Proposed guidance published as part of a public consultation on the Global GHG Accounting and Reporting Standard by the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) could affect how carbon footprints are recorded across bond and equity portfolios. Representing “meaningful progress” toward a standardised approach, the guidance has implications not just for green bond holdings but for the carbon footprint of…
Supercritical Raises $18 Million to Scale Low-Cost Green Hydrogen Solution
Green hydrogen startup Supercritical Solutions announced that it has raised £14 million (USD $18 million) in a Series A investment round, with proceeds to be used to advance its low-cost electrolyzer technology aimed at decarbonizing the hard-to-abate chemicals and fuels industries. Hydrogen is viewed as one of the key building blocks of the transition to a cleaner energy future, particularly…
Standard Chartered Issues $1 Billion Social Bond to Fund Sustainable Development in Emerging Markets
UK-based multinational bank Standard Chartered announced that it has issued its first-ever Social bond, raising €1 billion (USD$1.1 billion) to support sustainable development in low-income countries across emerging markets where the bank is active. Proceeds from the bond issuance will be used to provide loans and financing to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and finance access to services like…
CFA Institute Drops “ESG” Label from ESG Investing Certificate
Global investment professional association CFA Institute will be dropping the “ESG” term in its “Certificate in ESG Investing”, renaming it as the “Sustainable Investing Certificate,” according to messages sent to certificate-holders seen by ESG Today. The name change comes as the “ESG” label has become politically charged, particularly in the U.S. over the past few months since the election of…
Glass Lewis Acquires Investment Stewardship Data Platform Esgaia
Governance solutions and proxy voting services company Glass Lewis announced today the acquisition of investment stewardship data platform Esgaia. Founded in 2021 by Anton Ljung, Frida Femling, and Simon Kristiansson, Stockholm-based Esgaia offers a suite of products aimed at helping investors manage data related to engagement with portfolio companies. The company’s technology streamlines processes and workflows, allowing for more efficient…
Google to Provide Advertisers with Carbon Footprint Data for Ads
Google announced the launch of its new Carbon Footprint for Google Advertising reports, aimed at enabling advertisers to measure and manage the carbon emissions of their advertising activities. According to Google, the launch of the new reports come as sustainability reporting regulations, such as the EU’s CSRD directive, require companies to provide comprehensive, data-driven reporting on value chain emissions, including…
Half of Execs Report Higher Sales, Lower Costs from Sustainability Initiatives: Survey
Business leaders are seeing a wide range of value creation benefits from their companies’ sustainability activities, with more than 60% reporting improved employee attraction and retention, and half citing higher sales and lower costs, although only around a third of companies have highly integrated sustainability into decision making, according to a new survey released by ERM Sustainability Institute, Salesforce, GlobeScan,…