News

• SEB bolsters green bonds team

  17 June 2011

  Swedish bank SEB, one of the pioneers of the environmental bonds market, has bulked up and formalised its sustainable products department in what its head describes as a vote of confidence in the sector.

• US ethanol tax break survives repeal effort

  16 June 2011

  Tax credits for ethanol production remain on the US statute books, after an effort by Senate Republicans to repeal the support mechanism failed.

• Sustainability rating standard needed to 'avoid next BP' – Ceres, Tellus

  16 June 2011

  Investor coalition Ceres and the Tellus Institute have launched an initiative to develop a standardised corporate sustainability ratings – with the aim of "avoiding the next BP disaster".

• Leading companies call for deeper EU carbon cuts

  16 June 2011

  Companies with a combined turnover of more than €1 trillion ($1.4 trillion) – greater than the collective GDP of Poland, Sweden and Austria – have called for the EU to deepen its 2020 emission reduction targets.

• Google invests $280m in solar loans for homes, Suntech promises finance

  16 June 2011

  Google has invested $280 million to set up a residential solar fund with installer SolarCity, which leases systems to households that want to avoid the upfront costs of buying and installing their own solar panels.

• Gas prices dent prospects of US nuclear build

  14 June 2011

  Low natural gas prices have thwarted investment in nuclear generators in the US and federal loan guarantees will not help nuclear power reach parity, experts said.

• Sustainability reporting on rise in China

  14 June 2011

  More Chinese companies are producing sustainability reports, according to standard-setter the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), driven largely by regulation and stock exchange listing requirements.

• Italy's nuclear defeat boosts renewables hope

  14 June 2011

  Italians have voted against rebooting nuclear power generation, thwarting prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's nuclear ambitions and signalling a potential shift toward renewable energy.

• Wind energy to avoid €24bn of fuel costs in 2015, industry says

  14 June 2011

  Wind power will save €23.7 billion ($34.2 billion) that would otherwise be spent on coal, gas and oil in 2015, according to figures from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

• M&S sustainability plan saves retailer £70m

  14 June 2011

  Marks & Spencer (M&S), a bastion of the British highstreet, saved £70 million ($115 million) through its 'Plan A' initiative this year, up on the £50 million net benefit it reported in 2009-10.