More than 25 consumer brands use packaging linked to Texas fracking: report

Single-use plastic packaging continues to drive fossil fuel extraction, despite brands’ promises to cut back, according to climate group Stand.earth.

By Lauren Schenkman • April 9, 2025

USDA tells digester funding applicants to remove diversity, climate language

The announcement means federal funding for anaerobic digesters on dairy farms could be unpaused for applicants willing to change project language.

By Jacob Wallace • April 9, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from ESG Dive

This year has shaped up to be a formative one for ESG, from the U.S. pulling out of major climate agreements to federal agencies recalibrating their approach to sustainability under the new administration.

By ESG Dive staff

Institutional Shareholder Services subsidiary launches sustainability bond ratings

The ratings aim to address investors’ “need for comparative insights on the material sustainability risks and opportunities” of green, social and sustainability bonds, ISS Stoxx’s head of ESG said.

By Lamar Johnson • April 8, 2025

The missing link: Data’s role in small business disaster recovery

Businesses and communities need more granular and reliable data to recover in the wake of natural disasters, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Marc DeCourcey and Fiserv’s Vivian Greentree say.

By Marc DeCourcey and Vivian Greentree • April 8, 2025

Shareholder advocacy targets flexible packaging, reusables and recycling labels

Coca-Cola, Hyatt, Sealed Air, Starbucks and Wyndham recently reached agreements with shareholder advocates. Proposals remain pending at Amazon, Home Depot, Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz, PepsiCo and Wendy’s.

By Cole Rosengren • April 8, 2025

Dutch investor AIP Management invests $500M in US solar producer

AIP will invest half a billion dollars in Silicon Ranch, a full-service solar company and one of the largest U.S. independent power producers.

By Lamar Johnson • April 7, 2025

DOJ attorney in EPA funding freeze case breaks with Zeldin’s fraud comments

“You said that there was waste, fraud, abuse,” Judge Tanya Chutkan said to Department of Justice attorney Marc Sacks. “You seem to be abandoning that position now.”

By Diana DiGangi • April 7, 2025

EU parliament votes to ‘stop the clock’ on sustainability reporting

The European Parliament voted Thursday to delay reporting timelines for the bloc’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

By Lamar Johnson • April 4, 2025

German prosecutors slap $27M greenwashing fine on Deutsche Bank’s DWS

The Frankfurt Public Prosecutor said statements made by DWS about being an “ESG leader” or ESG being an integral part of its "DNA” did not paint a true picture.

By Zoya Mirza • April 4, 2025

Ford asks investors to vote down supply chain emissions proposal

Shareholder Green Century Capital Management wants the automaker to regularly disclose its strategies for meeting low-carbon steel benchmarks, among others.

By Haley Cawthon • April 4, 2025

Meta signs 10-year forestry-based carbon offtake deal

In “one of the first known contracts” like it, forest investment and management firm EFM will deliver 676,000 nature-based credits as 68,000 acres of forest transition to climate-smart management.

By Lamar Johnson • April 3, 2025

Microsoft, Carbon Direct unveil criteria for marine carbon dioxide removal

The guidance will establish standards for key principles including environmental integrity, monitoring, durability, and social impact, the companies said.

By Zoya Mirza • April 3, 2025

House GOP asks SEC to rescind ESG disclosures, names rules

The rules to combat greenwashing were included among a list of rescissions of Biden-era policies the House Financial Services Committee requested.

By Lamar Johnson • April 2, 2025

Tennessee ends Wells Fargo probe after bank scraps net-zero target

The state's attorney general commended Wells Fargo’s “pro-consumer decision to step away from utopian policymaking." Seventeen other states had joined the probe.

By Rajashree Chakravarty • April 2, 2025

EPA denies harm from funding freeze in court filing

EPA argued that the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund freeze would not cause irreparable harm to grantees, while the grantee plaintiffs say the freeze is “potentially fatal” for their operations.

By Diana DiGangi • April 2, 2025

Bill Gates-backed startup launches sustainable butter made from carbon

Savor says the commercial launch of its dairy-and-plant-free alternative can replace animal fats and palm oil. It plans to work with food companies to advance ingredient innovation.

By Sarah Zimmerman • April 1, 2025

White paper points to carbon capture as possible data center solution

Pairing carbon capture with natural gas-fired generation could prove cost-competitive with other baseload options, like nuclear and battery storage, according to a Carbon Direct white paper.

By Emma Penrod • April 1, 2025

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

Trump repeals Biden-era clean energy manufacturing orders

The move cuts funding for electric heat pump manufacturing, as well as solar production and biomanufacturing research and development.

By Sara Samora • March 31, 2025

GM Energy joins PG&E bidirectional EV charging pilot in California

Certain electric vehicle owners are now eligible for discounts on charging equipment that can be used to power homes during blackouts.

By Kalena Thomhave • 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

House Republicans probe EPA climate grant recipients

The House Oversight Committee chair is spearheading an investigation into the eight environmental groups that received funding through the Biden-era Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

By Zoya Mirza • March 28, 2025

Lululemon partners with sustainable materials firm to expand bio-based nylon

The deal with ZymoChem is meant to scale production and commercialize its technology.

By Laurel Deppen • March 28, 2025

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