ESGN

23/07/2021

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the global body enabling businesses to set emissions reduction targets in line with climate science, is unveiling a new strategy to increase minimum ambition in corporate target setting from ‘well below 2°C’ to ‘1.5°C’ above pre-industrial levels. All companies and financial institutions that submit targets from 15 July 2022 will need to align to the new criteria.

Read more: https://esgn.asia/sbti-raises-the-bar-to-1-5c/

19/07/2021

Nintendo’s best-selling game, Pokémon Go, has caused numerous fatalities and accidents #

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Written by: Kanak Gupta Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. Augmented Reality (AR) is described as a technology that lets computer-based content add to the real....

16/07/2021

GRI and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) Project task Force announced a Statement of Cooperation, agreeing to share technical expertise to co-construct new EU sustainability reporting standards and contribute to further global convergence. This collaboration aims to assist the European Commission in fulfilling its objective to increase corporate transparency in support of the European Green Deal. Requirements for companies to report to new European sustainability reporting standards is set out in the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) proposal.

Read more: https://esgn.asia/gri-welcomes-role-as-co-constructor-of-new-eu-sustainability-reporting-standards/

12/07/2021

United Overseas Bank invested $955.6 Mn via loans and underwritings in coal companies

Read more: https://esgn.asia/united-overseas-bank-invested-955-6-mn-via-loans-and-underwritings-in-coal-companies/

09/07/2021

SLBs are on the rise and are being increasingly adopted by more and more corporates.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated and strengthened the interest of different stakeholders in sustainable investment. The transition toward sustainability in financial markets has been gaining momentum and this is reflected clearly in green bond issuance in 2021. Increasing investor demands and g...

07/07/2021

Along with China Unicom, China Mobile invested $5.8 billion in the Telecommunication Universal Service project, which focuses on bridging the digital divide between the rural and urban population. The project focuses on speed upgrade and tariff reduction so that the rural population have equal access to internet.

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Written by: Meenakshi Narayanan Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. In 2020, China had 940 million internet users. While 71.8% of these users are concentrated in...

05/07/2021

SHKP leased to land worth USD($)128,000 NGO’s to provide homes for low-income families. This program will provide 2,000 apartments to families who have been waiting for public housing. The average wait time is 5 and a half years. The first project, which is expected to be completed by 2022, would shelter 1,600 families. Another project will be carried out on 3.7 hectares to supply 2,000 transitional apartments. #

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Written by: Citaugu Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. According to the United Nations Human Settlement Program, 1.6 billion people live in substandard housing,...

30/06/2021

Women’s representation in KPL’s overall workforce is at 37%, but 50% in management and 43% in managerial positions. Although it has almost closed its pay gap, KPL must adopt measures to achieve workforce gender balance. #

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Written by Tejaswi Chunduri Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. Empowering women uplifts the social and financial prospects of families, communities, and countri...

28/06/2021

The Carbon Trust published a new white paper examining the carbon impact of streaming video on demand to improve the understanding of the carbon emissions associated with video streaming and enable future decisions to be based on informed understanding of the methods, complexity, and uncertainties involved. The study is released at a time of high demand for video streaming, but little consensus of video streaming’s impact on the climate.

The Carbon Trust published a new white paper examining the carbon impact of streaming video on demand to improve the understanding of the carbon emissions associated with video streaming and enable future decisions to be based on informed understanding of the methods, complexity, and uncertainties i...

25/06/2021

SoftBank launches $100 million fund investing in ‘people of colour’

SoftBank has recently created a separate $100 million fund specifically dedicated to people of colour. To start with, SoftBank will invest $2 million or more in 14 US startups led by black founders and other underrepresented groups. Though this is a welcomed step, it amounts to only a fraction of the overall funds managed by SoftBank. Their flagship, $100 Billion Vision Fund had invested “in just one company with a sole founder who was black, and one other company with a black co-founder, over its three-year existence”. The real success will come when black entrepreneurs can easily access mainstream banks and investors for funding their future growth and scale-up.

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Written by: Sandeep Panikkal Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. Racism has been a scar on our society, which still exists even after years of struggle and polic...

23/06/2021

In 2020, Singtel set up a Gender Diversity Council to expedite steps towards having 30% women in middle and top management by end of 2020. However, they managed to have 26% and 28% respectively.

Although Singtel’s female representation is above the industry average, the proportion in top and middle-management is still low. It needs to take aggressive steps to attain gender balance at all levels.


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Written by: Andrew Mathai Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. Participation of women in the labour force in 2019 stood at 47% compared to 74% men. According to I...

21/06/2021

“Modern biotechnology is technology based on biology that provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat diseases, reduce the environmental footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer, cleaner, and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes“. Biotech has significant importance, especially during times such as now when infectious diseases such as COVID-19 are rapidly emerging with more than 144 million cases up until now worldwide. Biotech companies came to the rescue and led the fight against it, providing vaccines for more than 212 Mn people.

The global biotechnology market size was valued at USD 449 Bn in 2019 and is expected to continually grow. One of the major drivers of this growth in the financial aspect has been Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX). HKEX is one of the world’s leading IPO markets, operating a range of equity, commodity, fixed income, and currency markets. In 2020, HKEX raised USD 76.8 Bn of equity funds.

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Written by: Imisae Impaakt is a crowd-sourced, collaborative platform that relies on collective intelligence to produce high-quality impact analyses and scores available to all of us, for free. “Modern biotechnology is technology based on biology that provides breakthrough products and technologie...