Published on 25/09/2025
88% of companies see sustainability as a value-creation opportunity
A recent survey by Morgan Stanley found that nearly nine out of ten companies view sustainability as a value creation opportunity, driving benefits such as higher profitability, revenue growth, and improved cost of capital. The survey, which covered over 330 companies across North America, Europe, and APAC, revealed that 88% of respondents see sustainability as having a positive impact on their long-term strategy, with 53% viewing it primarily as a value creation opportunity. This represents a 3% increase from the previous year, with significant growth in North America and Europe.
The survey also found that companies are becoming more adept at measuring the returns on their sustainability investments, with 83% of executives able to quantify the return on investment of their sustainability activities. This has enabled better comparisons with other capital allocation priorities. Additionally, 65% of executives reported that their companies' sustainability strategies are meeting or exceeding expectations, up from 59% last year.
Despite the growing awareness of the benefits of sustainability, the survey also highlighted the significant challenges and risks associated with climate-related events. 57% of executives reported that their companies had experienced climate-related events in the past 12 months, resulting in increased operational costs, disruptions to the workforce, and revenue loss. However, 60% of respondents expressed confidence in their companies' preparedness to increase resilience against climate-related threats, with technological advancements, favorable economic conditions, and growing customer demand cited as key enablers of their sustainability strategies.
Sources: ESG Today, Morgan Stanley
Climate litigation: after oil companies, cement manufacturers
A historic preliminary hearing was held in Zug, Switzerland, in September. Four residents of Pari Island in Indonesia filed a lawsuit against Holcim, the world's leading cement company, which they accuse of contributing to climate change that threatens the very existence of their island. This is an unprecedented legal action, targeting a cement company for climate-related damages for the first time, according to the Swiss Protestant Aid (EPER) NGO, which is supporting the plaintiffs.
So far, climate litigation has primarily targeted major oil companies. Now, the scope is expanding to other carbon-intensive industrial sectors. The cement industry alone accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions. Holcim, formed by the merger of the Swiss and French companies, has emitted over 7 billion tons of CO2 since 1950.
The four plaintiffs - three men and one woman - are each seeking 3,600 Swiss francs in compensation for the damages they have already suffered, including damaged homes, contaminated drinking water wells, and destroyed fish farms. "Due to flooding, [...] it is no longer possible to cultivate algae on our island," says Asmania, one of the plaintiffs. But beyond compensation, their demand also includes a reduction in future emissions. They are calling on Holcim to reduce its emissions by 43% by 2030, compared to the current 17.5%, in order to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.
For Yvan Maillard-Ardenti, a climate justice expert at EPER, this trial is based on solid scientific and legal grounds: "Climate attribution science now allows us to quantify a company's share of responsibility for global warming and link its consequences to a specific location like Pari Island. This is very concrete."
This case is part of a global trend: according to a report by the Grantham Research Institute, nearly 3,000 climate-related cases have been filed worldwide since 2015, including 226 in 2024. While the United States still accounts for the majority of climate-related litigation, a notable trend is emerging in Southern countries, where affected communities are seeking reparations from industrial giants. Increasingly, companies are being directly targeted. In 2024, nearly 20% of new cases filed concerned private companies, compared to less than 10% just a few years ago.
Conservationists fight to save Nigeria's sea turtles from pollution and poachers
Plastic pollution, discarded fishing nets, and coastal development are taking a devastating toll on Nigeria's sea turtle population, according to conservationists. "We're seeing a drastic decline," said Chinedu Mogbo, founder of the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative, which has rescued and released more than 70 turtles over the last five years. The group has treated and released Olive Ridley, Hawksbill, and Leatherback turtles, among others, at its turtle sanctuary in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. However, the exact number of sea turtles in Nigeria's waters is unknown due to inadequate resources for monitoring, with at least five endangered or threatened species inhabiting the area.
The decline of Nigeria's sea turtles is further exacerbated by the lack of marine protected areas and shrinking nesting grounds, making the coastline a trap for these creatures. Mogbo's group has been working with local fishermen to save the animals: "Fishers need income. We offer net repair kits in exchange for rescued turtles or protected nests," Mogbo explained. Despite these efforts, the demand for sea turtle meat, shells, and eggs in Nigeria remains high, driven by consumption and traditional ritual uses. According to Morifat Hassan, a fish seller in the coastal area of Folu, sea turtles can fetch up to 90,000 naira ($60) each, and their eggs are sometimes used for voodoo rituals.
Source: Reuters
Japan plans $1.5bn impact investments in Africa
Japan plans to invest $1.5 billion in African countries to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve sustainable development goals. The investment was announced during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) and will be arranged with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and private financial institutions.
The investment will target projects like large-scale wind power generation and startup financing for healthcare facilities, among others. This approach is part of Japan's effort to differentiate itself from China, which has been investing heavily in Africa through infrastructure loans. Instead, Japan is emphasizing projects that have long-term social and economic value, such as strengthening healthcare systems and developing human capital.
