By Heather Clancy, Trellis One of the first things Michael Kobori did after joining Starbucks as its first chief sustainability officer in January 2020 was buy a new jean jacket and add some patches. His new employer’s green siren logo was soon followed by one honoring “The Lorax,” the Dr. Seuss
Key Impact Points: A Challenging Environment International Women’s Day 2025 arrives at a challenging moment for gender equality and climate action. The Trump administration’s recent stance has intensified obstacles, cutting back support for diversity initiatives and withdrawing from international climate commitments. Mafalda Duarte, executive director of the Green Climate Fund,
Key Impact Points: Microsoft Expands Carbon Removal Investments Climate Impact Partners has partnered with Terra Natural Capital to finance the Panna afforestation project in Madhya Pradesh, India, a large-scale carbon removal initiative spanning 20,000 hectares. As part of the agreement, Microsoft will purchase 1.5 million tonnes of verified carbon removal
By Helen Booth-Tobin, Communications Director, Policy at Ceres As Congress begins a major debate on the future of U.S. tax and spending policy, dozens of major companies are taking to Capitol Hill this week, calling for lawmakers to maintain federal clean energy tax credits that are driving American energy dominance
Key Impact Points: Sweeping Sustainability Reporting Reforms The European Commission has unveiled the Omnibus I proposal to streamline sustainability reporting and ease compliance burdens for businesses, especially SMEs. Key measures include scaling back the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), delaying the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and simplifying the
Key Impact Points: Leadership Strengthens Puro.earth’s Expansion Puro.earth, a leading carbon-crediting platform, has announced new leadership appointments to accelerate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) at scale. Jan-Willem Bode has been appointed President, while Antti Vihavainen, co-founder and former CEO, will serve as Vice Chairman. Additionally, Ellen Brouwer has been named Co-Head
BP’s Strategic Reversal BP’s latest strategy shift marks a sharp departure from its 2020 ambition to transform into an “integrated energy company.” CEO Murray Auchincloss announced plans to boost oil and gas production while cutting investments in renewables, biofuels, and batteries. This move follows years of financial underperformance, stock declines,
Key Takeaways: Private Equity’s Decarbonization Momentum Private equity (PE)-owned companies are accelerating their climate impact disclosures. A Bain & Company study of 824 portfolio companies found a 5% decrease in Scope 1 emissions and a 26% drop in Scope 2 emissions between 2021 and 2023. These reductions are translating into
Key Takeaways: A Shift in Terminology The investment world is moving away from the term ESG in favor of “resilience” when referring to climate-related financing. The change reflects both a marketing strategy and a response to political pressure, particularly in the U.S. “In the beginning you had ‘social’ and ‘responsible
Since launching in 2019, the EU Green Deal has set the global standard for climate and sustainability progress. But five years later, with a stagnating economy and a political shift to the right, the EU is reconsidering its approach to increase economic competitiveness. Last September, former Italian Prime Minister Mario
