European Council adopts proposal to delay sustainability reporting

The European Parliament has set an April 1 vote for the “stop the clock” measure, which would officially delay reporting deadlines for the bloc’s corporate sustainability laws.

By Lamar Johnson • March 31, 2025

SEC withdraws defense of climate-risk disclosure rule

The agency will no longer defend its rule requiring companies to disclose certain climate-related risks, a move one commissioner called an attempt to “unlawfully” dismantle the rule.

By Lamar Johnson • March 28, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from ESG Dive

The landscape for ESG continues to shift, as U.S. exits from major climate agreements and organizations are juxtaposed with states forging ahead with their own climate disclosure laws.

By ESG Dive staff

ING becomes first global bank with SBTi-validated targets

The bank set targets to reduce its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions for 2030, as well as portfolio targets related to its fossil fuel financing.

By Lamar Johnson • March 27, 2025

Google announces four sustainability partnerships aimed at water stewardship, farming

The projects build on Google’s target to restore the volume of freshwater consumed across its offices and data centers, on average, by 120% by 2030.

By Zoya Mirza • March 27, 2025

JLL acquires renewable energy banking firm Javelin Capital

The global commercial real estate firm said the acquisition will “significantly enhance” the company’s capabilities in the U.S. energy and infrastructure markets.

By Lamar Johnson • March 26, 2025

Disney shareholders vote to remain in embattled LGBTQ+ ranking

Only 1% of shareholders voted in favor of stepping back from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

By Caroline Colvin • March 26, 2025

Amazon launches carbon credit service through sustainability hub

The credits will be available to its U.S. supply chain partners, enterprise customers and Climate Pledge signatories with certain emissions reporting, net-zero targets and decarbonization strategies.

By Lamar Johnson • March 25, 2025

How fashion leaders are thinking about tariffs, textile sustainability

Companies should focus on smart sourcing and responsible manufacturing in response to fluctuating tariffs, per Stephen Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association.

By Laurel Deppen • March 25, 2025

EEOC outlines how DEI might be ‘unlawful’

Documents outlining discrimination related to “DEI at work” have prompted attorneys to say that employers should re-evaluate their DEI programs now.

By Caroline Colvin • March 24, 2025

JPMorgan rebrands DEI, leaves Net-Zero Asset Managers initiative

The bank said it will swap “equity” for “opportunity” in its DEI policy and that it left NZAM due to the net-zero group’s operational pause.

By Lamar Johnson • March 24, 2025

Federal judge blocks EPA’s $14B GGRF funding freeze

The EPA “proffered no evidence to support their basis for the sudden terminations, or that they followed the proper procedures,” said U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. 

By Diana DiGangi • March 24, 2025

BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street seek dismissal of red states’ coal antitrust suit

The asset managers said the Republican-led states offered “no plausible facts” to support the claim that the three firms conspired to collectively cut coal production in the U.S.

By Lamar Johnson • March 21, 2025

CARB asked to implement California’s climate disclosure laws, align with global standards

Ceres asked the California Air Resources Board to support climate laws to “help deliver standardized, high-quality disclosures of companies’ climate related financial risks.”

By Zoya Mirza • March 21, 2025

SBTi releases draft of updated corporate net-zero standard

The Science Based Targets initiative said this “Version 2” of the standard focuses on companies going “from ambition to progress.”

By Lamar Johnson • March 20, 2025

EEOC acting chair says agency will investigate big law firms’ DEI programs

Former EEOC commissioners said Andrea Lucas’ letters probing firms “imply a duty to respond without any basis in the laws that EEOC enforces.”

By Ryan Golden • March 20, 2025

Ben & Jerry’s says CEO fired by Unilever over social activism

The ice cream maker alleged the consumer goods giant has “repeatedly threatened” its personnel if they failed to “silence” their outspokenness.

By Christopher Doering • March 20, 2025

Amid shifting views on ESG, investors retain climate focus: Berkeley Climate Summit

Anti-ESG backlash, reporting hurdles and regulatory uncertainty have put sustainability at a crossroads, panelists said.

By Suman Bhattacharyya • March 19, 2025

Sustainability as strategy: Why smart companies keep ESG policies despite political headwinds

ESG integration delivers operational benefits that transcend political viewpoints, says Aquent Sustainable Solutions Vice President Jody Mousseau.

By Jody Mousseau • March 18, 2025

SEC pushes back Names Rule compliance dates

Funds will now have an additional six months to comply with the rule requiring funds’ investment strategies to align with any advertised purposes, like ESG or sustainability.

By Lamar Johnson • March 18, 2025

IRA credits and energy demand continue to drive renewables investments

Despite the Trump administration’s focus on fossil fuels and opposition to the IRA, analysts anticipate the renewables market will continue benefiting from high energy demand.

By Diana DiGangi • March 18, 2025

Deere shareholders vote down anti-DEI proposal

The move comes months after the tractor giant rolled back its support for “social or cultural awareness events” in July.

By Nathan Owens • March 17, 2025

EU sustainability, supply chain simplification efforts face ‘split’ parliament, experts say

Efforts to simplify compliance “shouldn't compromise the protection of the people and the planet,” a policy adviser to a member of the European Parliament said at a conference.

By Lamar Johnson • March 17, 2025

Women unlikely to reach parity with men for 134 years: JPMorgan

In C-suites worldwide, women are far from attaining equal status, holding only about 10% of the most powerful roles such as CEO and CFO.

By Jim Tyson • March 17, 2025

US banks turn to SEC to dodge climate, social shareholder proposals

The agency has largely denied the requests, ruling that banks must put the requests to disclose its clean energy financing ratios and indigenous rights practices to a vote.

By Lamar Johnson • March 14, 2025

EPA aims to roll back power sector regulations in broad deregulatory push

It would likely take several years — potentially into the next presidency — to revise at least some of the targeted regulations, according to analysts.

By Ethan Howland • March 14, 2025