CSDDD vote delay ‘a leadership failure’ amid rising tensions

The Belgian Presidency has decided to postpone the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) vote in the Council of the EU today (9 February), following Germany’s announcement of abstention and the need for further discussions among EU Member States. As recently as Wednesday, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, the Principles for Responsible Investment … Read more

PRI’s five-star ratings for asset managers in 2023

UN Principles of Responsible Investment has been delivering report cards to asset managers rating their responsible investment practices for the past year. Investment manager signatories report annually on their responsible investment activities using the organisation’s reporting framework, and then receive an assessment report showing how these activities and progress have been rated. The reports, and … Read more

ESMA given regulatory powers over ESG ratings

ESG ratings providers will need to seek approval to ensure they comply with transparency requirements under rules that were provisionally agreed by the European Council and European Parliament this week. Lawmakers announced on 5 February they had agreed the regulation of ESG ratings activities to boost confidence in sustainable products: ESG rating providers will need to … Read more

Carbon credits could reach $238 per ton by 2050 if confidence is restored

Measures put in place to restore confidence in carbon credit markets could help push prices to $238 per ton, building a market value of over $1.1trn by 2050, according to BloombergNEF’s (BNEF) Long-Term Carbon Offsets Outlook 2024 report. Ongoing scrutiny and reputational issues led to 2023 being a challenging year for the voluntary carbon market, … Read more

How do we feed 10 billion people by 2050?

Current agricultural practices require profound transformation. This is creating unprecedented opportunities across the global food value chain. From daily bread to daily headline, food is a hot topic. Pasta shortages panicked shoppers during the pandemic, while surging inflation has fuelled steep increases in the cost of the weekly shop. But what’s going on behind the … Read more

Cockerill exits Rowan Dartington for Verso IM

Tim Cockerill, member of the ESG Clarity Committee, is departing his role at Rowan Dartington after 12 years to join Verso Investment Management as investment strategy director. Verso IM is the discretionary fund management arm of Verso Wealth Group, and Cockerill’s new role will centre around developing a proposition and range of products for Verso’s … Read more

EU sets 90% decarbonisation reduction target by 2040

The European Commission’s proposal for almost full decarbonisation by 2040 “is revolutionary and reinforces the EU position as a global leader on climate change”, according to a leading policy director at the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). Based on initial impact assessments and the advice of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, the … Read more

Pollination appoints State Street director as senior adviser

Pollination, the nature investment and advisory firm, has appointed Dame Amelia Fawcett as senior adviser to the business. Currently, Fawcett is the lead director of State Street, co-chair of the International Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB), chair of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and chair of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. She will be advising Pollination … Read more

Schroders launches energy transition infrastructure LTAF

Schroders Greencoat, the renewables and energy transition infrastructure manager of Schroders Capital, has launched a long-term asset fund (LTAF) dedicated to renewable energy and energy transition infrastructure. The Schroders Greencoat Global Renewables+ LTAF is designed to allow UK pension savers to invest in this asset class while benefitting from “stable, diversifying and inflation-linked investment returns”. … Read more