Corporate Knights

JANUARY 10, 2024

We used to be concerned about greenwashing, but now it seems that many companies are deliberately staying quiet in what some are calling greenhushing – the practice of downplaying or keeping quiet about their sustainability initiatives. Divestment is different from ESG, which is different from impact investing. 2023-06-30 U.S.

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Sustainable Investment Divestment Negative Screening Greenwashing 331

ESG Today

JUNE 16, 2024

This week in ESG news: 100% of large companies expect to be required to report on sustainability, but less than a third are ready for ESG data assurance, KPMG finds; Microsoft buys nearly 1 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits; BlackRock launches new suite of low carbon transition ETFs; GRI launches standards to report on company impact (..)

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Greenwashing Divestment Decarbonize 113

Corporate Knights

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Five of the global supermajors are spending around US$750 million annually on greenwashing while allocating just 12% of capital expenditures to “low-carbon” activities, according to think tank InfluenceMap. Manley also said that “we’re already seeing Big Oil become Big Energy,” but this belief is mistaken.

Net Zero 363

Net Zero Sustainable Investment Zero Carbon Greenwashing 363

ESG Today

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Similarly, 69% of investors reported that they would increase their investments in companies that successfully manage sustainability issues relevant to the business’s performance and prospects, and 67% would increase investment in companies that change their business conduct to have a beneficial impact on society or the environment.

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Greenwashing Divestment Sustainable Investment Climate Change 125

Corporate Knights

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

along with ongoing corporate greenwashing and fossil-fuel disinformation, it’s sometimes hard to tell if society is moving forward or slipping back. In 2016, we created the Clean200 in response to investors saying, ‘If we divest fossil fuels, there is nothing to invest in.’” You follow the money, of course. through those years.

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Manufacturing Negative Screening Divestment Smart Buildings 321

Chris Hall

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

McMurdo anticipates more such rebellions this year, which he says reflects the pervasive greenwashing evident in net zero plans. Disputing divestment. We cannot just divest from fossil fuels; we need a fair and just transition to the net zero economy.”. And McMurdo’s caution about divestment is not limited to the energy sectors.

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Net Zero Divestment Supply Chains Supply Chain 98

Chris Hall

JANUARY 30, 2024

Direct litigation risks include challenging investors’ mismanagement of climate and biodiversity-related risk, breaches of fiduciary duty, greenwashing, or financing environmental and human rights-related harms.

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ESG Today

OCTOBER 9, 2024

EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) released its finalized guidelines on ESG Funds’ Names earlier this year, aimed at protecting investors from greenwashing risk, and detailing minimum standards and thresholds for funds using ESG and sustainability-related terms in their names.

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ESG Today

JANUARY 23, 2023

Similarly, ESG factors featured prominently in the top reasons for investors to reject or divest from real asset investments, with lack of clarity around ESG credentials or impact reported by 38% of respondents, and concerns over the level of performance or disclosure on ESG grounds by 32%, ranked only behind historical underperformance at 47%.

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Divestment Net Zero Greenwashing Sustainable Investment 98

Chris Hall

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Renaming trend may lead to a short uptick in greenwashing, but ultimately will accelerate the path to net zero and offer sustainable investors more choice. The decision to rebrand a fund often raises eyebrows, with investors “intuitively suspicious” of the activity due to greenwashing concerns among others.

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Net Zero Divestment Greenwashing Sustainable Investment 52

ESG Today

JUNE 5, 2025

Over the next two years, 49% of investors reported plans to increase allocations to energy transition assets, and 49% said that they will use active ownership to advance their organizations ESG goals, while 46% reported that they will invest in low-carbon assets and divest from high-carbon assets.

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Sustainable Investment Negative Screening Paris Agreement Divestment 92

3BL Media

JULY 19, 2022

Indeed, nearly half (49%) of investors globally would divest from companies that are not taking sufficient action on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Market and investor pressure, business impact, and customer pressure are shaping the demand for sustainable business practices.

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Supply Chains Supply Chain Shipping Waste 130

Chris Hall

APRIL 5, 2024

CDPQ was deemed a climate leader, with the report highlighting the asset owner’s decision to divest of firms involved in oil production, refining and coal mining in 2022. Unrivalled ownership power The assessed pool included climate leaders and laggards, Shift found.

