UBS Asset Management (UBS AM) announced the launch of the S&P 500 Climate Transition ESG UCITS ETF, a new exchange traded fund aimed at investors seeking U.S. large cap exposure with net zero alignment and an improved ESG profile. Listed across European exchanges, including the London Stock Exchange, Xetra, Borsa Italiana and SIX Swiss Exchange, the new fund is the…

The Biden Administration announced the selection of over 100 projects across the U.S. to receive $4 billion in tax credits, aimed at building the clean energy supply chain and supporting industrial decarbonization. The advancement of clean energy manufacturing and industrial decarbonization has been key focus areas for the Biden administration’s climate agenda, with the administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)…

The vast majority of professional investors globally have put in place ESG investment policies over the past several years, with investors looking both to minimize sustainability-related risk and capitalize on opportunities, and citing factors including regulatory requirements, improved performance and talent attraction, according to a new study released by global professional services firm Deloitte and The Fletcher School at Tufts…

Solar energy and energy storage producer MN8 Energy announced today that it has raised $325 million through a private placement of convertible preferred stock, with proceeds from the financing to be used to fund the company’s growth and expansion of operations. Launched in 2017 as Goldman Sachs Renewable Power LLC, New York-based MN8 was rebranded and separated into an independent…

Tokyo-based banking group Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) announced today a series of sustainability-related initiatives, including nearly tripling its 2030 sustainable finance goal to 100 trillion yen (USD$660 billion) from its prior 35 trillion yen target, as well as establishing a new Sustainability Risk Office, to manage sustainability risks, such as climate change risks, across the group. The new targets…

Southwest Airlines announced that it has acquired SAFFiRE Renewables, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-backed project aimed at scaling the production of sustainable aviation fuel from agricultural residue. The acquisition follows the launch last month by the airline of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures (SARV), a new subsidiary responsible for managing the airline’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) investments, and creating opportunities…

This week in ESG news: Biden admin invests $6 billion in industrial decarbonization projects; Microsoft signs one of largest-ever biochar carbon removal deals; Mississippi orders BlackRock to ‘cease and desist’ from ESG investing; Walmart invests in 1 GW of new clean energy projects; Vanguard found guilty of misleading green investing claims in Australia; Persefoni launches free emissions tracking and reporting…

Heat pump tech startup Evari announced that it has raised $7.5 million in seed financing, with proceeds to be used commercialize the company’s technology for the electrification of consumer and industrial heating and cooling systems. Heat pumps are rapidly emerging as a key energy efficient and climate-friendly alternative to furnaces and air conditioners, producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reducing…

Battery energy storage provider Lightshift Energy announced that it has raised $100 million from clean energy-focused investment manager Greenbacker Capital Management (GCM), with proceeds from the financing aimed at supporting the expansion of the company’s utility-scale energy storage solutions. Energy storage solutions and infrastructure are emerging as a key energy transition investment area. Storage forms one of the major building…

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson announced on Wednesday the launch of a cease and desist order against BlackRock, aimed at stopping alleged “fraudulent action” by the investment giant and aiming to impose a multimillion-dollar administrative penalty, over the company’s ESG investment policies. The order, filed by the Securities Division of the Secretary of State’s Office, claims that BlackRock makes…