Microsoft and Swedish energy company Stockholm Exergi announced today a significant expansion of their agreement to permanently remove carbon through a planned bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project, growing the deal to more than 5 million tonnes over ten years, from the previously announced 3.33 million tonnes. According to Stockholm Exergi, at 500,000 tonnes per year, the new…
Interest in sustainable investing remains strong – and virtually unchanged – with allocations to sustainability-focused strategies poised to grow over time, with younger investors in particular reporting a growing focus on sustainability in their investment considerations and indicating plans to increase sustainable investment allocations in the near-term, according to a new survey released by Morgan Stanley. The survey also identified…
HSBC’s CEO Georges Elhedery and chair Mark Tucker reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to its long-term net-zero ambition at its annual general meeting (AGM) last Friday (2 May), agreeing to meet with investors but stopping short of addressing concerns about backsliding. Investors including the Ethos Foundation, Nest Corporation, LAPFF, Trinity College Cambridge, the Church of England PB, Rathbones Investment Management and Sparinvest…
Defence ETFs saw the most net inflows of nearly $4.2bn in the first quarter of 2025, representing 72% of total net inflows ($5.78bn) into European ETFs, according to ARK Invest Europe’s latest thematic update. Investor positioning in defence remains robust. The demand for next-gen military and aerospace technology continues to attract capital, with defence-tech firms benefiting from increased procurement budgets…
Power Corporation of Canada’s sustainability-focused alternative asset management subsidiary Power Sustainable announced the launch of Power Sustainable Decarbonization Private Equity, a new strategy aimed at investing in middle-market companies that help future-proof critical sectors of the North American economy. The firm announced that it has already raised more than $330 million in commitments for the new strategy, with investors including…
Chemicals and materials science giant Dow and Google’s breakthrough technologies initiative, X The Moonshot Factory, announced the launch of a new partnership aimed at improving the circularity of hard to recycle plastics such as films and flexibles, by using AI technology in recycling systems. According to the companies, the new collaboration comes to address a key challenge to improving plastics…
A group of 30 investors* representing $1.6 trillion in assets under management, led by responsible investing NGO ShareAction, called on HSBC at its AGM on Friday to restate its net zero commitments, noting that recent moves by the bank have created “deeply concerning signals” around its climate priorities. The investor statement follows an announcement by HSBC earlier this year of…
HSBC Asset Management’s Global Head of Sustainability Erin Leonard will be leaving the firm, ESG Today has confirmed, marking the latest in a series of changes to HSBC’s sustainability-focused executive ranks. Leonard’s departure comes as HSBC undergoes a restructuring under new CEO George Elhedery. In November 2024, the firm announced the departure of Group Chief Sustainability Officer Celine Herweijer, after…
This week in ESG news: IFRS eases climate reporting requirements for financial firms; MSCI study finds companies continuing to raise net zero ambitions; EU’s ESMA to regulate ESG ratings providers; new decarbonization-focused sustainable building standard by USGBC; BoE raises climate risk management expectations for banks; RBC scraps sustainable finance target due to new greenwashing rules; ESG funds suffer outflows in…