Martin Giles

The Executive Committee appointments of the new West Surrey Shadow Council have been published.

Nordea has delivered a clear demonstration of how a traditional financial institution can lead the transition to a low-carbon economy without sacrificing profitability. The bank's announcement that it has met or exceeded all of its 2025 climate-focused finance and investment targets underscores the growing viability of sustainability as a core business strategy rather than a peripheral initiative.

Apave has acquired Climate School from AXA Climate, a move that accelerates the French risk management group's push into sustainability consulting and employee climate education. The deal, which follows the launch of Apave Impact earlier this year, integrates a platform with over five million trained employees and a portfolio of specialized modules into Apave's expanding sustainability division. Philippe Maillard, CEO of the Apave Group, framed the acquisition as central to the AMPLIFY 2030 strategic plan, positioning the group to support companies through the full arc of their sustainability transitions.

Financial institutions now have a globally recognised framework to align their lending, investment and insurance activities with net zero goals, following the International Organization for Standardization's launch of ISO 32212. The standard sets out requirements and recommendations for banks, insurers and asset managers to develop, maintain and integrate climate transition plans into their core operations, providing a common language for decarbonisation efforts across the sector.

Google's latest water stewardship commitments mark a pivotal shift in how the tech giant balances its operational growth with environmental responsibility—one that could redefine industry standards for resource management in data infrastructure.

Guildford News

A new partnership between enterprise sustainability data management platform Sweep and product carbon footprint automation company HowGood is giving food and agriculture companies the granular emissions tracking they need to meet tightening global reporting rules.

Guildford News

Given the number of appalling housing issues since she’s held the housing portfolio in Guildford, is councillor McShane’s appointment the right choice for housing and communities for West Surrey? Her record in charge is not great.

Norges Bank Investment Management's endorsement of the EU's sustainability reporting reforms carries weight far beyond Norway's $2 trillion oil fund. Its response to the European Commission's revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) cuts to the heart of a debate that will determine whether the EU's ambition for global leadership in sustainable finance survives the realities of regulatory competition and corporate compliance.