ESG International Weekly News 1/15~1/21

Resource:ESG TODAY

1.EU Parliament Approves New Law Banning Misleading Product Sustainability Claims
歐盟議會批准新法律，禁止造成產品的永續聲稱造成誤導

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to adopt a new anti-greenwashing law, aiming to ban misleading commercial practices like generic claims of products being "environmentally friendly" or "climate neutral." The law stems from EU Commission proposals to amend consumer protection rules to include green transition considerations. It mandates clearer product labels, bans unproven environmental claims, and regulates sustainability labels to only those with official certification. The law also focuses on product durability, requiring visible guarantee information and a harmonized label for goods with extended guarantees. The legislation, which must be approved by the EU Council, gives member states two years to integrate it into national law. Additionally, the EU Commission proposed a “Directive on Green Claims” to ensure companies substantiate their environmental claims.

歐洲議會以壓倒性多數票通過了一項新的反綠色商標漂綠法，旨在禁止誤導性商業行為，如產品被概括性聲稱為“環保”或“氣候中和”。這項法律源於歐盟委員會的提案，旨在修訂消費者保護規則，以包括綠色轉型的考慮因素。它要求更清晰的產品標籤，禁止未經證實的環境聲稱，並規範可持續性標籤，僅限於官方認證的標籤。該法律還關注產品耐用性，要求更明顯的保證信息和為延長保證期的商品設立統一標籤。該立法必須得到歐盟理事會的批准，並在公布於歐盟官方公報後，成員國有兩年時間將其納入國內法律。此外，歐盟委員會還提出了一項“綠色聲明指令”，以確保公司對其環境聲稱進行實質性支持和驗證。

2.Australia Proposes New Law Requiring Mandatory Climate Reporting for Companies
澳洲推出新草案規定公司進行氣候相關報告


The Australian government has introduced draft legislation mandating climate-related reporting for large and medium-sized companies. This includes disclosures on climate risks, opportunities, and greenhouse gas emissions. The law aims to provide transparency and certainty for investors and companies in the net zero transformation. It follows consultations and announcements throughout 2022 and 2023, with standards based on the International Sustainability Standards Board's (ISSB) guidelines. Reporting requirements cover material climate risks, Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and governance processes. The legislation will affect public and large proprietary companies, with phased implementation starting July 2024 for the largest entities, and gradually including smaller companies by 2027. The law also introduces phased-in Scope 3 reporting and assurance requirements for climate reports.

澳大利亞政府推出了一項草案立法，要求大型和中型公司進行氣候相關報告。這包括披露氣候風險、機會和溫室氣體排放。這項法律旨在為投資者和公司在淨零轉型中提供透明度和確定性。它是在2022年和2023年的諮詢和公告之後推出的，標準基於國際可持續性標準委員會（ISSB）的指導方針。報告要求涵蓋物質氣候風險、第1、2和3範疇排放以及治理過程。該立法將影響公共和大型專有公司，從2024年7月開始逐步實施，逐漸包括較小的公司，直到2027年。該法律還引入了第3範疇報告的分階段實施和氣候報告的保證要求。


3.Barclays Launches New Sustainable Banking Business
英國第二大銀行巴克萊銀行集團成立一個新的永續銀行業務小組
 

Barclays has announced the formation of a new Sustainable Banking Group within its Capital Markets division, merging its Sustainable Capital Markets and ESG Advisory teams. This move aims to address clients' sustainability needs across various industries. The new group, led by Susan Barron and Cindy Quan, will integrate expertise in M&A, Equity, Debt, and Risk Management to provide customized client support. This initiative is part of Barclays' broader commitment to sustainable finance, evidenced by its recent establishment of an Energy Transition Group and a goal to facilitate $1 trillion in sustainable and transition financing by 2030. The group's focus is to assist clients in navigating the transition to a low carbon future and to work closely with other teams like Sustainable Project Finance.

英國第二大銀行巴克萊銀行集團今天宣布在其資本市場業務內成立一個新的永續銀行業務小組，將該銀行的可持續資本市場和ESG諮詢團隊合併，旨在滿足各行業客戶的可持續性需求。這一新成立的團隊將整合其在併購、股權、債務和風險管理方面的能力，為客戶提供量身定制的覆蓋、諮詢和執行服務。這一舉措是巴克萊擴大可持續金融能力和團隊的最新舉措之一，包括本月早些時候在其企業和投資銀行內成立一個新的能源轉型小組。2022年，巴克萊宣布了一個目標，即到2030年底促進1兆美元的可持續和轉型融資。該集團的重點是協助客戶應對低碳未來的轉型機遇和挑戰，並與可持續項目融資等其他團隊緊密合作。