Net Zero 119

Net Zero Paris Agreement Divestment Greenwashing 119

Chris Hall

JANUARY 30, 2024

Direct litigation risks include challenging investors’ mismanagement of climate and biodiversity-related risk, breaches of fiduciary duty, greenwashing, or financing environmental and human rights-related harms.

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Greenwashing Stranded Assets Net Zero Banking 59

Chris Hall

OCTOBER 5, 2022

A number of asset managers have revised the categorisation of their funds under SFDR, in light of further regulatory guidance, to avoid claims of greenwashing. . Sadan also advised that in order to affect change on firms’ ESG practices, investors need to engage over the long term rather than divest investment.

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Divestment Greenwashing Sustainable Investment Green Investing 52

Chris Hall

MAY 3, 2022

The effectiveness of asset owner and manager actions in tackling greenwashing by companies is seen as critical to the low-carbon transition. Reclaim Finance notes a “growing trend” within the investor community to condemn exclusion and divestment from heavy emitters as both “unrealistic and ineffective” tools to decarbonise the economy.

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Net Zero Divestment Greenwashing COP26 52

Chris Hall

OCTOBER 6, 2022

For ESG-aware investors, this paucity of solid information leads to questions over whether they should they wait for information flows to improve, pinning hope on further action from regulators or legislators, or divest their holdings to avoid uncertainty over the climate risks in their portfolios. Potential evidence of greenwashing.

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Divestment Net Zero Stranded Assets Greenwashing 52

Chris Hall

AUGUST 8, 2024

In the statement it referred to metallurgical coal as “carbon steel materials”, drawing accusations of greenwashing. Divest or wind down? The company said it would continue the “responsible decline of its thermal coal operations over time”.

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Divestment Stranded Assets Greenwashing Paris Agreement 52

Chris Hall

MAY 27, 2022

Alongside the progress of a bill in California calling for fossil fuel divestment by public-sector pensions, and the SEC’s plans for climate-risk disclosures , this new assault on greenwashing moves US policy closer to its European counterparts, where fund disclosure rules are already reshaping the market.

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Net Zero Stranded Assets Paris Agreement Greenwashing 52

3BL Media

JANUARY 11, 2023

The increased scrutiny over greenwashing is necessary, and will provoke the market to favor substance over style. The divestment movement will wane. Sustainable Investing – Greater Scrutiny. The ESG (environmental, social and governance) brand is under attack from Republicans, reporters and returns.

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Supply Chains Supply Chain Paris Agreement Divestment 130

Chris Hall

APRIL 7, 2022

Pressure to divest is commonly applied by ESG-conscious investors who no longer want to be associated with these companies or fund them. However, in practice, divestment is not the best strategy to enact change or to have a meaningful impact.

Green Bonds 52

Green Bonds Divestment Net Zero Greenwashing 52

James Militzer

MARCH 2, 2023

Were the sustainability measures and corporate social responsibility offices at VW simply engaged in greenwashing? The University of Michigan Endowment Fund: Divesting from Fossil Fuels (Published 9.9.2020) In September 2019, there were climate change strikes at the University of Michigan.

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Supply Chains Supply Chain Climate Change Development 98

Chris Hall

MAY 24, 2024

Joined-up commitments – If asset managers are likely to struggle to interpret firms’ holistic transition plans, how are they going to handle “meaningful, non-greenwashed, accountable, achievable net zero commitments”?

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Net Zero Climate Change Divestment Greenwashing 78

Chris Hall

OCTOBER 4, 2024

Ninety One has been among the first joiners of the World Benchmarking Alliance’s call on asset managers to review their approach to sustainable investing to ensure it does not unintentionally lead to divestment from EMs. Closing the gap Both public and private credit will be needed to address financing needs, Christ explained.

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Development Divestment Net Zero Greenwashing 89

Chris Hall

JULY 21, 2023

This resulted in concerns over greenwashing accusations and uncertainty surrounding the interpretation of sustainable investments. Initiatives such as divestment from fossil fuels, engagement with companies on sustainability issues, and the launch of dedicated ESG funds demonstrate their commitment to driving positive change.

