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Vattenfall unveils SEK5.6bn switch to biomass fuel
11 February 2009Swedish utility Vattenfall is to spend SEK5.6bn ($670m) to convert two of its three Danish combined heat and power plants to run on biomass as well as coal, as part of a SEK82bn programme to reduce emissions in the Nordic region.
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Further failures in US ethanol sector
04 February 2009US ethanol producers continue to fall victim to the economic crisis with two more companies filing for bankruptcy protection.
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Tsing Capital fund gets Japanese backing
01 February 2009The Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ have each invested $15 million in Tsing Capital's China Environment Fund III, which is seeking up to $250 million.
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Irish bail-out mandates environmental funds
01 February 2009Allied Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland and Anglo Irish Bank are each to launch a €100 million ($130 million) environmental fund, as a condition of the 21 December recapitalisation package agreed with the Irish government.
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Goldman Sachs launches first 'sustainability' fund
01 February 2009Goldman Sachs is marketing its first equity fund that explicitly integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) research into its investment approach. GS Sustain, which is being marketed to retail and institutional customers in the UK and continental Europe, is designed to invest in companies set to profit from climate change, population growth and natural resource constraints.
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Ex-Citi SRI analysts start new firm
01 February 2009Mike Tyrrell and Natalie Davis, both former members of Citi's socially responsible investment (SRI) research team, have set up an independent research firm named Sustainable Investor.
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Dreyfus to use DJSI index for mutual fund
01 February 2009Dreyfus, part of BNY Mellon Asset Management, has launched its Global Sustainability Fund, claiming it is the first US mutual fund invested in stocks picked from the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World).
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Mixed outlook for clean-tech VC in '09 Mixed outlook for clean-tech VC in '09 Mixed outlook for clean-tech VC in '09 Mixed outlook for clean-tech VC in '09
01 February 2009Clean-tech companies are set to escape a predicted slow-down in venture capital funding in 2009, according to a survey by the US National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). But the Cleantech Group – a US-based analysis company – is predicting a drop in investments from a record $8.4 billion in 2008 to $7 billion in 2009 as a result of the economic downturn.
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Wal-Mart promises to accelerate sustainability effort
29 January 2009The incoming CEO of US retail giant Wal-Mart has reiterated the firm's commitment to sustainability, pledging to reduce packaging and environmentally-damaging detergents – but many of its critics remain to be convinced.
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EC proposes €1.75 bn CCS, renewables boost
29 January 2009European Union energy projects, including carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and offshore wind farms, could receive a €3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) cash injection under plans proposed by the European Commission on Wednesday.