Disability inclusion has emerged as a must-have theme for DEI-focused investors. Seeing diversity, equity and inclusion-related (DEI) themes – from gender, to ethnicity, to socioeconomic background – climb up the agendas of investors and companies alike in recent years has been heartening. Sadly, the same cannot yet be said for disability inclusion. An estimated 1.3 billion people — around…
AESG Appoints Devan Valenti as Director of Sustainability for New Australia Practice
Consultancy, engineering, and advisory firm, AESG today announced that it has launched a new headquarters for its Australasian markets in Sydney, Australia, and appointed Devan Valenti as Director of Sustainability for Australia. The company said the new office will focus on developing its Environment and Sustainability and Specialist Engineering offerings, especially service lines including Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD), Facade Engineering,…
Goldman Sachs Asset Management Exits Climate Action 100+
Goldman Sachs Asset Management has ended its participation in Climate Action 100+, a climate-focused investor network focused on engaging with companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and implement climate transition plans, joining several other investment manager departures as political pressure on group participants builds in the U.S. In a statement provided to ESG Today, a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said:…
Standard Chartered Rolls Out ESG-Linked Cash Accounts for Corporate Clients
International banking group Standard Chartered announced the launch of a new ESG-linked cash account, enabling corporate clients to be rewarded, through the credit balance interest rate or fee pricing, for meeting material ESG-related targets. The new ESG-linked cash account forms the latest in a series of sustainability-focused Transaction Banking Cash solutions by Standard Chartered, which also includes the Sustainable Account,…
Battery Tech Startup Gaussion Raises $12 Million to Scale Rapid Charging Solution
EV battery-focused tech startup Gaussion announced today that it has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round, with proceeds aimed at advancing its technology to significantly enhance battery performance and enable much faster charging. Founded by Dr Thomas Heenan and Dr Chun Tan, University College London (UCL) spinoff Gaussion provides technology to upscale the performance and viability of…
Rio Tinto, BHP, Qantas Invest $53 Million in New Nature-Based Carbon Credit Fund
Carbon assets and investment manager Silva Capital announced today the launch of the Silva Carbon Origination Fund, aimed at providing access to large-scale, high-integrity carbon credits from nature-based projects in Australia targeting reforestation and sustainable agriculture. Alongside the launch, Silva announced the first close of the fund, with mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP and airline company Qantas collectively committing…
Microsoft Unveils New Multi-Framework ESG Reporting Solution
Microsoft announced Project ESG Reporting, a new tool aimed at enabling companies to create, review and approve ESG reports across multiple standards and frameworks. According to Microsoft, the new solution, currently in preview, was designed to help organizations solve the challenge of reporting against a variety of voluntary and regulatory reporting frameworks. In a post announcing the launch of Project…
Countries Likely to Miss Dubai Renewables Pledge
China dominates on wind deployment but other countries are not on track to meet the 2030 goal, says Ember. The goal of tripling global wind power capacity by 2030 – agreed at Dubai last year – is within reach, but governments must urgently ramp up their ambitions, according to a new report by energy think tank Ember. That means reforming…