Published on 13/05/2025
In France, positive impact startups are growing despite headwinds.
Despite an unfavorable context, marked by setbacks in social and environmental matters, startups related to the sustainable transformation of the economy are doing quite well. This is at least what the new class of laureates of Impact 40/120 indicates, the alternative index to the CAC40 / SBF120 that values sustainability companies. The index, developed by the organization Impact France Movement, brings together 120 young companies with a mission of social or ecological transformation.
The companies in this index have raised a total of 6.7 billion euros (20% more than in 2024) while showing growth of nearly 26% in 2024. "The 2025 edition of the Impact 40/120 attests, in the current context, of the maturity and remarkable resilience of the impact startup ecosystem in France, with companies demonstrating robustness and impressive innovation capacity, attracting talents and new generations, and deeply rooted in the territories," underlines Caroline Neyron, CEO of Impact France.
Among the sectors most represented in the index this year, 23% of the companies belong to the energy transition or sustainable mobility sector, and 20% to the circular economy and sustainable consumption, but also 13% in healthcare, 13% in agriculture and food, 11% in employment, 10% in inclusion and social link, and 10% in biodiversity and climate.
Sources: Novethic, Impact France
S. Korea to build biggest-ever offshore wind power cluster by 2033
South Korea will create its biggest-ever offshore wind power cluster by 2033 as part of efforts to expand its use of renewable energy, the industry ministry said in April.
The envisioned wind farm will be built in waters off Sinan, some 300 kilometers southwest of Seoul in South Jeolla Province, consisting of 10 wind power complexes with a combined production capacity of 3.2 gigawatts (GW), according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
Its production capacity will be greater than that of two nuclear power plants, the ministry explained. The Sinan cluster also compares with a 1.4 GW wind power complex, planned to be constructed in North Jeolla Province.
Source: The Korea Times
China's wind and solar capacity exceeds thermal power for the first time
China's wind and solar power generation capacity surged to 1,482 gigawatts by the end of March, exceeding fossil fuel-based thermal power capacity for the first time in its history, the country's energy regulator said in April. Though China is one of a small number of countries still commissioning new carbon-intensive coal-fired power, it has embarked on a rapid renewable power expansion programme, with new installations reaching record levels in recent years. It set a goal to raise wind and solar capacity to 1,200 GW by 2030, and met the target six years early last year. Campaigners have urged Beijing to double the target.
Grid access remains a problem. While the share of renewable capacity in China's power mix has risen, its share of power generation has not increased accordingly, with grid firms still prioritising electricity supplied by fossil fuel plants. The National Energy Administration said in April that wind and solar accounted for 22.5% of the electricity delivered to consumers in the first quarter of this year, even though they make up more than half of total installed capacity.
China is the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter, and owns the largest fleet of coal-burning power plants in the world. It has promised to reduce coal consumption over the 2026-2030 period, and aims to bring CO2 emissions to a peak before the end of the decade. It has also pledged to the United Nations' Paris Agreement to cut emissions generated per unit of GDP growth by 65% before 2030.
Sources: Reuters, Energynews
Investors face ESG correction as risk mispriced, study shows
Investors lack financial incentives to chase sustainable targets, leaving them more exposed to losses once sentiment shifts, according to a study by academics at the University of Cambridge. “Currently, the financial system isn’t incentivized to consider sustainability in financial decision-making,” Nina Seega, director at CISL, and Eliot Whittington, the group’s chief systems change officer, said in the report. They cite an absence of capital charges on unsustainable activities and no incentive to exit at-risk assets.
Anti-ESG sentiment has swelled as the world looks set to blast through the critical threshold of 1.5C of warming. The real-world fallout of that trajectory is already surfacing in the insurance industry, with Swiss Re Institute recently warning that this year may bring $145 billion (€130 billion) of insured losses, which is well above the 10-year average.
There’s a “substantial risk” of disruptive market repricing once sentiment shifts to reflect the physical reality of climate change, according to the authors of the CISL report. At the same time, investors who take climate change into account are opening the door to a $10.3 trillion opportunity in the new green economy, they said.
Sources: Bloomberg, Luxembourg Times
'Spiral of silence': climate action is very popular, so why don’t people realise it?
A recent academic experiment asked participants to divide a pot of $450 between themselves and a charity that reduces carbon emissions. The average person split the money evenly, but when participants were informed that 79% of people believe in the importance of climate action, donations increased by $16 per person. This experiment illustrates a global misconception that climate action is unpopular. Experts suggest that correcting this misperception could be a game changer for climate progress and could be one of the most powerful tools in combating the climate crisis.
A significant global survey involving 130,000 people in 125 countries revealed that 89% of people want their national governments to do more to combat global warming. However, participants believed that only 43% of others would be willing to contribute 1% of their income to fight the climate crisis. The survey showed that even in the world's biggest polluters, China and the US, the vast majority of citizens are willing to contribute financially to climate action and want their governments to do more.
