London-based assurance services provider LRQA announced that it has acquired Ergon Associates, which provides organizations with consulting services on ensuring compliance with issues surrounding labor standards, human rights and gender equality, in a move described by LRQA as enabling the delivery of “industry-leading expertise, enabling businesses to better integrate ESG factors into their decision-making processes.” Operating for the past 18…
Netherlands-based cleantech startup RIFT announced that it had raised €11 million (USD $11.9 million) in Series A funding aimed at advancing its technology to decarbonize industrial heat. Industrial heating uses high amounts of energy, often from fossil fuel-based sources, in order to transform materials into products such as metals and plastics. While solutions to replace fossil-based energy sources have emerged, including…
Southwest Airlines announced today the introduction of new items to replace single-use plastic from its flights, including a new bamboo cup for inflight cold beverages and a wood stir stick. According to the airline, the new items are anticipated to reduce its inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually. The introduction of the new items follows the…
France-based testing, inspection and certification services provider Bureau Veritas announced the acquisition of AI-powered sustainability planning solutions provider Aligned Incentives, with the move aimed at enhancing its sustainability metrics capabilities in areas including Scope 3 emissions analysis and product life cycle assessment (LCA). Founded by CEO Yann Risz and COO Craig Cammarata in 2015, Massachusetts-based Aligned Incentives offers an AI-powered…
EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) announced the release of its annual European Common Enforcement Priorities (ECEP) Statement for corporate reporting, setting out key issues relating to the EU’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as areas for close scrutiny over the next year for ESMA and national European enforcers. Specific sustainability reporting-related issues highlighted as…
Sustainability software provider IntegrityNext announced the launch of two new solutions, Multi-Tier Supply Chain Visibility and EUDR Compliance, aimed at enabling companies to address complex supply chain sustainability challenges and regulatory compliance requirements. Launched in 2016, Munich-based IntegrityNext provides a software platform aimed at enabling companies to build more transparent and sustainable supply chains, and helping businesses to collaborate with…
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) announced that more than 500 companies and financial institutions have committed to begin nature-related corporate reporting, based on the TNFD recommendations. The announcement, made at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference, marks a significant increase in committed TNFD-aligned reporting entities from 320 companies earlier this year, advancing efforts to establish standardized reporting on nature-related governance,…
By: Ian Stannard, ICE Sustainable Finance ICE’s research on identifying and quantifying potential Avoided Emissions has highlighted how climate opportunities can be found in unlikely sectors and companies outside of the obvious candidates. Our approach, highlighted in a Whitepaper by ICE and EcoFin Investors, aims to help investors not only manage climate risks, but also identify investment opportunities (See Making…