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Callum Conway Pensions Age

ESG progress declines for second consecutive year amid political uncertainty

Investment firms' progress on environmental, social and governance (ESG) and climate strategies has declined for the second year running, with the proportion rated ‘green’ falling to 64 per cent, down from 72 per cent last year and 85 per cent in 2023, according to XPS' fifth annual Investment Fund ESG Rating Review. The review, which assessed 170 investment funds across 41 asset managers, found that although headline ESG scores continued to edge slightly higher, underlying progress has slowed sharply, and significant gaps remain across climate strategy, stewardship, and the day-to-day integration of ESG risks. Indeed, XPS downgraded a number of…
November 25, 2025
The Observer

Some like it hot

The UN climate chief, Simon Stiell, closed the Cop30 summit on today with the reflection that the world was not winning the climate fight but “undeniably still in it”. So what? He’s right and it’s not good enough. There was relief that a deal was agreed given it could have completely fallen apart a day earlier. Important decisions have been made on boosting climate adaptation funds and protecting rights in a green economy. But limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels is increasingly unlikely when: - delegates failed to come up with a roadmap on ending deforestation; - there…
November 22, 2025
Chartered Management Institute

CMI: Management skills gap threatens UK net zero targets

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) today warns that the UK’s legally binding climate targets are under threat, as a new report, Leading the Pathway to Net Zero: Transforming Management and Leadership for a Sustainable Future, reveals a critical management and leadership skills gap stopping organisations from turning net zero ambitions into action. The research, spanning organisations across the UK economy, highlights a fundamental “say-do” gap in the net zero transition: while nearly three-quarters of managers (74%) say sustainability is a priority for their employers, one-third (33%) lack confidence in their organisation’s readiness to deliver the necessary change. The management and…
November 17, 2025
Temiloluwa Lawal ESG Foundation Special Adviser

What ESG Compliance Means in Different Parts of the World

ESG is well & alive, despite the loud pushbacks & uncertainties. As a matter of fact, the window for voluntary adherence is all but closed. Around the world, ESG has moved from aspiration to enforcement, & it is rewriting what business compliance means. For many entities, this has become less about corporate image & more about licence to operate & market access. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘌𝘚𝘎/𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘪, 𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘚𝘢𝘰 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘰, 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘬, 𝘛𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰, 𝘋𝘰𝘩𝘢, 𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘺𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 & 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
October 17, 2025
Varun R Non-Executive Director The ESG Foundation

Embarrassed by ESG? You’re the embarrassment

There is no neutral ground left. If your peer firms are still treating ESG as optional, you are witnessing institutions betraying their own futures. Recent analyses - such as KPMG’s 2025 ESG Assurance Maturity Index reprinted on the ESG Foundation’s Keeping Current pages - reveal that 76% of businesses are still in early or mid-stages of ESG maturity. That isn’t a marginal lag - it is a chasm. If your board believes that PR spin or incremental policy tweaks will suffice, it's time to admit: complacency has become a luxury you can no longer afford. Peers who dismiss ESG with…
September 30, 2025
Procurement magazine

How Procurement can Navigate EU ESG Regulation Changes

In this excellent article from Procurement magazine the shifting sands of the EU’s ESG regulations is explained, the amendments having creating uncertainty for procurement leaders, especially after the proposals in the February 2025 Omnibus which aimed to delay implementation and narrow the scope of pivotal directives. This has left many procurement professionals in the EU questioning future regulatory expectations, particularly with the possible renegotiation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) originally set in place in 2024. The EU’s ESG regulations present significant challenges and opportunities for procurement leaders. Procurement teams are…
September 16, 2025
KPMG

Stakeholder Pressure Mounts: 2025 KPMG Report Uncovers ESG Gaps

The third edition of KPMG International’s 2025 ESG Assurance Maturity Index comes at a pivotal time for global business. The report surveyed 1,320 senior executives and board members across industries and global regions, with a mean revenue of US$16.8 billion. According to the report, the overall readiness score of respondents has dipped marginally, from 47.7 to 46.9. Even now — two years since KPMG's initial survey — 76% of businesses remain in the early or mid-stages of ESG maturity. Key Findings: Momentum despite complexity: 74% of companies say their sustainability reporting plans under the CSRD remain unchanged — signaling strong…
September 11, 2025
Clive Booth Founder the ESG Foundation

Uzbekistan’s State Enterprises Embrace IFRS as Reform Drive Gains Pace

Uzbekistan is pushing ahead with a sweeping overhaul of financial reporting across its state-owned enterprises (SOEs), as part of a wider campaign to improve transparency, attract investment, and modernize corporate governance. Under reforms mandated by Presidential Decree No. 4611, a growing number of major enterprises are now required to produce financial statements in line with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The first wave of compliance, launched in 2021, is beginning to bear fruit, with government officials hailing early successes and promising full adoption across all largest SOEs by the end of 2025. A recent seminar in Tashkent brought together finance leaders…
August 19, 2025
Gerald Wiley Researcher The ESG Foundation

An Inconvenient Truth: Why Private Jets Have No Place in a Climate-Conscious World

The growing popularity of private jet travel is a glaring contradiction in an age where climate change demands urgent, collective action. While these aircraft offer unmatched convenience and exclusivity, their environmental cost is impossible to ignore. According to research by Transport & Environment, a European clean transport campaign group, private jets are up to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights and 50 times more polluting than trains (“Private jets: can the super rich supercharge zero emission aviation?” Transport & Environment, 2021).
August 12, 2025
Clive Booth Founder the ESG Foundation

The Quiet Origins of ESG

Long before ESG became a framework for corporate responsibility – before ratings agencies, sustainability reports or shareholder resolutions – a small group of British religious dissenters were practising something strikingly similar. The Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, built commercial empires from the 18th century onwards that placed values at the heart of enterprise. Their principles – integrity, fairness, stewardship and accountability – would not be out of place in any modern ESG policy. But theirs was not a response to regulatory pressure. It was a matter of conscience.
August 8, 2025