The UK government has launched a new nuclear programme aimed at generating a quarter of the country’s electricity by 2050, and has reclassified nuclear energy as environmentally sustainable. Today (15 March) chancellor Jeremy Hunt used his Spring Budget to reveal the UK would class nuclear energy as environmentally sustainable in its green taxonomy, to give … Read more
The Spring Budget was missing “serious consideration” of how Britain plans to make its mark in the global clean energy ‘arms race’, the chief executive of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) has said. See also: Spring Budget 2023: Nuclear to be classed as sustainable in UK Taxonomy James Alexander, CEO at UKSIF, … Read more
A company’s ESG conduct has no direct relationship whatsoever to its credit rating, according to a study from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Hazel Ilango, a Singapore-based energy finance analyst for debt markets at the IEEFA, carried out an analysis of more than 700 companies who received credit ratings from the … Read more
Now that the corporate banners declaring support for gender equality on International Women’s Day have come down, it is worth reflecting on what practical steps businesses need to take to ensure this commitment is enduring. Over the last century, there has been no shortage of women from whom younger generations can draw inspiration, from the … Read more
Some 746 financial institutions with $136trn in assets have written a letter to more than 15,000 companies around the world calling on them to disclose data on their environmental impact. In its annual call to companies, global non-profit CDP has rallied an additional 60-odd asset managers, asset owners, banks and insurers since last year to … Read more
Credit Suisse shareholders are being called to vote against the investment bank’s latest climate strategy, which has been described as “not fit for purpose”. The group published its Say on Climate plan this week setting out five additional emissions reductions targets for the power generation, commercial real estate, iron and steel, aluminium, and automotive sectors. … Read more
Robeco has launched the Robeco Sustainable Senior Loan Fund. The Rotterdam-based asset manager said the offering is one of the first funds to integrate sustainability into private debt investments. The fund has so far raised €130m including a significant sponsor commitment from ORIX Corporation Europe, Robeco’s parent company. It will continue to fundraise throughout 2023 … Read more
The majority of asset managers lack biodiversity voting and engagement policies, ShareAction has found, although European managers are leading the way. The financial services NGO has today published the second half of its annual Point of No Returns report, which looks at the responsible investment governance and stewardship practices of 77 of the world’s largest … Read more
Africa’s long-standing economic issues are well known. Despite having some of the fastest-growing economies in the world through much of the 2010s, the continent is still home to 23 of the globe’s 27 poorest countries. A lot of discussion around how to fix those issues has centred around moving the continent away from relying on … Read more
FTSE 350 companies are being asked to set a percentage target for senior management positions that will be occupied by ethnic minority executives by 2027. The Parker Review, the independent, business-led review of ethnic minority representation at UK companies supported by the government, has published its findings from its 2022 census and set new targets for companies. … Read more