Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners, renewable energy and green IT companies, management consultants, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Alliances
1. Chief Sustainability Officers: Our database of chief sustainability officers now spans 375 CSOs.
2. IT Services - Sustainability: Hitachi Vantara, a provider of infrastructure, data and digital management solutions, has launched multiple Sustainability Solutions and Services. We'll offer our perspectives on the services soon.
3. Talent Management: True, a developer of talent management products and services, has launched the True Search Sustainability practice in EMEA and APAC. Partner Kate Goodall will lead the practice -- "advising clients across public and private markets on the development of their respective sustainability strategies and the recruitment of the best, most relevant talent," the company said.
4. Microsoft Data Centers - Nuclear Power: Microsoft wants to integrate advanced nuclear technology into powering its data centers, according to a job posting from the cloud services and software giant.
5. Microsoft and Singapre: Microsoft and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) announced digital sustainability guidelines to "accelerate education and awareness among businesses and developers, as they build sustainable applications by design." The guidelines were created with support from the Green Software Foundation (GSF).
6. Google and Malaysia: Google is keen to explore partnerships with Malaysia’s local governments and municipalities to drive the country’s 2050 net zero ambition, according to Apac Richard Navarro, Google's Real Estate Team sustainability lead, the Sun Daily reported.
7. Research: Three-quarters of companies globally are not ready to have their environmental, social and governance (ESG) data audited externally months before new regulations kick in, according to a new report from KPMG, as reported by Reuters.
8. Ford Electric Vehicle Factory: Ford Motor has paused work on a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, citing concerns about its ability to competitively operate the plant at a time when it remains locked in broader contract negotiations, Reuters said.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments and Funding
1. All M&A Activity: Our M&A database has now tracked 131 mergers and acquisitions so far in 2023. See all M&A deals involving sustainability listed here.
2. ESG Shorts: Hedge fund managers are piling into short positions in ESG stocks as they hunt for bogus green claims and valuations inflated by record stimulus, Bloomberg reported.
3. Misleading ESG Claims?: DWS, an investment firm controlled by Deutsche Bank, will pay $25 million to settle charges over misstatements regarding its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing -- and failures in policies designed to prevent money laundering, Reuters reported.
4. Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC): Global Lights Acquisition, a blank check company targeting businesses focused on sustainability, filed with the SEC to raise up to $60 million in an initial public offering, Renaissance Capital reported.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States:Â Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and four other U.S. senators are pressuring the U.S. Treasury Department to step up oversight and offer more guidance to financial institutions on addressing climate change risks threatening the U.S. financial system, Reuters reported.
2. China and the United States: The two countries are facing mounting pressures to ink a climate agreement ahead of or during COP28, The Washington Post reported.
3. Australia: Treasurer Jim Chalmers highlighted the soaring cost of disaster management in his nation ahead of a potentially disastrous wildfire season in the coming summer, fueled by El Nino, Bloomberg reported.
4. Europe - Electric Vehicles: Nissan Motor said all its new European models will be fully electric and it plans to sell only electric vehicles (EVs) on the continent by 2030, joining a growing number of carmakers shifting to electric by the end of the decade, Reuters reported.
5. France: The country will introduce a law to curb power prices by the end of 2023 to encourage the billions of euros of investment needed for its energy transition, President Emmanuel Macron said, according to Bloomberg.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- Greenbuild International Conference and Expo 2023 (September 26-29, Washington, D.C.)
- London Climate Technology Show 2023 (September 26-27)
- Sustainability Reporting USA 2023 (October 2-3, New York)
- ESG Investment North America 2023Â (October 2-3, New York)
- Net Zero USA 2023 (October 2-3, New York)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
1. Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
2. Future Updates: Send us your news tips. Please email me the details.
