Buzz: Transfer to editor

The risk of power cuts in the UK, for a variety of reasons, remains real.

A recent Spanish government report has now placed much of the blame on the national system operator, the Redeia-owned Red Electrica.

For many years, the UK’s plant margin has been worrying low, although imports via interconnectors, especially from France, provide added capacity.

Nevertheless, the forthcoming closures of all major UK nuclear plants, Sizewell B excepted, can only worsen this scenario.

Looking to the long term, the government has recently announced new nuclear-build initiatives.

The winner of the government’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear plant competition has been announced. Not surprisingly, Rolls Royce’s persuasive case has prevailed, and it is planning to build three 470MW SMR plants in the UK.

Focal Points:

• 65% reduction in emissions from operations, exceeding 2025 target of 60%.
• 5 new wind and solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) have come online across the UK in the last 18 months.
• 64% of "all the food we sell in the UK and ROI is now classified as healthy (by volume)."

Parameters:

• Data to: 31 December 2024
• Published: May 2025
• Materiality Matrix: NB Double materiality analysis completed and assessed for readiness
• ESG data centre: Sustainability factsheets via here

Economic, environmental and social performance

Focal Points:

• "Chemistry is our passion. We set a new direction for ourselves with the introduction of the “Winning Ways” strategy in September 2024: Our ambition is to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation."

Parameters:

• Data to: 31 December 2024
• Published:  March 2025
• Materiality Matrix: See page 167
• ESG data centre: Some KPIs here

First Sentier MUFG Sustainable Investment Institute: Health & Global Food Systems: An Investor's Guide

Global food sector activities profoundly impact human health, with obesity, malnutrition, food insecurity and antimicrobial resistance from animal farming posing critical challenges.

"Aviation stands at a critical crossroads: while connecting economies and cultures by transporting around 9 billion passengers annually, the sector currently contributes 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). Unlike other industries making rapid progress toward decarbonisation, aviation’s emissions are projected to grow significantly without intervention. 

This diverging pathway creates both urgent challenges and unprecedented opportunities for industry transformation. In this article, we outline the technological, operational and policy pathways to reducing GHG emissions."

Contains sustainable investing information

Despite the political measures initiated or planned by Donald Trump in the area of renewable energies, several factors indicate that the impact on this sector will be less severe than feared....

At a glance

• Resilient optimism, or "optimism with a safety net," is a key but often overlooked driver of business success, blending belief in progress with preparedness for setbacks.
• Rooted in psychological capital (PsyCap), this mindset improves leadership, team performance, and even health, while guarding against the pitfalls of overconfidence.
• Organisations can foster resilient optimism by modelling it from the top, empowering employees, communicating transparently, and preparing realistically for adversity.

Contains sustainable investing information

Contains sustainable investing information

In this episode, Senior Investment Manager Tal Lomnitzer and Chief Responsibility Officer Michelle Dunstan explore the critical role of natural resources and how integration of financially-material Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors is essential for mining companies as they navigate the complexities of geopolitical and environmental challenges.

Transcript available

Institutional investors leading the way

BNP Paribas’ ESG Survey 2025 commissioned CoreData Research to gather the views of 420 asset owners, asset managers and private capital on their attitudes and practices relating to ESG and sustainable investing in 29 locations worldwide. The data was collected between the end of November 2024 and end of January 2025. The quantitative data was further supplemented by in-depth qualitative interviews with industry experts carried out between February and April 2025. This report is based on the data and information collected in this survey and the interviews.

Conducted in the Fourth Quarter of 2024, the survey gathered insights from 147 institutional investors in the credit market - focusing on ESG trends in four main areas:

• Motives for ESG consideration
• Approaches to ESG consideration
• Integration for ESG consideration
• Market expectations and outlook

A global survey of institutional investor priorities & perspectives

Common threads from in-depth interviews with asset owners across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific included:

• World Order Disrupted: Geopolitical shifts drive rethink on asset allocation
• ESG Re-examined & Deconstructed.
• Rollbacks & Blowbacks: Regulatory Fine-Tuning
• Climate Strategy Evolving