Featured
Newcastle-born ESG consultant Umwelt courts PE; $100m price tag tipped
Umwelt’s managing director Barbara Crossley, also a non-executive director at The University of Newcastle, has expanded it from a small, regional player to nine offices across the country.
Corporate climate action was sidelined in 2024. This year may be worse
ESG and green concerns became relative afterthoughts last year. A Trump presidency may push them further into the weeds.
Founder problems? Pull the other one. Founder stocks are flying
Look at the companies whose shares have hit all-time highs this week and what do you see?
ESG fights for its place in mining sector’s sacred tome
For decades, the JORC code has been the little-known foundation upon which $544 billion in market value has been built. Now it’s getting a big shake-up.
Welcome to the nature positive investing movement
Institutional investors see natural capital as the next force in corporate governance, with big implications for companies growing and selling food.
August 2024
Glencore says ESG mood has ‘evolved’ and it will keep coal mining
The Swiss-based commodities giant had proposed spinning off the fossil fuel into a separate company but has decided to retain the division.
June 2024
Boards plead with Labor not to rush broader sustainability rules
The warning from the Australian Institute of Company Directors came despite concerns Australia is “cherry-picking” global sustainability reporting standards.
Damning Tiwi Island judgment makes bank CEOs wary of in-person visits
Major lenders had promised to send bosses to meet traditional owners near Santos’ Barossa gas project. The Federal Court has made them reconsider.
Nature the next frontier but boards lack skills
Biodiversity is critical for maintaining a liveable planet, but a deficit of skills at the board level is proving a roadblock in accounting for its value.
Australia is ‘cherry-picking’ sustainability reporting standards
It is one of few jurisdictions that has agreed to apply new reporting standards only partially, says former super fund chief David Atkin.
Companies undeterred by failure of the Voice referendum
Big companies such as Westpac say the failure of the Voice referendum will not dissuade them from campaigning on social issues.
Investors ought to show fossil fuel companies ‘understanding’: TCorp
The journey to net zero is ‘riddled with uncertainty’ and investors need to have some sympathy for companies, ESG executive Alexis Cheang says.
Super funds target fast food giants over antibiotic use
Superannuation funds have opened a new ESG front by demanding companies such as McDonald’s provide more information about their use of antibiotics.
Proposed director disclosures may raise privacy concerns
Leading directors question whether an ASX proposal to recommend board members disclose their sexuality, age, ethnicity and any disabilities would add value.
Honesty and action key to limiting ‘real’ greenwashing
The risk of regulatory crackdowns should not turn companies off making climate change commitments, provided they manage them well.
The biomethane route to cutting emissions
Renewables such as solar and wind get most of the policy attention, but businesses are experimenting with other low-carbon fuels.
Climate targets ‘challenged’ as energy transition stumbles
The energy transition is proving much more costly and difficult than anticipated.
In the ESG debate, this is what’s really torching shareholder value
For all the talk about the “E” in “ESG”, what gets CEOs sacked and costs investors money are old-fashioned social licence and governance issues.
Keep food scraps onshore for future aircraft fuel: industry
Singapore is quickly developing the capacity to convert waste into aviation fuel.
Security and affordability over net zero: energy giant Jemena
Rising geopolitical risks should prompt a rethink of Australia’s energy priorities so reliability of supply and affordability rank above the net zero transition.
The Energy Trilemma: rethinking the order of merit
Jemena managing director David Gillespie says that in the pull between sustainability, energy security and affordability, security is the most important factor.
After the Voice, October 7, should business say less?
How should companies respond to contested social and political issues not directly related to core business?
May 2024
‘Every country is worried about what’s happening in the US’
ESG champion David Atkin runs a global organisation with 5300 signatories that manage a total of $US121 trillion – about half of global funds under management.
March 2024
Rethinking corporate responsibility
Join the debate around the future of ESG in today’s business and financial markets at the 2024 Financial Review ESG Summit.
February 2024
Boutique adviser 333 Capital in the thick of WICET’s $3b refi
While small parcels of WICET debt have changed hands, so far there isn’t a dominant player on track to building a big exposure.