This week in ESG news: ISO releases proposed net zero standard; EQT signs record sustainability-linked loan tied to portfolio company goals; Anthropic, Google back $900 million carbon removal fund; BoE integrates net zero transition risk into collateral framework; EBA integrates climate risk into bank stress testing; Bloomberg launches portfolio climate scoring and tracking solution; Mars hits U.S. clean energy milestone;…
Norway-based energy company Equinor has retired its target to reach 10 – 12 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030, with CEO Anders Opedal citing less favorable economics for projects since initially setting the goal, and acknowledging at the company’s Capital Markets Day that “we have seen for several years that we will not reach that target.” The retirement…
Global food and beverage company Nestlé announced the launch of a new partnership with UK-based regenerative agriculture company Wildfarmed, which will enable the use of regeneratively farmed wheat in the production of the company’s KitKat bars in the U.K. Regenerative agriculture practices are aimed at addressing the environmental impact of farming and agriculture, and include techniques to improve and restore…
Enterprise sustainability data management platform Sweep announced the launch of its new UK SRS solution, aimed at supporting UK-listed companies required to comply with upcoming mandatory sustainability reporting requirements. The launch of the new solution follows the release earlier this year by the UK government of the finalized UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS), based on the sustainability and climate-related…
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that it has signed a new agreement with energy developer Invenergy to terminate four offshore wind leases totaling $765 million, with the funds to be redirected into the development of natural gas and geothermal projects in the U.S. The announcement forms part of a new tactic employed by the Trump administration to stop…
The Bank of England (BoE) issued a new Market Notice outlining changes to its collateral eligibility framework, including, for the first time, the integration of climate transition-related risk factors into its methodology for valuing corporate bonds pledged by banks as collateral. The BoE’s collateral eligibility framework sets out the assets that banks can use as collateral when borrowing from the…
Singapore-based climate company builder and fund management platform 100×100 announced the launch of its second fund, “Fund II,” aimed at creating and scaling 50 new climate tech startups across South Asia and India. The firm said that it is seeking to raise $100 million for the new fund, compared with its predecessor, Fund I, which hit its hard cap at…
Private equity and venture capital investor EQT Group announced that it has established a new $4.4 billion sustainability-linked loan (SLL), with interest rates tied to the performance of portfolio companies in its Asia Pacific-focused private equity fund, BPEA IX, towards material company-specific sustainability targets. BPEA IX is the largest-ever Asia Pacific-dedicated private equity fund raised to date, with $15.6 billion…
Danish biofuel startup Kvasir Technologies announced today that it has raised €10 million (USD$11.1 million) in a Series A funding round, with proceeds from the financing to be used to accelerate the commercialization its climate-neutral marine fuel technology. Alongside the financing, Kvasir announced a new strategic partnership with European Energy, who joined as a new investor in the round, to…
Three of Europe’s largest steelmakers, ArcelorMittal Europe, thyssenkrupp Steel, and voestalpine, announced the publication of an open letter calling on European lawmakers to pause increasing carbon pricing under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), warning that the current trajectory of the scheme “risks destroying Europe’s industrial base.” While the companies – which collectively account for approximately 60% of Europe’s integrated…