4.KIRCHHOFF Signs €130 Million Green Steel Supply Deal with H2 Green Steel
KIRCHHOFF全球汽車供應商與H2綠色鋼鐵簽訂價值1.3億歐元的協議


KIRCHHOFF Automotive, a global automotive supplier, has entered into a significant seven-year, €130 million agreement with H2 Green Steel to purchase near-zero emissions steel, marking a crucial step in decarbonizing its supply chain and achieving its environmental sustainability objectives. In KIRCHHOFF's supply chain, steel is a primary material, representing half of its material purchases, and conventional steel and aluminum production are major contributors to its carbon footprint. This strategic move is in response to the automotive industry's increasing demand for sustainable vehicle components. H2 Green Steel, established in 2020, is at the forefront of environmentally-friendly steel manufacturing, developing a green steel plant in Boden, Sweden. This plant will utilize innovative green hydrogen technology and renewable energy sources to significantly reduce CO2 emissions typically associated with steel production. The plant aims to start production in 2025 and produce 5 million tons of nearly fossil-free steel by 2030. Deliveries of green steel to KIRCHHOFF's European plants are expected to commence in 2027. Additionally, KIRCHHOFF and H2 Green Steel plan to collaborate on a circularity initiative, aiming to recycle at least 30% of steel scrap back into H2 Green Steel's manufacturing process, thus enhancing sustainability efforts in the automotive supply chain.

KIRCHHOFF，一家全球汽車供應商，與H2綠色鋼鐵簽訂了一項重要的為期七年、價值1.3億歐元的協議，購買接近零排放的鋼材，這是其供應鏈脫碳和實現環境可持續性目標的關鍵一步。在KIRCHHOFF的供應鏈中，鋼材是主要材料，佔其材料採購的一半，而傳統的鋼鐵和鋁材生產是其碳足跡的主要貢獻者。這一戰略舉措是對汽車行業對可持續車輛組件日益增長需求的回應。H2綠色鋼鐵成立於2020年，是環保鋼鐵製造的先驅，在瑞典博登開發綠色鋼鐵廠。該廠將利用創新的綠色氫技術和可再生能源來顯著降低鋼鐵生產通常相關的二氧化碳排放。該廠計劃於2025年開始生產，到2030年生產500萬噸幾乎無化石燃料的鋼鐵。預計將於2027年開始向KIRCHHOFF在歐洲的工廠交付綠色鋼材。此外，KIRCHHOFF和H2綠色鋼鐵計劃合作開展循環利用倡議，目標是將至少30%的鋼鐵廢料回收到H2綠色鋼鐵的製造過程中，從而提高汽車供應鏈的可持續性努力。


5.Green Steel Startup Element Zero Raises $10 Million
Element Zero綠色材料平台公司，已獲得1000萬美元的種子融資
 

Element Zero, a green materials platform company, has secured $10 million in seed funding to enhance its platform focused on decarbonizing iron and other critical metals production. Founded in 2022, the company uses a unique, non-aqueous electrochemical process to convert iron ore and other metals into pure forms with zero carbon emissions. This process is more energy-efficient, utilizing 30-40% less energy than traditional methods and can be powered by intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar. Located in Western Australia, near major iron ore ports, Element Zero plans to produce 2.7 million tons of high purity iron annually from five million tons of iron ore feed. The funding will be used to expand R&D, engineering, and project development teams, and to develop a pilot iron plant. The funding round was led by Playground Global, whose co-founder, Peter Barrett, highlighted Element Zero's potential to transform Western Australia into a sustainable foundry hub.

Element Zero，一家綠色材料平台公司，已獲得1000萬美元的種子融資，以擴大其旨在對鐵和其他關鍵金屬生產進行脫碳的平台。該公司成立於2022年，使用一種獨特的非水電化學過程將鐵礦石和其他金屬轉化為純淨形式，同時實現零碳排放。這個過程比傳統方法更節能，使用的能源比傳統的煤炭和天然氣過程少30-40%，並可由風能、太陽能等間歇性可再生能源驅動。Element Zero位於西澳大利亞，靠近負責近55%世界海運鐵礦石供應的港口，計劃每年從500萬噸鐵礦石原料中生產約270萬噸高純度鐵。該公司將使用新資金擴大研發、工程和項目開發團隊，並開發一個試驗性鐵廠。本輪融資由早期風險投資公司Playground Global領投，其聯合創始人兼普通合夥人Peter Barrett已加入公司董事會。Barrett強調了Element Zero將西澳大利亞轉變為可持續鑄造中心的潛力。