Top Stories

July 07, 2021

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Volvo, Daimler & TRATON invest €500 million in truck charging network

Global truck manufacturers The Volvo Group, Daimler Truck AG, and TRATON have announced the launch of a new joint venture focused on the development of an electric battery-charging network for long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The partners will own equal shares in the new venture which is planned to start operations in 2022, and will invest €500 million for the installation of 1,700 high-performance electric vehicle (EV) charging points located at strategic points within five years. According to the companies, the new joint venture will support the European Union’s Green Deal for carbon-neutral freight transportation by 2050 as it addresses the growing need for EV charging networks in Europe. The new charging network will be accessible to all commercial vehicles in Europe, regardless of the brand. (ESG Today)

STRATEGY

Investors call on 63 top banks to improve environmental commitments

Convened through the ShareAction coalition, 115 investors, representing $4.2 trillion, including Aviva and M&G Investments have written to 63 leading banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, Aviva and Standard Chartered, calling on them to strengthen environmental commitments ahead of key summits this year. The investors are calling on banks to phase out financing coal by 2030 in OECD countries and by 2040 in non-OECD countries. The 63 banks have been urged to align plans with the International Energy Agency’s net-zero scenarios that are aligned to the Paris Agreement and with minimal reliance on negative emission technologies. Ahead of COP15, investors have asked the banks to set or update public biodiversity strategies, including commitments to identify and disclose impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and to set science-based nature targets by 2024. (Edie)

CLIMATE CHANGE 

FTSE Russell launches Paris Agreement-aligned index series for equity

Global index, data and analytics provider FTSE Russell has announced the launch of the ‘FTSE EU Climate Benchmarks Index Series’, a family of equity indices aligned with the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, covering a broad range of developed and emerging equity markets. The new series meets the Paris-aligned Benchmark (PAB) Indexes requirements, which aims to achieve a 50% reduction in carbon emissions over a ten-year period. It also includes the asset-owner led Transition Pathway Initiative’s (TPI) analysis of how the world’s largest and most carbon exposed companies are managing the climate transition. FTSE Russell additionally plans to launch a suite of equity indexes aligned to the EU Climate Transition Benchmark (CTB) criteria later in 2021. (ESG Today)

SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT

EU launches ‘European Green Bond Standard’ to help meet climate aims

The European Commission has proposed a new ‘European Green Bond Standard’ to drive money into projects that will help the bloc meet its 2050 climate goal of net-zero carbon emissions. The voluntary framework aims to form a 'gold standard' for companies and governments looking to raise money for environmentally friendly projects. While there will be no obligation on issuers to use the EU's standard, the European Comission hopes that the more rigorous oversight of those which do may lead more companies to adopt it, especially within the region, although issuers from outside the bloc can also use it. Unlike other standards already used in the market, the EU's standard will be 100% based on the bloc's taxonomy – a list of activities it considers to be “green”. (Reuters)

GENDER EQUALITY

Top fashion brands found to be failing on gender equality in new index

The World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA)'s Gender Benchmark, a new index which found that most retailers are failing to support women in their boardrooms and factories, showed that nearly two-thirds of the top 35 apparel brands have not publicly backed gender equality and women's empowerment, while only 14 firms have implemented gender-specific policies. The index – which examined factors such as the gender pay gap, representation in leadership, and policies to stop violence and harassment – gave the companies an average score of 29 points out of a possible 100, which the WBA called "concerning". Adidas,  Gap Inc and VF Corp are among the best performing fashion brands at tackling gender inequality, while the lowest scoring companies on the index included Urban Outfitters and The Foschini Group the owner of brand G-Star Raw. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

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