The investment is an example of "impact investing," which aims to generate both financial returns and positive social and environmental outcomes. This approach is based on two principles: intentionality and additionality, meaning that investors must intentionally seek to create positive outcomes and ensure that their investment would not have occurred without their intervention. Japan's investment in Africa is expected to not only help the continent reduce its emissions but also provide opportunities for Japanese companies to generate profits.
Sources: Bloomberg, Business Insider
The hidden cost of heatwaves on the global economy
Extreme temperatures lead to a feeling of lethargy, combined with the fatigue of a poor night's sleep due to the heat. This has an impact on productivity at work and, consequently, on the productivity of the company. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), heat stress could reduce the total number of potential working hours worldwide by 2.2% by 2030, equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs.
A report published in early July on the economic impact of heatwaves highlights that the consequences are even more significant for people working outdoors or doing manual labor. Researchers estimate that from 32 degrees Celsius, there is a 40% loss of productivity, and above 38 degrees, the loss of productivity is around two-thirds.
According to a report by Allianz Trade, this summer's heatwaves could cost 0.6 percentage points of GDP in the United States, 0.3 percentage points in France, and 1.4 percentage points in Spain, which has experienced record temperatures this year, resulting in the death of over 1,000 people. To put this into perspective, the report notes that a day of extreme heat, exceeding 32 degrees Celsius, is equivalent to half a day of strikes.
Shein fined €1 Million for greenwashing in Italy
- Company: SHEIN
- Sector: Consumer Discretionary
- Clover rating: Not rated
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) announced that it has fined global fashion online retailer Shein’s website operator Infinite Styles Services Co €1mn for greenwashing, after finding that the company used misleading environmental messages or claims in the promotion of its clothing products. In a statement released announcing the fine, the AGCM said that it found that the company disseminated environmental claims that were, in some instances, vague, generic, or overly emphatic.
The ruling comes as the fashion sector has come under particular pressure to address the climate and environmental impact of its activities, and to tackle misleading green claims in its advertising, and follows a record €40 million fine against Shein in July in France for misleading communications on price discounts and environmental impact. In addition, the AGCM pointed out that statements by the company about its intention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 and to reach zero emissions by 2050 are presented on its website in a vague and generic way, and have been contradicted by an increase in the company’s emissions in 2023 and 2024.
Sources: ESG Today, The Guardian
Bayer may stop selling glyphosate
- Company: Bayer AG
- Sector: Chemicals
- Clover rating: 4/10
Choked by thousands of lawsuits and huge losses, Bayer, the German agrochemical giant, may abandon the star molecule glyphosate - and highly controversial - of one of the best-selling herbicides in the world, Roundup. In fact, this was the reason why the German giant Bayer acquired the American company Monsanto in 2016. In August, during the earnings conference, CEO Bill Anderson stated: "Unless the situation changes, we will have to stop producing glyphosate because it's simply not viable".
Bayer recorded a net loss of 199 million euros in the second quarter, six times more than last year. The German giant is literally drowning under the weight of legal proceedings related to glyphosate. More than 67,000 lawsuits are reportedly ongoing, and the group has paid out over $10 billion due to these disputes.
Sources: Novethic, The Economic Times
BlackRock loses US$17 billion mandate at Dutch pension fund PFZW
- Company: Blackrock Inc
- Sector: Financials
- Clover rating: 6/10
BlackRock has lost a mandate worth US$17 billion with one of the largest pension funds in the Netherlands, amid concerns the world’s largest asset manager isn’t acting in the best interests of clients when it comes to climate risk.
PFZW is the latest asset owner to voice discontent with US money managers that have retreated from climate alliances amid an all-out assault on net-zero policies by the White House. PME, another Dutch pensions manager, told Bloomberg earlier this year it’s reviewing its mandate with BlackRock, valued at some 5 billion euros.
Dutch pension funds have been under pressure from a local nonprofit, Fossil Free Netherlands, to end their ties with BlackRock. The Break with BlackRock initiative asked savers to urge their pension funds to act, and thousands have done so, according to the nonprofit’s website.
The ozone layer is expected to return to its initial state in the coming decades
According to a bulletin from the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica was smaller in 2024 than in recent years, "a scientifically encouraging new development for the health of populations and the planet." The stratospheric ozone layer filters out the sun's ultraviolet rays, which can cause cancer, weaken the immune system, and even damage the DNA of living beings.
In the mid-1970s, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were once widely used in aerosols and refrigerators, were identified as the main cause of ozone layer depletion, creating annual "holes", including a particularly large one over Antarctica.
The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, has allowed for the elimination of over 99% of the consumption and production of most ozone-depleting chemicals to date, according to the WMO. As a result, the ozone layer is expected to return to its 1980 values "by the middle of this century", the organization indicates, explaining that this will reduce the risks of cataracts and skin cancer, as well as ecosystem degradation caused by excessive UV exposure.