Category: Investments

Chemical company INEOS announced today plans to invest over €2 billion to produce green hydrogen across Europe, with plants planned in Norway, Germany, Belgium, and investments also anticipated in the UK and France.

According to the company, the announcement marks Europe’s largest ever investment in green hydrogen.

Leading construction and mining equipment, engine, turbine and locomotive manufacturer Caterpillar announced today a series of ESG-focused initiatives, including the appointment of Julie Lagacy as the company’s first Chief Sustainability & Strategy Officer.

The company also announced that it will begin incorporating ESG factors in its executive incentive plan in 2022 (more detail to follow in the company’s 2023 Proxy Statement), and that it will begin to utilize the TCFD framework to enhance its sustainability reporting starting in 2023.

UN-supported leading responsible investing organization Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) announced today the release of a new forecast, indicating that a significant acceleration in climate policy is likely over the next few years, with major implications and opportunities for investors.

The Principles for Responsible Investment were established by a group of investor signatories in 2006, supported by the United Nations, to aid investors in integrating ESG factors into the investment process, and establishing a set of specific, voluntary and aspirational principles for investors to follow. The initiative has grown to more than 4,000 signatories, representing $120 trillion assets under management.

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Citroen parent Stellantis announced today the formation of a joint venture with LG Energy aiming to develop a large-scale battery manufacturing facility in North America to supply the company’s electric vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

According to Stellantis, the partners are still evaluating the location for the facility, but expects groundbreaking to occur in the first half of 2022, and production to start by the first quarter of 2024. Planned capacity for the battery facility is 40 gigawatt hours annually.

Automotive giant Toyota announced today plans to invest $3.4 billion dedicated to building its EV battery capacity in the U.S between now and 2030. The plans form part of the company’s $13.5 billion strategy to develop localized EV battery production, and adds more capital to the U.S.’s rapidly growing vehicle electrification ecosystem.

Along with the announcement, the company revealed that Toyota Motor North America and trading and supply chain group Toyota Tsusho will establish a company, with plans to build a battery plant aimed at starting production in 2025. Anticipated investment in the plant is approximately $1.3 billion through 2031. The venture aims to further develop and expand its local supply chain and production knowledge related to Lithium-ion automotive batteries.

Canada’s six largest banks – BMO, CIBC, National Bank of Canada, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD – jointly announced that they are signing on to the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, placing Canada’s financial sector in the center of the multinational movement to promote and advance global climate goals through lending and investing activities.

Our Purpose driven commitment for a sustainable future includes an ambition to be our clients’ lead partner in the transition to a net zero world. That’s why we’re joining the United Nations-convened Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). Learn more here. https://t.co/b3HNMxl2aK— BMO (@BMO) October 15, 2021

The Net Zero Banking Alliance was launched in April 2021, with a group of banks committing to align operational and attributable emissions from their portfolios with pathways to net-zero by 2050 or sooner. The alliance has already grown to over 70 banks from 34 countries representing more than $47 trillion in assets, more than a quarter of global banking assets. The coalition forms part of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), along with the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance and the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance.

The Biden administration announced the publication of its comprehensive government-wide strategy to address and mitigate the financial and economic risks of climate change. The report, “A Roadmap to Build a Climate-Resistant Economy,” highlights a broad range of actions being taken by federal government agencies and regulators under the direction of the administration, including integrating climate strategies into their activities, developing and promoting better understating and disclosure of climate risks, and improving the climate resilience of supply chains, among other actions.

The strategy recognizes the need to measure analyze and disclose on the financial and economic impact of climate risks, and focuses heavily on improving practices in these areas. Key highlights in the report include the Biden administration’s efforts to initiate a process, to be detailed in an upcoming Financial Stability Oversight Council report, to have regulators develop the capacity and analytical tools to mitigate climate-related risks.

This week in ESG news: TCFD releases disclosure guidance for net zero transition plans; largest-ever green bond deal draws record demand; PwC survey finds boards don’t understand ESG risk; US DOL greenlights ESG investing for pension funds; UK’s climate plan draws in billions for green project investments; Chevron targets emission reductions from use of products; Google & Microsoft launch solutions to track climate impact of cloud usage; JP Morgan joins net zero banking group; IEA outlines $27 trillion investment opportunity from net zero transition; BCG says inaccurate emissions measurement a major roadblock to climate action; ServiceNow launches solution to plan, manage & report sustainability strategies; BlackRock says emerging markets need $1 trillion/year to meet global climate goals , and more.

See below for the highlights of the past week, and get all your ESG news at ESG Today: