Support for shareholder proposals aimed at tackling environmental and social risks hit a record low last year, figures show, amid a “worrying retreat” by investors, particularly in the US.A report compiled by the responsible investment campaign group ShareAction found that, out of 279 environmental, social and governance (ESG) shareholder resolutions put forward at annual general meetings last year in the UK, Europe and the US, only four – or 1.4% – secured majority support.It marks a sharp decline from recent years, having dropped from 21% in 2021 to 14% in 2022, and 3% in 2023. However, it also reflects a severe drop in support for ESG issues in the US, where rightwing activists and politicians have targeted financial firms for supporting climate and diversity policies.Polic...

“The DeepSeek saga is a fascinating inflection point in AI’s trajectory, raising ESG questions that extend beyond energy and market concentration,” Peter Huang, co-founder of Openware AI, said in an emailed response to questions.DeepSeek put the cat among the pigeons by announcing that it had developed its model for around $6 million, a thousandth of the cost of some other AI models, while also using far fewer chips and much less energy.Camden Woollven, group head of AI product marketing at IT governance and compliance group GRC International, said in an email that “smaller companies and developers who couldn't compete before can now get in the game …. It's like we're seeing a democratisation of AI development. And the efficiency gains are significant as they're achieving similar...

Through the course of 2024, the development of the ESG and sustainability landscape was dynamic. We anticipate that this dynamism will intensify in 2025, given the implementation and potential amendment of ESG-related regulations and significant geopolitical developments around the globe. Companies, investors, and asset holders will need to remain agile and informed to adequately respond to these trends, while navigating the energy transition, greater scrutiny of value chains, and the “greenlash.” Integrating ESG and sustainability into corporate strategies and operations will require ever more sophistication and careful consideration, in particular by the directors and senior managers who are responsible for oversight of such matters.1. US DevelopmentsMany observers are wondering how ...

1. Trash or treasure?  This year, food waste was on the menu, and textiles were woven into the discussion. The European Parliament and Member States advanced on the revision of EU waste management laws, with a special focus on the food and textiles sectors. Both the Parliament and the Council raised the bar for textiles sustainability, adding provisions to hold brands financially accountable for the impact of their products. It is about time: production of textile fibres has doubled since 2000, and too many products end up as waste shortly after hitting the market, making producer responsibility measures as urgent as ever. On the other hand, they fell short of proposing adequate reduction targets to address the scale of Europe’s food waste cri...

국내 기업이 시장에서 돈을 내고 의무적으로 구매해야 하는 온실가스배출권 가격이 2026년부터 크게 상승할 것으로 예상된다. 이와 함께 전기료도 올라 기업에 이중 부담이 될 전망이다.환경부와 기획재정부는 지난 12월 31일 국무회의에서 제4차 배출권거래제 기본계획(2026~2035년)을 심의·확정했다고 밝혔다. 이번 계획은 배출권거래제의 향후 10년간 정책 방향을 제시하는 것이다. 이에 따라 배출 허용 총량을 줄이고 유상 할당 비율을 확대할 계획이다.4차 할당 계획 기간(2026~2030년)에 기존 배출 허용 총량 외로 편성하던 시장 안정화 예비분을 총량에 포함하고, 5차 할당 계획 기간(2031~2035년)부터는 배출�...