EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) announced today the publication of its draft Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) under the EU’s ESG Rating Regulation, setting out its proposed rules for ESG ratings providers. The publication follows the adoption by the European Commission in late 2024 of the ESG Rating Regulation, aimed at improving the reliability, transparency and…
Digital supply chain solutions provider Blue Yonder announced the acquisition of the business of logistics-focused climate data tech startup Pledge Earth Technologies, with the transaction aimed at enhancing Blue Yonder’s capabilities to help customers assess and reduce supply chain emissions. Founded in 2021, UK-based Pledge provides solutions enabling enterprises to calculate and report emissions across their logistics supply chains. The…
The Bank of England (BoE) announced today a series of proposals strengthening its expectations for banks’ and insurers’ management of climate-related risks, after finding that while improvements in this area have been made over the past few years, “progress is uneven and more needs to be done.” The new proposals would update the BoE’s initial 2019 supervisory expectations for firms’…
Circular economy startup Syre announced that it has signed an agreement with the province of Binh Dinh, Vietnam with the intention to establish the company’s first “Gigascale” textile-to-textile recycling plant in the province. Founded in 2024, Syre was launched by fashion and design brands company H&M Group and impact-focused venture investor Vargas, to enable the mass production of textile-to-textile recycled…
Clean energy developer and operator Clearway announced a new long-term power purchase agreement with Microsoft, providing the tech giant with 335 MW of energy from its Mount Storm wind farm project in West Virginia. Clearway acquired the Mount Storm wind farm in 2021, and is currently undergoing a project to repower the facility. The $735 million repowering project includes increasing…
“Nothing in our rules, including those related to sustainability, prevents investment or finance for defence companies.” That was the clear message from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority earlier this year, following similar guidance from the European Commission last October. The implication is straightforward: from a regulatory standpoint, defence is not off-limits to ESG funds. However, for fund managers, the question…
They’re already doing factory and warehouse work, and 20 of them even raced in a half marathon in Beijing last week. Humanoid robots are here, and soon they could be farming our food and looking after our elderly parents. The US and China are vying to be the leaders in ‘embodied AI’, and start-ups and tech giants are investing huge…
Climate change is already threatening lives and livelihoods, with negative impacts on communities, businesses and the UK’s economic outlook only set to grow, according to the latest report published by the Climate Change Committee (CCC). The report, which assesses the extent to which the UK’s Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) and its implementation are preparing the UK for climate change,…
Cleantech startup Remora announced that it is expanding its solution to capture carbon from vehicles and share revenues from the sale of the captured CO2 to the rail industry, with partnerships in place with companies including Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern. Founded in 2020, Detroit-based Remora provides a solution to capture C02 from vehicle exhaust. Initially focused on semi-trucks,…