Sources: The Guardian, Forbes
Climate disinformation thrives in a segment of French audiovisual media
Denial of the climate crisis or its human origin, false information on renewable energies and electric vehicles... Climate disinformation is no longer the exclusive domain of social networks but is also "normalizing" in a part of French audiovisual media. This is the main conclusion of an unprecedented study published in April, by Data for Good, QuotaClimat, and Science Feedback, three non-governmental organizations (NGOs) specializing in the analysis of media treatment of ecological issues. This project, using a combination of artificial intelligence and verification carried out by certified fact-checkers, reveals a significant presence of climate disinformation in news media (television and radio).
128 confirmed cases of climate disinformation were detected in just three months, an average of 10 per week. The prevalence of disinformation is notable around major political moments. This indicates the vulnerability of public debate to manipulation attempts, particularly during decisive democratic moments. When expanding the analysis to "discourses of inaction" - content that undermines trust in climate science, transition solutions, or environmental advocates - 373 cases are identified. Over the studied period, the airtime dedicated to environmental issues is 2%.
The report calls for a proportional response from journalists, the regulator, the legislator, as well as advertisers. It also encourages public awareness in order to develop a critical view of consumed information.
Sources: Le Monde, Quotaclimat
Jury orders Chevron to pay more than $744m for destroying Louisiana wetlands
- Company: Chevron Corporation
- Sector: Energy
- Clover rating: 0/10
Chevron has been ordered to pay more than $744m in damages for destroying parts of south-east Louisiana’s coastal wetlands over the years. The ruling marks the conclusion of the first trial among 42 lawsuits filed about 12 years earlier which alleged that the company’s oil and gas projects have led to the degradation of the region’s wetlands. Among other things, the wetlands play a key role in offering the area a measure of protection from hurricanes.
The jury found that the oil brand Texaco, which is owned by Chevron, violated state regulations surrounding coastal resources by contributing to the disappearing coastline through dredging canals, drilling wells and dumping massive amounts of wastewater into the marsh. According to the US Geological Survey, Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are among the most critically endangered environments across the country.
The canals used to create transportation routes for oil and gas rigs have over the years impeded natural water flow across the wetland ecosystems, according to the Lowlander Center. Additionally, the canals create straight avenues which allow surging ocean waters to bypass the bayous and instead head directly inland during severe weather events.
Sources: The Guardian, Novethic
EcoVadis launches new workforce survey tool to provide real-time supply chain human rights data
- Company: Ecovadis
- Sector: Software & Services
- Clover rating: Not rated
Business sustainability ratings and solutions provider EcoVadis announced the launch of its new EcoVadis Worker Voice survey, a new workforce engagement tool aimed at providing companies with real-time information on responsible sourcing and human rights issues in their supply chains.
According to the company, the new tool comes as supply chain disruption and a volatile trade environment increase risks to workers as organizations adjust value chains to adjust to new tariffs, with the new survey enabling companies to receive “on-the-ground insights” into labor and human rights risks to help improve working conditions and comply with regulations.
Key features of the tool include multi-channel feedback to overcome accessibility challenges such as language, literacy, and access to technology, anonymity to ensure workers can share experiences without fear of retaliation, real-time analysis of feedback to flag critical issues, and alignment with industry standards and regulatory requirements such as modern slavery laws or human rights due diligence.
Source: ESG Today
$1.6 trillion investor group pushes HSBC to confirm net zero commitment
- Company: HSBC Holdings
- Sector: Financials
- Clover rating: 4/10
A group of 30 investors representing $1.6 trillion in assets under management, led by responsible investing NGO ShareAction, called on HSBC at its AGM in May to restate its net zero commitments, noting that recent moves by the bank have created “deeply concerning signals” around its climate priorities. The investor statement follows an announcement by HSBC earlier this year of a decision to push back its 2030 target to achieve net zero emissions in its operations and supply chain by 20 years to 2050, and that it is placing its interim targets to reduce financed emissions in key carbon-intensive industries under review, noting a “slower than envisioned” pace of decarbonization globally impacting its ability to reach its goals.
In a statement announcing the campaign, Jeanne Martin, Head of the Banking Programme at ShareAction, said: “After dropping its Chief Sustainability Officer from its executive committee and announcing plans to review its climate targets and policies in February, HSBC has sent deeply concerning signals around whether managing the rapidly multiplying financial risks of global heating is still one of its priorities”. ShareAction representatives said that they were disappointed that HSBC did not address investors’ concerns about the potential weakening of its short term financed emissions reduction targets, but welcomed signals from the bank that it would meet with the group to discuss the concerns.
Researchers manage to link oil and gas majors to the climate damage they have caused
American researchers have developed the first scientific framework that allows to link the emissions of different companies to specific climate damages. According to their calculations, the world's largest companies have caused $28 trillion in damages to the global economy due to heat related to climate change alone.
"Using scope 1 and 3 emissions data (direct and indirect emissions) from major companies, peer-reviewed attribution methods, and advances in empirical climate economics, we illustrate the trillions in economic losses attributable to extreme heat caused by each company's emissions," the authors explain.
According to the research firm Zero Carbon Analytics, 68 lawsuits have been filed worldwide regarding damages caused by climate change, more than half of them in the United States. But many of these actions are contested or delayed in court, partly due to the difficulty of demonstrating that specific climate impacts are attributable to the greenhouse gas emissions of a particular company.
Sources: Novethic, Libération