A federal U.S. district court dismissed a discrimination lawsuit filed against Starbucks by the Attorney General of Missouri, which claimed that the coffee giant’s DEI policies unlawfully discriminated against white, male and heterosexual employees, with the ruling noting that the allegations failed to “establish that discrimination actually took place.” The lawsuit, launched in February 2025 by then-Missouri AG Andrew Bailey,…
BNP Paribas Surpasses 80% of Energy Financing to Low-Carbon Energies
More than 80% of Paris-based global bank BNP Paribas’ energy production financing exposure was directed to low-carbon energies as of the end of 2025, according to the bank’s annual results. The achievement puts BNP Paribas ahead of track to achieve one of its key sustainability goals, with the bank targeting 90% low-carbon energies, or more than €40 billion, within its…
ESG Today: Week in Review
This week in ESG news: UK plans IFRS-aligned sustainability reporting from 2027; Deutsche Bank’s sustainable finance volumes rebound on “renewed demand”; Anti-DEI crackdown hits Nike; court strikes down Texas’ anti-ESG law as unconstitutional; assets in SFDR Article 8 & 9 funds surpass $10 trillion; EU launches new standard to certify carbon removal projects; CIP acquires Ørsted’s European onshore renewable energy…
Canada Drops Zero Emission Vehicle Sales Mandate for Automakers
The government of Canada announced that it will repeal the Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS), a regulation mandating a minimum and rising share of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by automakers, which would have required the industry to reach 100% ZEVs by 2035. Initially launched in 2023, the regulation was designed to help increase supply for consumers over time, and included…
Mundi Ventures Raises €750 Million for Deep Tech & Climate Growth Fund
Spain-based venture capital firm Mundi Ventures announced the first close of its deep tech growth fund, raising €750 million first close toward its €1 billion target to invest in scalable technologies aimed at addressing critical societal challenges, ranging from from climate change to resilient infrastructure. According to Mundi, the fund was created to address a gap in European capital markets, with…
Avalanche Energy Raises $29 Million to Develop Desk-sized Fusion Energy Devices
Fusion energy startup Avalanche Energy announced that it has raised $29 million in a new funding round, aimed at advancing the development of its compact fusion energy devices. Fusion, the process of combining two atoms to form a single atom to release energy, has been long referred to as the “Holy Grail” of clean and abundant energy production, given its…
Stellantis Sells Stake in Multibillion Dollar EV Battery JV to LG Energy Solution for $100
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Citroen parent Stellantis announced today an agreement to sell its 49% stake in its Canada-based EV battery manufacturing facility, NextStar Energy to its joint venture partner LG Energy Solution. Launched by Stellantis and LG Energy Solution in 2022, NextStar was founded to establish the first large-scale domestic electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Canada, with annual production…
Texas Judge Strikes Down Law Blacklisting Investment Firms that “Boycott” Fossil Fuel Companies
A Texas District Court judge has struck down the state’s “business blacklist law,” ruling that the law requiring state entities to divest from financial companies deemed to be “boycotting” fossil fuel companies was unconstitutional. Passed in 2021, the blacklist law, Senate Bill 13 (SB 13) formed part of an anti-ESG movement in Republican states – which has picked up significant…