Archive

  • Element closes $486 million clean-tech growth equity fund

    12 March 2009

    Element Partners this week closed a $486 million clean technology (clean-tech) growth equity fund, bucking a tough fund-raising market.

  • US agriculture secretary backs increase in ethanol blending limit

    11 March 2009

    US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack this week advocated increasing the ethanol content of the country's petroleum fuel from the current 10% maximum, adding to the momentum for an increase to avoid ethanol production outstripping demand.

  • Investors urge better disclosure of water risk

    05 March 2009

    Companies are largely unaware of water-related risks, or how climate change will likely exacerbate them, says a report from investor and environmentalist coalition Ceres, which urges businesses to report their 'water footprint'.

  • SAM, Dow Jones, launch Asian sustainability indexes

    05 March 2009

    Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) and Dow Jones have extended their sustainable investment index family to the Asia-Pacific region, with the launch of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) Asia Pacific and Asia Pacific 40 equity indexes.

  • Thriving pellet sector faces competition as it seeks feedstock

    04 March 2009

    The growing wood pellet industry will compete increasingly with pulp and paper firms for woodchips and pulp logs as its raw material, as supplies of its traditional sawdust and sawmill shavings prove inadequate, forecast a new report.

  • Private equity industry steps up on responsible investing

    01 March 2009

    Institutional investors have welcomed an initiative by leading private equity firms that will see them adopt investment guidelines modelled on the UN's Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The move coincides with the results of a pilot project to improve the environmental performance of leading private equity firm Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts (KKR) portfolio of companies.

  • $250m PE fund targets undervalued assets

    01 March 2009

    Unigestion is to launch an environmental private equity fund-of-funds that aims to take advantage of "the significant fall in the price of sustainability assets to levels not seen since 2004".

  • More than $20bn on the table for carbon capture and storage

    01 March 2009

    Governments worldwide have set aside more than $20 billion for carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration plants, according to a report from consultancy Emerging Energy Research (EER). This includes $11.6 billion in funding promised by the EU and $3.5 billion earmarked in President Barack Obama's stimulus package.

  • Accor under fire for links with controversial logging firm

    26 February 2009

    An NGO is calling for French hotel group Accor to end its involvement in a Malaysian hotel project owned by controversial logging firm Interhill.

  • Certifier UL approves use of petrol pumps for 15% ethanol

    25 February 2009

    After strong objections from the US ethanol lobby, a major product safety certification organisation has reversed course and agreed that standard petrol pumps can dispense safely petrol mixed with up to 15% ethanol.