3BL Media’s annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens ranking, recognizes leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) transparency and performance amongst the 1,000 largest U.S. public companies. Owens Corning tops the 2021 ranking for the third consecutive year, followed by General Mills, HP, Cisco, and Intel.
In June, Beyond Investing announced it is launching five new investment products in partnership with its affiliate Beyond Impact. The products are spread across the world, in both public and private markets, providing more options for investors, and to further Beyond Investing’s mission of a world free of animal exploitation.
Biomimicry Institute announced the 2021 Ray of Hope Prize award recipient, Spintex Engineering, that manufacturers biodegradable textile fibers for use in fashion and high-performance material applications. The Prize, created in honor of the late sustainable business pioneer Ray C. Anderson, is awarded to the world’s top nature-inspired startup.
Some of the world’s biggest companies and investors are lining up trillions of dollars to finance a shift away from fossil fuels. Assets in investment funds focused partly on the environment reached almost $2 trillion globally in the first quarter. More than $5 billion worth of bonds and loans designed to fund green initiatives are now issued every day.
Removing excess carbon from the atmosphere is a daunting but \”very exciting\” design challenge, according to sustainable-design guru William McDonough. Describing climate change as a \”design failure,\” the American architect and designer said that solving it will involve \”hundreds of technologies and systems.\”
JLL’s new research, Responsible Real Estate – Decarbonizing the Built Environment shows, the RE industry has accelerated its focus on responsibility and social purpose, with building occupants and ESG investors making strong commitments to decarbonize and build back better for the future. An increasing number of solutions include renewable energy.
Given its determined focus on climate change and the danger of fossil fuels, the current administration is faced with a conundrum: how to keep the economic and security benefits of American energy independence while drastically lowering carbon emissions. Would committing to a hydrogen economy serve both ends?
For over 25 years, USGBC has supported its members – which include corporations, small businesses, government entities and nonprofits – to achieve their green building goals through its LEED program, the world’s most widely used green building rating system and promotes the use of strategies that reduce environmental impact, enhance human health and support economic development.
The case for sustainable investing is clear. The impact of addressing sustainability issues, from climate change to racial and social justice, has become a compelling investment case and, not factoring these issues represents an investment risk. Companies and investors are accelerating the transformation to greener and more sustainable economies.
Buildings consume 40% of global energy and create 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With that data, it was logical for the focus of ESG investors to be on energy use reduction. It was also an easy ROI. Reduce the energy use, reduce the utility bill. That’s good for the planet, and good for profit too. But what about the people?
