This week in ESG news: UK releases new sustainability, climate reporting standards; GRI releases climate, energy reporting standards; Microsoft signs two multi-million ton carbon removal deals; EU states target bigger cuts in sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements; IFRS publishes transition plan disclosure guidance; EU’s new rules to help fund cleantech, industrial decarbonization; JPMorgan signs carbon removal agreement with Oxy; first-ever European sovereign sustainability-linked bond offering raises €1 billion; New York turns to nuclear energy to support clean energy goals; capital raises for carbon data, real estate decarbonization Singapore companies ask for more time to begin mandatory climate reporting; Meta purchases renewable energy to power U.S. data centers, and more.
See below for the highlights of the past week, and get all your ESG news at ESG Today:
Sustainability Goals, Initiatives and Achievements
Meta Secures Nearly 800 MW of Renewable Energy to Power U.S. Data Centers
Microsoft Signs Deal for 4.8 Million Tons of Carbon Removal Generated Through Improved Forest Management
JPMorganChase Signs 10-Year DAC Carbon Removal Deal with Oxy’s 1PointFIve
Target, Gap Partner with Cleantech Startup Syre to Scale Circular Materials in Textiles
Microsoft Signs Deal to Remove 2.6 Million Tons of Carbon Through Sustainable Agriculture
Virgin’s Net Zero Goals Approved by SBTi
Guest Post – The Climate Solutions Paradox: Why Traditional Net-Zero Targets Maybe Slowing Global Decarbonisation
Government & Regulators
EU Eases Ability to for Member States to Fund Cleantech, Industrial Decarbonization Sectors
New York to Build New Nuclear Plant to Support Clean Energy Goals
EU Member States Agree on Bigger Cuts to Sustainability Reporting, Due Diligence Than Omnibus Proposal
Singapore Releases Guidance for Use of Carbon Credits to Meet Decarbonization Goals
ESG Reporting
Singapore Companies ask to Delay Mandatory Climate Reporting for Smaller Businesses
GRI Releases New Climate and Energy Reporting Standards
UK Releases Proposed Sustainability and Climate Reporting Standards
IFRS Publishes Guidance to Support Disclosure of Climate Transition Plans
GRI Launches Digital Taxonomy to Enable Machine Readable Sustainability Disclosures
ESG Services and Tools
Wolters Kluwer Launches New Solutions to Connect ESG and Financial Data, Enable CBAM Compliance
NatWest, NAB, SC Ventures Back New SME-Focused Climate Data Management Platform FourTwoThree
Sustainable Finance
Slovenia Raises €1 Billion in First Sustainability Linked Bond Offering by European Sovereign
Volkswagen Bank Issues Inaugural €1.5 Billion Green Bond to Finance Electric Vehicles
Private Equity & Venture Capital
Climatiq Raises €10 Million to Scale Solution to Embed Carbon Data in Business Decisions
Ambienta Raises €500 Million to Invest in Small Cap “Environmental Sustainability Champions”
Aedifion Raises $20 Million to Scale Real Estate Decarbonization Platform
Greenbelt Capital Raises $1 Billion for Energy Transition Fund
Ares Acquires $2.3 Billion Stake in Eni’s Energy Transition-Focused Unit Plenitude
Sustainable Investing
Morgan Stanley Climate Fund Invests $30 Million in Methane Emissions Management Platform Insight M