel discussion on clean fuels at the WEF annual meeting in Davos, follows the recent announcement…

Microsoft Doubles Carbon Removal Agreements to 45 Million Tonnes in 2025

Microsoft Doubles Carbon Removal Agreements to 45 Million Tonnes in 2025

Microsoft revealed the results of its carbon credit purchase activity in 2025, revealing that the tech giant signed agreements to remove a record 45 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide last year, doubling the volume contracted by the company in 2024. Microsoft announced that it has significantly scaled its carbon credit purchase activity over the past year, with the tech…

Cloover Raises $1.2 Billion to Scale Residential Clean Energy Fintech Platform

Cloover Raises $1.2 Billion to Scale Residential Clean Energy Fintech Platform

German green fintech Cloover announced that it has secured $1.22 billion in financing, including $1.2 billion in debt and $22 million in Series A equity financing, as the company looks to scale its “AI operating system for the energy sector” to provide financing for residential clean energy systems across Europe. Founded in 2022 to address infrastructure gaps in decentralized energy,…

SLR Acquires Sustainability Consulting and Solutions Provider WAP Sustainability

SLR Acquires Sustainability Consulting and Solutions Provider WAP Sustainability

UK-based sustainability-focused consulting firm SLR announced today the acquisition of sustainability consulting, software and ESG data solutions provider WAP Sustainability. Founded by William Paddock and Brad McAllister in 2009, Nashville-based WAP Sustainability provides a range of technical and strategic services aimed at helping companies to meet their sustainability goals, with a strong focus on product sustainability. WAP’s focus areas include…

responsAbility Raises $460 Million for Asia-Focused Climate Tech Fund

responsAbility Raises $460 Million for Asia-Focused Climate Tech Fund

M&G’s impact investing unit responsAbility Investments announced that it has raised $460 million in commitments at the fifth closing of its Asia Climate Strategy, aimed at actively contributing to CO2 reduction in Asia through targeted investments in low-emission technologies. Launched in November 2023, the strategy was established with a target to reach $500 million, and a goal to achieve 16 million…