ESG / Impact News

India-Based Climate Tech Startup Alt Carbon Raises $12 Million to Trap Carbon in Rocks and Soil
India-based climate tech startup Alt Carbon announced that it has raised $12 million in a seed financing round, with proceeds aimed at scaling its Enhanced Rock Weathering solution to remove and store carbon across the Global South. According to the company, the announcement marks the largest seed round to date for climate tech in India.

EU Ombudsman Launches Inquiry into Commission’s Process to Reduce Sustainability Reporting, Due Diligence Requirements
EU Ombudsman Teresa Anjinho announced that she has opened an inquiry into the process behind the European Commission’s Omnibus proposal to simplify and reduce corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements, following complaints alleging that the Commission failed to meet procedural requirements in preparing the proposals.

Germany Walks Back Call to Scrap the EU’s Supply Chain Sustainability Law
Germany’s federal government softened its language on calls to eliminate the EU’s new law requiring companies to address their negative impacts on human rights and the environment across their value chains – the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – with a government spokesperson clarifying that the government’s position is to “de-bureaucratize” and “streamline” the […]

ESG Today: Week in Review
This week in ESG news: JPMorgan buys carbon removal for under $200/ton; Meta, Google sign large-scale renewable energy deals to power data centers; France joins call to scrap EU’s supply chain sustainability law; Lululemon hires former Nike CSO as new sustainability chief; PepsiCo pushes back climate and sustainable packaging goals; EU Parliament agrees to exempt […]

Westbridge versorgt Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield in Deutschland mit PPA-Vertrag
Um sechs Shopping-Center bei der Strom- und Gaszufuhr nachhaltig auszurichten, hat sich das Immobilien- und Investmentunternehmen Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) die Dienste des ESG-Experten Westbridge Advisory (Westbridge) gesichert. Hierbei hat Westbridge URW im Bereich der Energiezulieferung beraten und beim Abschluss eines Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) unterstützt. Ein PPA ist ein langfristig ausgelegtes Vertragsmodell zwischen Energieerzeugern und einem […]

Gprnt startet weltweit erstes landesweites ESG-Dienstprogramm mit Unterstützung von Ant International und MUFG
Automatisierte ESG-Kennzahlen für alle: Unternehmen in Singapur, insbesondere KMU, können jetzt mithilfe der Integration von Gprnt mit staatlichen Versorgungsunternehmen kostenlos automatisch Emissionsdaten der Bereiche 1 und 2 generieren. Von Investoren unterstützte Beschleunigung: 4.62 Millionen US-Dollar Startkapital von Ant International und MUFG Bank zum Ausbau der digitalen ESG-Infrastruktur und zur Aufnahme von Partnern in ganz Asien. […]

EBA schlägt vereinfachte ESG-Offenlegungsregeln vor, um die Compliance-Belastung der Banken zu verringern
Maßgeschneiderter Ansatz: Für kleine und mittelgroße Banken gelten vereinfachte ESG-Berichtspflichten; für große börsennotierte Banken gelten keine neuen Anforderungen. Unterstützung bei der Umsetzung: Übergangsmaßnahmen und aufsichtliche Flexibilität werden den Instituten dabei helfen, sich an neue Offenlegungen anzupassen. Angleichung an die EU-Taxonomie: Durch Aktualisierungen werden die ESG-Offenlegungsvorlagen an die Green Asset Ratio und die EU-Nachhaltigkeitstaxonomie angepasst.

Natixis Merges Sustainable, Thematics Investment Units
Natixis Investment Managers’ sustainability- and thematics-focused affiliates, Mirova and Thematics Asset Management announced today the launch of a strategic merger project, aimed at creating a “unique offering” combining innovation and positive impact, and becoming “a major player in thematic management worldwide. “

BlackRock Hits Back at Trump Administration’s Support for Case Accusing Asset Managers of Using Net Zero to Manipulate Energy Prices
Investment giant BlackRock issues a strong statement following the release of a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in support of a Texas-led multistate lawsuit accusing asset managers BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street of using ESG investing to manipulate coal markets, calling the case “baseless,” and “based on an absurd […]

Ausbau der Ladeinfrastruktur für E-Mobilität – Neue E-Ladesäulen auf 300 Liegenschaften des Bundes
Die Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben (BImA) treibt den Ausbau der E-Ladeinfrastruktur für die Liegenschaften des Bundes weiter voran. Mit der Einrichtung von rund 1.900 neuen Ladepunkten auf fast 300 Grundstücken leistet die BImA einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur Mobilitätswende der Bundesverwaltung.

Construction Cleantech Converge Raises $22 Million to Decarbonize Concrete with AI
London-based cleantech construction technology firm Converge announced that it has raised $22 million in a new investment round, with proceeds aimed at further developing and commercially scaling its AI-based platform for decarbonizing concrete. Building materials are a key source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cement production, an ingredient in concrete, accounts for approximately 8% of […]

Meta Buys 650 MW of Renewable Energy to Power U.S. Data Centers
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp owner Meta announced that it has signed two long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to acquire 650 MW of solar energy in Texas and Kansas from energy provider AES to support the social media giant’s data centers. Virginia-based AES is among the largest power providers in the world. Meta will draw power […]

PepsiCo Pushes Back Climate, Packaging Goals Due to “External Realities”
Food and beverage giant PepsiCo announced today a series of updates to its key sustainability goals in areas across climate, packaging, agriculture and water, including pushing back its 2040 target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by ten years to 2050.

EU Lawmakers Agree to Exempt 90% of Companies from CBAM Import Carbon Tax
Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted 564 – 20 today to approve proposed changes to approve proposed changes to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU’s carbon tax on imported goods, which would exempt the vast majority of importers from the CBAM rules, while allowing the mechanism to continue to cover nearly all emissions […]

Microsoft Launches Solutions Enabling Users to Manage, Reduce Carbon Impact of Cloud Computing
Microsoft announced the launch of new solutions and capabilities aimed at enabling users of its Azure cloud computing platform to take sustainability considerations into account in their cloud migration plans, and to manage and reduce the carbon footprint of their cloud usage.