Today’s ESG updates cover Bain Capital’s majority stake in AQ Compute to boost sustainable data centres across Europe, growing ESG focus among female investors, UK housing’s challenge in cutting emissions, and a new UK law on ESG fraud. Companies now face hefty fines for misleading ESG claims, stressing the need for strict compliance.
Bain Capital acquires majority stake in Aquila Group’s sustainable data centre arm
Bain Capital has acquired an 80% stake in Aquila Group’s AQ Compute to expand sustainable data centre infrastructure across Europe. With a planned multi-billion Euro investment, AQ Compute aims to lead in clean-energy-powered, AI-ready data centres for large-scale clients. The partnership comes as demand for data centres and energy infrastructure grows, driven by tech giants such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon, which have recently highlighted the challenge of balancing AI’s growth with their decarbonisation goals.
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Further reading: Bain Capital and Aquila Group Partner to Build a Leading Sustainable Data Center Platform Across Europe
Experts call for urgent action in the UK’s property sector to meet net-zero goals
The UK’s property sector faces critical challenges in reducing emissions, with the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) highlighting it accounts for 25% of national carbon emissions. Despite recent progress, the sector failed to reach the goal of 19% emission reduction til 2022. Leaders urge more consistent industry measures through improvements in infrastructure capacity and standardised ESG metrics.
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Further reading: What can the property sector do to get climate aims back on track?
ESG fraud risks rise under new UK legislation
As ESG reporting intensifies, the UK’s new “failure to prevent fraud” offence, enacted in October 2023, pressures companies to ensure ESG claims are accurate. The law addresses fraudulent ESG practices, including false disclosures or unverified sustainability claims, exposing organisations to significant fines. To avoid high penalties and ensure accountability for ESG data integrity across departments, industry leaders increasingly use AI-powered ESG reporting software.
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Further reading: The failure to prevent fraud offence and ESG claims
Women investors drive ESG focus in wealth management
DWS reports that women now control one-third of global wealth, with U.S. women managing over $10 trillion, a figure projected to surpass $30 trillion by 2030. Notably, women’s investments increasingly prioritise ESG goals: 71% consider sustainability, contrasting with 58% of men. Yet, only 12.5% of U.S. portfolio managers are women, underscoring gender disparities in asset management as female investors reshape the financial landscape with a stronger ESG focus.
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Further reading: More Risk-Averse, Higher Returns, and More ESG-Oriented: How Women Invest
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Akela999
