Medical device company Medtronic announced the appointment of Raman Venkatesh as its first Chief Sustainability Officer, with responsibilty for leading the development and execution of the company’s environmental sustainability strategy. Venkatesh joins Medtronic from Danish sustainability technology company Aquaporin, where he served as Executive Vice President, responsible for global market solutions, including commercial activities. He has also been serving for Tau…
Closed-loop battery materials solutions provider Ascend Elements announced today that it has raised $162 million in new equity investments, with proceeds aimed at supporting the building of a new 1-million square foot sustainable lithium-ion plant in Kentucky. Founded in 2015, Westborough, Massachusetts-based Ascend Elements provides closed-loop battery materials solutions, ranging from EV battery recycling to commercial-scale production of lithium-ion battery…
Global mining and metals company Rio Tinto announced today that it has signed Australia’s largest clean energy deal, agreeing to buy the majority of the electricity from a 1.4 GW wind energy project under development by renewable energy provider Windlab to power its Gladstone operations in Queensland. The deal marks the second mega-scale renewable energy power purchase agreement (PPA) for…
Global investment manager Schroders announced the launch of Schroder International Selection Fund (Schroder ISF) Global Equity Impact, a new listed global equity impact fund aimed at investing in companies with solutions and actions addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to Schroders, the launch of the new fund comes amidst growing demand from clients for public equity-focused impact strategies. Schroders…
Aerospace giant Airbus and energy company TotalEnergies announced today the launch of a new strategic partnership, aimed at advancing the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and supporting the decarbonization of aviation with the objective of achieving net carbon neutrality for the sector by 2050. Fuel accounts for the vast majority of the aviation sector’s emissions. Generally produced from sustainable…
Two major academic institutions have partnered to launch the Just Transition Finance Lab, which aims to push the net-zero transition and nature-positive economy through a people-centred approach. The London School of Economics and Political Science and Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment said the collaborative venture will highlight the opportunities from financing climate action, such as better…
The European Council announced that it has adopted a directive aimed at protecting consumers from misleading green claims and other greenwashing practices, including banning unverified generic environmental claims such as “environmentally friendly,” or “biodegradable” and those based on emissions offsetting schemes. The announcement marks the last major step towards the passage of the legislative act, with its adoption now complete,…
In this series, ESG Clarity takes a deep dive into an investment firm’s stewardship activities, discovering their key focuses and processes, and what’s in their engagement toolkit. Here, Rachael Monteiro, stewardship and climate analyst at Wheb Asset Management, discusses the less well-known stewardship trends and how the group is focused on helping clients understand how issues are selected and prioritised. What do you…