The SEC has requested to delay climate rule arguments. What’s next?

Sustainable investing experts are not surprised by the delay and say it is expected to have minimal immediate impact.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 13, 2025

Sustainability is a lasting fashion statement

Brands can build consumer trust and increase shareholder value by considering ESG impacts, writes Marco Valverde, apparel national practice leader at Moss Adams.

By Marco Valverde • Feb. 13, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from ESG Dive

This year has shaped up to be a formative one for ESG, both on the regulatory and financial front, with the SEC’s climate disclosure rule and the battle over shareholder rights and proposal approvals.

By ESG Dive staff

Accenture rolls back DEI goals to comply with Trump’s EOs

CEO Julie Sweet said the company would end its employee diversity representation goals and put “a greater focus on inclusion and a sense of belonging for all,” in an internal memo.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 12, 2025

Former EEOC commissioner weighs in on feds targeting private sector DEI

Chai Feldblum said employers may consider framing their programs on inclusion and preventing discrimination, but she also expressed confusion over some of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s enforcement priorities.

By Ryan Golden • Feb. 12, 2025

Acting SEC chair asks court not to schedule climate rule arguments

“The Commission’s briefs previously submitted in the cases consolidated in the Eighth Circuit do not reflect my views,” Acting Chair Mark Uyeda said.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 11, 2025

HSBC taps global banking executive for chief sustainability officer role

Julian Wentzel — previously HSBC’s head of global banking for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey — becomes sustainability chief after serving as interim CSO.

By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 11, 2025

EPA funding freeze endangers $7B Solar For All program

“We don't know how much money got out the door, we don't know how much money the administration can seek to claw back,” said Vote Solar’s executive director, Sachu Constantine.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 11, 2025

US state legislatures take aim at fashion’s sustainability and safety concerns

The new regulations are designed to protect workers, consumers and the environment, but there are still hurdles to face between passing the bills and implementing them.

By Siera Nezaj • Feb. 10, 2025

Google moves away from aspirational diversity hiring goals

This move is on par with what attorneys have been recommending in a tense political landscape around DEI and compliance.

By Caroline Colvin • Feb. 10, 2025

Google contracts over $100M in carbon removal credits in 2024

“We’re encouraged by our progress, but the journey to catalyze carbon removal is just beginning,” Google Carbon Credits and Removals Lead Randy Spock said.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 7, 2025

Lego to increase solar capacity by 72% this year to cut emissions

The Danish toymaker calls solar expansion a “key initiative” to help meet its sustainability goals, which include achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 7, 2025

‘A clarion call’: How employers should respond to Trump’s private-sector DEI order

Beyond clearly illegal practices like using preferences and quotas, employers need to dig into their DEI programs to see where the potential for other legal challenges might lie, writes Jonathan Segal, partner at Duane Morris.

By Jonathan Segal • Feb. 7, 2025

Sephora boosts DEI with new documentary

As others back away from DEI initiatives, the retailer said its film “reaffirms its commitment to fostering a world of inspiration and inclusion.”

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Feb. 6, 2025

New York reintroduces bills seeking climate risk, emissions disclosures

Senate Bills 3456 and 3697, if approved, would mandate climate-related disclosures from large companies operating in the Empire State as early as 2027.

By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 6, 2025

ESG encountering widening ‘gulf’ between US and European investors: Morningstar

“We are definitely seeing a widening gap … between asset manager support for environmental and social-related voting initiatives," Morningstar Sustainalytics’ director of investment stewardship research said.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 5, 2025

Companies reduce philanthropy aimed at boosting racial, gender equality

Change in “corporate citizenship” initiatives coincide with a federal backlash against efforts to promote sustainability in the private and public sectors.

By Jim Tyson • Feb. 5, 2025

Vanguard dilutes diversity guidelines for US board proxy voting

The updated policies exclude a recommendation that boards “at a minimum, represent diversity of personal characteristics, inclusive of at least diversity in gender, race and ethnicity.”

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 4, 2025

Meta’s HR changes reflect widely touted aspirational approach to DEI

Eliminating hard inclusivity goals won’t protect against reverse discrimination complaints but it will help, legal specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • Feb. 4, 2025

Republican officials urge SEC, DOL to adopt anti-ESG, DEI rules

The letter signed by 22 Republican state finance officials cited American Airlines’ recent legal loss as evidence that fiduciaries are breaching their duty to loyalty with regards to ESG and DEI.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 3, 2025

Treasury Department exits global regulatory climate coalition

The Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office withdrew from the Network of Central Banks and Supervisors for Greening the Financial System last week to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 3, 2025

Developments driving the ESG, sustainability industry in 2025

The change in U.S. presidential leadership has triggered drawbacks of ESG and DEI commitments, as the private sector braces for a change in political direction.

By Zoya Mirza , Lamar Johnson • Jan. 31, 2025

Target ends some DEI initiatives, reiterates commitment to belonging and inclusion

Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer Kiera Fernandez cited “the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape.”

By Daphne Howland • Jan. 31, 2025

Why climate alliance memberships are no longer ‘en vogue’ for Wall Street

Financial institutions have increasingly departed groups like the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and Climate Action 100+, but experts say banks are still committed to sustainability.

By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 30, 2025

Rockefeller grant strengthens push for nature-related disclosures

The Rockefeller Foundation announced it will give the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures $500,000 to scale its voluntary adoption efforts, as the organization rolls out additional sector guidelines.

By Lamar Johnson • Jan. 30, 2025

1 in 8 companies say they plan to weaken DEI commitments in 2025

More than half of managers said diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives were implemented primarily for public relations purposes, Resume.org found.

By Carolyn Crist • Jan. 29, 2025