Today’s ESG Updates:
- BNP Paribas AM Backs FarmCarbon to Cut Farm Methane: BNP Paribas AM has invested in FarmCarbon, which scales climate finance to reduce methane emissions from smallholder farms using modular biodigesters.
- LEGO to Install Over 40,000 Solar Panels at Its First US Factory: The buildings are designed to be carbon-neutral and include zero‑waste‑to‑landfill ambitions and a push for LEED Platinum certification.
- Cambodia Turns to Singapore and Malaysia for Fuel as Vietnam and China Restrict Supplies: Supply shortfalls stemming from export restrictions by Vietnam and China prompt Cambodia to seek alternative imports.
- Rhinos Reintroduced in Ugandan Park After More Than Four Decades: After more than four decades, rhinos have been reintroduced to Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park following their near‑total extinction there due to poaching.
BNP Paribas AM Backs FarmCarbon to Cut Farm Methane
BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) has invested in FarmCarbon, a new platform created by biogas firm Sistema.bio to deploy climate finance and scale methane‑reduction projects across smallholder farms in developing countries.
Founded in 2010 in Mexico, Sistema.bio sells modular biodigesters that turn animal waste into biogas and biofertiliser, cutting fossil‑fuel use and chemical inputs while generating on‑site renewable energy and digestate for farms.
FarmCarbon channels carbon‑credit financing directly to Sistema.bio’s global farmer network, offering discounted or instalment‑financed biodigesters in exchange for the carbon credits farmers generate, with the aim of delivering high‑quality emissions reductions and extra income for rural households.
Deputy Head of Natural Capital & Impact Private Equity at BNPP AM Alts, Jonathan Dean, called the opportunity “relatively low‑risk, high‑quality carbon projects with potentially significant co‑benefits for rural populations,” highlighting the scale of Sistema.bio’s network, the methane cuts from its biodigesters, and the farmer savings from on‑farm fertiliser and energy.
The deal aligns with BNPP AM Alts’ wider Natural Capital and Impact strategy, which reached about $560 million in commitments late last year and focuses on protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing natural capital through project financing and equity investments.
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Further reading: BNP Paribas AM Invests in Farming Decarbonization Platform FarmCarbon
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LEGO to install over 40,000 solar panels at its first US factory
LEGO plans to install over 40,000 solar panels at its first U.S. factory, LEGO Manufacturing Virginia, creating an 80-acre solar park with around 28 MWp of capacity and aiming to cover 100% of the plant’s annual energy needs with renewables. The $1.5 billion factory, spanning 340 acres and comprising 13 buildings, is designed to be carbon neutral and includes zero‑waste‑to‑landfill ambitions and a push for LEED Platinum certification, with office spaces built from carbon‑sequestering mass timber.
General Manager Jesus Ibañez said the projects are “key to increasing our use of renewable energy and support our ongoing commitment towards more sustainable operations”.
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Further reading: LEGO to Install Over 40,000 Solar Panels at its First U.S. Factory
Related Articles
Here is a list of articles selected by our Editorial Board that have gained significant interest from the public:
Cambodia turns to Singapore and Malaysia for fuel as Vietnam and China restrict supplies
Cambodia is scrambling for fuel after Vietnam and China slashed exports, so it is turning more to suppliers in Singapore and Malaysia.
At the same time, the US–Israeli war on Iran disrupts global oil and LNG flows. The energy minister says Cambodia has less than a month’s typical stock of diesel, jet fuel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and petrol. Furthermore, about a third of the country’s roughly 6,300 petrol stations briefly closed; now only 5.77% remain shut.
Thailand and Vietnam previously supplied over 60% of Cambodia’s petroleum imports. Still, that figure has dropped as Cambodia boosts inflows from Singapore and Malaysia and taps long-standing partners like Total and Chevron, with Cambodia’s energy minister, Keo Rottanak, noting the country is “not yet 100% insulated.” However, the inflows are “okay for the time being”.
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Further reading: Cambodia turns to Singapore, Malaysia for fuel as Vietnam, China restrict supplies
Rhinos reintroduced in Ugandan park after more than four decades
For the first time in over four decades, rhinos are back in Uganda’s Kidepo Valley National Park after poachers wiped out the species there in the 1980s, killing around 700 animals and leaving the country rhino‑free in the wild.
On March 17, two southern white rhinos arrived from the privately run Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch in Nakasongola, roughly 100 km north of Kampala, as the first of eight rhinos earmarked to repopulate the park. Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director James Musinguzi called the moment “the beginning of a new rhino story for Kidepo Valley National Park”, stressing that translocation is “the first step in restoring a species that once formed part of the park’s natural heritage”.
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Further reading: Rhinos reintroduced in Ugandan park after more than four decades
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: BNP Paribas Office. Cover Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
