Anna Stacey

McDonalds is the latest to retire some diversity goals, meanwhile, the broader anti-ESG US trend is beginning to impact attitudes in the City of London, with fewer funds applying for the FCA’s sustainability labels.

Bank of America and Citigroup are quitting the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. Elsewhere, Bloomberg has outlined the key climate trends for 2025.

New EU human rights rules are forcing global companies to address modern slavery concerns, but there are concerns that the Trump administration may try to exempt US companies from these requirements. A new categorisation framework for the EU’s landmark ESG investing rulebook has been recommended, making it easier for investors to understand what kind of products they’re buying.

Asset managers are complaining that a shortage of reliable ESG data is making evaluations of companies’ credentials difficult. Elsewhere, Datamaran teams up with Deloitte to provide ESG evaluation software to clients.

In the US, the backlash against ESG investing continues. A new ‘anti-woke’ fund from Azoria Partners will exclude S&P 500 companies that incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion considerations into their hiring process. Despite this movement, some fund managers have argued that the Trump era may be a surprisingly good time for clean energy stocks.

Last week’s COP29 negotiations finally resulted in a deal for carbon markets; however, questions remain about market integrity. Elsewhere, 11 Republican-led states in the US are suing BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, claiming they conspired to curtail coal supplies to further their agenda.

One of the world’s largest asset managers will give retail investors greater say on proxy votes as it tries to navigate a backlash to ‘woke’ policies. Elsewhere, as this year’s COP29 summit draws to a close, goals for international climate finance are yet to be agreed.

Last time Trump won the White House, green funds took off as many imagined a world where capital markets could be the force needed to slow climate change. This time around however, it’s a different story. In other news, an increasing number of asset managers are dropping ‘sustainable’ from fund labels as regulatory concerns about greenwashing grow.

The ESG story in the UK and US couldn’t be more different this week. While the former introduced fiscal changes that many hope will unlock more capital to finance the green transition, the election of Trump in the US caused a huge sell off of ESG and green energy stocks.

More than two years after BlackRock ran into criticism from US Republicans over its focus on ESG investing, the world’s largest money manager is attempting to change the subject. Elsewhere, carbon markets are still facing problems as a wave of reports show that many projects deliver fewer climate benefits than advertised.