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Nike Hit with Federal Investigation Alleging Discrimination Against White Workers in U.S. DEI Crackdown

Nike Hit with Federal Investigation Alleging Discrimination Against White Workers in U.S. DEI Crackdown

U.S. federal agency The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that has filed a subpoena in federal court against Nike, seeking information as part of an investigation into allegations that the company discriminated against white workers through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. According to the court filing, the agency is investigating “potential unlawful employment practices” by Nike, allegedly…

Lunar Energy Raises $232 Million to Power U.S. Homes with Clean Energy

Lunar Energy Raises $232 Million to Power U.S. Homes with Clean Energy

Lunar Energy, a home electrification software and hardware startup founded by former Tesla Energy head Kunal Girotra, announced that it has secured $232 million in a series of funding rounds, with proceeds aimed at scaling its solutions to power homes with clean energy. Launched by Girotra in 2020, California-based Lunar Energy constructs integrated solar and battery systems to enable homeowners…

Meta Inks Solar Energy Purchase Agreement with Zelestra in Texas

Meta Inks Solar Energy Purchase Agreement with Zelestra in Texas

Meta announced that it has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Madrid-based Zelestra for the production of 176 MW of energy from a new solar project in Texas. Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has set a target to reach net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2030 and is one of the world’s largest corporate buyers…

Dutch Markets Regulator Tells Banks and Investors to Improve Sustainability Claims

Dutch Markets Regulator Tells Banks and Investors to Improve Sustainability Claims

Netherlands-based markets regulator the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) warned financial firms that it plans to pay extra attention on sustainability claims in its supervision activities this year, following a study that indicated that “claims still need improvement.” The study, conducted in 2024 and 2025, followed the release in 2023 by the AFM of its Guidelines on Sustainability…

Blackstone’s Aypa Power Secures $1.5 Billion to Build Energy Storage Projects Across U.S.

Blackstone’s Aypa Power Secures $1.5 Billion to Build Energy Storage Projects Across U.S.

Blackstone-backed energy storage developer Aypa Power announced that it has secured $1.5 billion in warehouse facility financing, with the capital aimed at accelerating the construction of utility-scale energy storage projects across the U.S. The financing, which includes a $1.5 billion construction warehouse revolving credit facility, and an additional US$500 million accordion feature, marks the largest warehouse financing executed for a…

SBTi Releases New Draft Net Zero Target-Setting Standard for Automotive Sector

SBTi Releases New Draft Net Zero Target-Setting Standard for Automotive Sector

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) announced the release of an updated draft of its new Automotive Sector Net-Zero Standard, aimed at providing a framework for automakers and auto parts manufacturers looking to science-based net zero-aligned goals. The new publication, aimed at providing an Automotive Standard to replace parts of SBTi’s current Land Transport Guidance, follows the release by the…

Only 38% of Companies Currently on Track with Global Climate Goals: MSCI

Only 38% of Companies Currently on Track with Global Climate Goals: MSCI

Less than 40% of listed companies globally currently have emissions trajectories aligned with the global climate goal of limiting temperature increase to under 2°C above preindustrial levels this century, although companies have continued to set climate targets over the past year, including a significant increase in companies with SBTi-approved emissions reduction goals, according to a new study released by investment…

Fidelity hires stewardship director from Lazard

Elly Irving (pictured) has been appointed director of stewardship at Fidelity International. Based in London, Irving will drive corporate engagement activity across EMEA and the Americas, ensuring the firm drives progress on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. She will report into Flora Wang, head of stewardship. See also: Fidelity to apply SDR Mixed Goals label to three multi-asset funds…

10 recommendations to improve stewardship in the UK

The Investment Association (IA) has issued a series of 10 recommendations to the investment industry to realign stewardship practices and empower stakeholders amid increasing challenges in this area. The IA said “stewardship sits at the heart of a well-functioning investment ecosystem” but in recent years, the stewardship framework in the UK has “faced scrutiny regarding its impact on economic growth…