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Sustainable Investment Greenwashing Climate Change Paris Agreement 52

Chris Hall

APRIL 5, 2024

CDPQ was deemed a climate leader, with the report highlighting the asset owner’s decision to divest of firms involved in oil production, refining and coal mining in 2022. Unrivalled ownership power The assessed pool included climate leaders and laggards, Shift found.

Net Zero 52

Net Zero Paris Agreement Divestment Greenwashing 52

Chris Hall

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

ESG investing has had to overcome numerous challenges, ranging from investor caution to multiple cases of greenwashing. It contrasted the negative performance against benchmarks resulting from divestment from fossil fuel firms with the positive relative returns achieved by funds not exposed to the sector in Q1 2020.

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Net Zero Divestment Greenwashing Manufacturing 52

Chris Hall

MAY 24, 2024

But Byrns sees divestment as unlikely outcome because American Century does a lot of work up front in finding companies that have well-defined improvement pathways relating to its KPIs, has consistent dialogues with the companies and has a long track record with its other strategies.

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Net Zero Sustainable Investment Value Creation Divestment 80

Chris Hall

JUNE 2, 2023

Perhaps more encouragingly, almost a fifth of shareholders voted in favour of resolutions calling on ExxonMobil and Shell to accurately disclose the role of asset transfers in their reported GHG emissions reductions, which would stop them claiming CO2 cuts from divestments.

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Paris Agreement Climate Change Divestment Supply Chains 52

Chris Hall

MARCH 10, 2022

These new requirements are part of a bigger push right across the economy for new standards on environmental reporting to weed out greenwashing and support our transition to a net zero financial system – for example, through our new Sustainability Disclosure Requirements ,” she said.

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Net Zero Paris Agreement Stewardship Code Climate Change 52

Steven Mintz

MARCH 8, 2022

In addition to divesting from unethical stocks, you can make investments in companies that make a positive change in a practice called  impact investing. Environment, However, companies might try to skip it and take on the aesthetic of a sustainable company without making any changes, a practice known as greenwashing.

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Chris Hall

OCTOBER 5, 2022

The Impact Investing Principles have been really helpful, especially given the increased scrutiny of funds and concerns over greenwashing. London CIV has recently signed up to the Impact Investing Institute’s (III) Impact Investing Principles for Pensions , co-created with Pensions for Purpose. Impact through stewardship.

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Impact Investing Supply Chains Supply Chain Negative Screening 96

Chris Hall

OCTOBER 7, 2022

If divesting from harmful industries, communicate this publicly. Shareholder advocacy and engagement has certainly not been spared from the broader debate around widespread greenwashing in responsible investing. Vote shares and engage with investees and screen holdings on transparent ESG criteria. Collaboration as an enabler.

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Stewardship Code Academics Divestment Greenwashing 52

Chris Hall

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

For investors, engaging with investee corporates in the transition process has replaced the blunt tool of divestment as a means of decarbonising portfolios. “But to actually implement it, we need to have methodologies in place and a change in approach.”. Engagement ring.

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Net Zero COP26 Banking Climate Change 52

Chris Hall

APRIL 12, 2023

Large institutional investors have taken divergent approaches to managing the climate risks in their portfolios, with some pension funds divesting fossil fuel holdings. Nietsch agreed: “Nature issues tend to be so complex and systemic that divestment may have less of an effect than it might for climate.

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Supply Chains Supply Chain Divestment CDP 52

Chris Hall

JUNE 8, 2023

Pledges and plans – This was a potentially significant week in the fight against greenwashing , with UN Climate Change unveiling its ‘ recognition and accountability framework ’ – essentially a tool for monitoring and verifying the net zero pledges of non-state actors – at its Bonn Climate Conference.

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Net Zero Paris Agreement Divestment Greenwashing 52

Chris Hall

AUGUST 8, 2024

Greater impact of the regulation has yet to be seen, as we anticipate a wave of fund rebranding and divestments,” she said. In addition, in June, ESMA introduced a tool enabling to better identify cases of greenwashing in the investment management industry.

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