Governance to remain a ‘focal point’ for shareholders this proxy season: report

“Companies now face a proxy environment defined less by volume and more by discretion, legal complexity, and evolving investor expectations,” a report from The Conference Board said.

By Lamar Johnson • April 1, 2026

ESG regulation has changed. Has your monitoring model?

ESG regulation has outpaced your monitoring model. Here's how to close the gap.

By Datamaran • March 30, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from ESG Dive

The landscape for ESG continues to shift, as U.S. exits from major climate agreements and organizations are juxtaposed with states forging ahead with their own climate disclosure laws.

By ESG Dive staff

Businesses prepping for California EPR and recyclability laws amid lawsuit

A lawsuit filed last week centers on SB 343, California’s forthcoming labeling law. But SB 54 concerns loom. “It’s a lot to balance in one year,” said Liz Morris of Anthesis Group.

By Maria Rachal • March 27, 2026

Cities struggle to meet drinking water PFAS standards by EPA deadline

Communities are grappling with how to fund removing PFAS “forever chemicals” from their water supplies, experts said during a National League of Cities panel.

By Danielle McLean • March 25, 2026

Investor groups sue SEC over no-action process policy changes

The agency’s changes to the shareholder proposal process violate the Administrative Procedure Act, the complaint from As You Sow and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility alleges.

By Lamar Johnson • March 23, 2026

White House calls for ‘minimally burdensome’ federal AI rules

The administration urged Congress to avoid creating new federal rule-making bodies for AI and instead lean on existing agencies and industry-led standards.

By Alexei Alexis • March 23, 2026

Cities sue EPA over endangerment finding repeal

A dozen cities and counties join states in challenging EPA’s rescission of a cornerstone climate rule, which leaves cities “to bear the costs of hotter summers, dirtier air, and extreme weather,” Denver’s mayor said.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • March 20, 2026

TotalEnergies accepts $1B offshore wind buyout, pivots to oil and gas in US

Under the terms of the settlement, the company said it will invest an equal amount in the development of U.S. gas and power production and exports.

By Diana DiGangi • Updated March 24, 2026

EU companies pursue sustainability reporting despite CSRD rollbacks: report

Reporting, while no longer mandatory for some companies, has already become integrated with financial strategy and risk management, findings from a recent survey suggest.

By Lauren Schenkman • March 19, 2026

Firms plan to boost supply-chain agility as tariff turmoil persists

“What we’re seeing now is uncertainty reentering the system at exactly the wrong time,” KPMG’s Brian Higgins said.

By Alexei Alexis • March 18, 2026

EPA proposes weakening emission regulations for cancer-causing gas

The proposal would relax standards for facilities that use ethylene oxide to sterilize medical devices.

By Elise Reuter • March 17, 2026

AI trailed DEI, immigration in terms of 2025 compliance impact, employers say

The combination of regulatory and economic uncertainty prompted more than one-third of employers in a Littler survey to reduce headcount within the past year.

By Ryan Golden • March 16, 2026

New York needs more time to meet climate goals, Gov. Hochul says

“We just need some breathing room,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul, noting high cost estimates for compliance with the 2030 goal. “My job is dealing in reality. This is the reality I have.”

By Diana DiGangi • March 13, 2026

Energy Star is moving to DOE. Industry groups are hopeful.

Both the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, which currently runs the program, had big staff cuts last year. At least one group has questions about DOE’s plans.

By Robert Freedman • March 12, 2026

Vanguard’s antitrust coal settlement and what it signals for ESG litigation

The asset manager’s move to settle litigation with 11 Republican-led states represents “a significant development,” according to a Shinder Cantor Lerner attorney, but “is hard to interpret.”

By Lamar Johnson • March 6, 2026

Real estate firm hit with class-action lawsuit over climate risk in retirement plan

A former employee at Cushman & Wakefield alleged in her suit the firm failed to properly monitor and protect its employee 401(k) plan from “material climate-related financial risks.”

By Lamar Johnson • Updated March 5, 2026

Trump’s anti-DEI orders stand for now, but future challenges can’t be ruled out

The White House is emboldened to act “aggressively,” making it important for employers to audit their DEI programs, management-side attorneys say.

By Ryan Golden • March 5, 2026

Solar and wind PPA prices up 9% in 2025, set to continue rising with energy demand

Meanwhile, energy storage agreements have emerged as a fast-growing new product category.

By Emma Penrod • March 3, 2026

Vanguard settles coal antitrust suit with Republican states for $29.5M

The settlement severs the asset manager from the litigation alleging it conspired with BlackRock and State Street to “artificially constrict the coal market.”

By Lamar Johnson • March 2, 2026

CARB approves California’s climate disclosure regulations

The California Air Resources Board, tasked with enforcing the state’s climate disclosure laws, will require companies to report scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by August this year.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 27, 2026

European Council adopts simplified sustainability reporting laws

The changes to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive now need to be integrated at the national level in the European Union.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 25, 2026

States sue Energy Department for terminating $8B in clean energy funding

The Trump administration unlawfully bypassed Congress and made politically motivated cuts to programs created through the IRA and IIJA, the lawsuit claims.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Feb. 23, 2026

EPA sued over rescission of greenhouse gas endangerment finding

Several groups are fighting the rollback of the 2009 finding, which determined that climate pollution threatens public health and welfare. The finding provided a legal basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

By Jeffrey Kinney • Feb. 20, 2026

Waste, recycling industry expected to dodge federal climate rollback effects, for now

Regulations surrounding landfills are unlikely to be affected by Thursday’s “endangerment finding” rollback. But a warming climate brings broader dangers for the industry and its workers.

By Jacob Wallace • Feb. 18, 2026

Companies prioritizing scope 3 disclosures, despite regulatory uncertainty

The vast majority of sustainability leaders are accelerating their scope 3 reporting, according to a new survey from sustainability services company Sphera.

By Lauren Schenkman • Feb. 17, 2026