Today’s ESG Updates
- EU Lawmakers Agree to Delay Deforestation Rules:
The EU has delayed and simplified its Deforestation Regulation until 2026, pleasing lawmakers and some unprepared businesses but frustrating early investors. - EU Accelerates Hydrogen and Net Zero Revolution:
The EU is investing $5.6B in carbon tax funds to speed up net-zero efforts, financing hydrogen energy, clean industrial heat, and green manufacturing projects. - AT&T Will End All DEI:
AT&T has formally committed to ending all DEI policies and roles, telling the FCC the change aligns with legal compliance requirements. - UK Watchdog Blocks Nike and Lacoste Ads Over Green Claims:
The UK’s ASA banned ads from Nike, Lacoste, and Superdry for greenwashing, ruling that “sustainable” claims misled consumers due to lack of full lifecycle proof.
EU lawmakers agree to delay and simplify deforestation rules
The European Parliament and the European Council agreed to postpone the EU Deforestation Regulation by one more year. Originally set to take effect this month, the law, which bans products linked to deforestation like coffee, beef, and soy, will now apply to large companies at the end of 2026; for small companies, these rules will start applying in mid-2027.
Following the agreement, Parliament’s rapporteur Christine Schneider said:
“The heart of the EU deforestation regulation remains intact. We are protecting forests that face a real risk of deforestation, while avoiding unnecessary obligations in areas where no such risk exists. This agreement takes the concerns of farmers, foresters and businesses seriously and ensures that the regulation can be implemented in a practical and workable way.”
While this is bad news for companies like Nestlé SWX: NESN and Ferrero Tic: N/A due to their early investments, it is a big relief for book publishers who don’t need to follow the rules anymore.
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Further reading: EU Parliament, Council Agree to Simplify, Delay Supply Chain Deforestation Law
Klimado – Navigating climate complexity just got easier. Klimado offers a user-friendly platform for tracking local and global environmental shifts, making it an essential tool for climate-aware individuals and organizations.
EU accelerates hydrogen and net zero revolution
The European Union is providing 5.1 billion € to support the shift towards cleaner industrial technology. This large amount is collected through the EU’s carbon tax, which businesses pay.
This funding will go towards projects that help stop climate change by focusing on: Hydrogen energy, which will help to produce clean Hydrogen for the industry, Clean heat, which involves finding new ways to power heavy energy industries, and Green manufacturing, which gives companies the help that they need for building cleaner machines.
The EU is using this money to help industries quickly reduce their pollution and reach its goal of zero net pollution by 2050. It shows that many companies are eager to become more environmentally friendly.
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Further reading: EU Allocates $5.6B to Accelerate Hydrogen, Heat Decarbonization and Net Zero Industrial Technology
AT&T will end all DEI programs and targets
AT&T has formally committed to dropping its Diversity, Equity, and and Inclusion (DEI) policies and goals.
The commitment was detailed in a letter to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The letter stated:
“We have closely followed the recent Executive Orders, Supreme Court Rulings and guidance issued by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, and have adjusted our employment and business practices to ensure that they comply with all applicable laws and related requirements, including ending DEI-related policies… not just in name, but in substance.”
Following the receipt of the letter, Carr said:
“AT&T has now memorialized its commitment to ending DEI-related policies in an FCC filing and ‘will not have any roles focused on DEI.’”
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Further reading: AT&T Commits to Drop DEI Programs and Goals
UK Watchdog blocks Nike and Lacoste ads 0ver green claims
The UK’s advertising regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), banned online advertisements from major brands such as Nike, Lacoste and Superdry for making misleading claims about the sustainability of their products. The watchdog launched an investigation into greenwashing, using AI to crack down on the practice in the retail fashion sector.
The ASA ruled that claims such as ‘Sustainable Materials‘ and ‘Sustainable Style‘ misled customers of the brands. The companies failed to provide evidence that their products had no detrimental environmental impact throughout their life cycle.
Nike and Lacoste have been instructed not to run the ads again and must ensure that all future environmental claims are clearly substantiated.
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Further reading: UK Watchdog Bans Nike, Lacoste Ads Over Sustainability Claims
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of impakter.com — Cover Photo Title: EU Parliament Cover Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
