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

TotalEnergies reassessing 2050 net-zero ambitions, won’t set transition plan

The French energy company won’t be able to set a transition plan or net-zero targets because European regulations require such plans to align with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which may be out of reach.

By Lamar Johnson • March 27, 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

Layoffs delayed at Kentucky EV battery plant

Ford recently announced it was dissolving BlueOval SK, a $11.4 billion EV battery joint venture and its largest manufacturing commitment in the company’s history.

By Eric Walz • March 24, 2026

Apparel industry not decarbonizing fast enough: report

Recent years have seen only marginal improvement, far below what is required to meet international climate targets.

By Lauren Schenkman • March 23, 2026

GreenBiz26: Working as a sustainability team of one

“I realized very quickly that the sustainability budget was the hiring decision,” Hamilton Company’s sustainability manager said at the annual sustainable business conference.

By Lamar Johnson • March 20, 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

Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance updates guidance, unveils transition targets

The latest guidance includes quantitative climate solutions investment targets and introduces a target category to support companies in high-emitting sectors with credible transition plans.

By Lamar Johnson • March 16, 2026

Nearly 1,000 workers laid off at Georgia EV battery plant

SK Battery America is slashing its Commerce site workforce to 1,600, citing electric vehicle market conditions.

By Sara Samora , Nathan Owens • March 12, 2026

How Mars, Meta, Patagonia and L’Oréal are tackling scope 3 emissions: GreenBiz26

As companies look to understand their supply chain emissions, a panel at last month’s annual sustainable business conference detailed differing approaches to decarbonizing value chains.

By Lamar Johnson • March 4, 2026

EPA delays greenhouse gas reporting as it moves to shut down program

Covered entities for the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program will not be required to submit 2025 emissions data until October. By then, the agency may have already repealed the requirement.

By Jacob Wallace • March 4, 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

Net-Zero Asset Managers relaunches with reduced US presence

The UN-backed climate alliance has more than 250 signatories in its new iteration, though changes to its commitment statement were not enough to bring large U.S. institutions back into the fold.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 26, 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

SEC further extends compliance period for Names Rule to 2027-28

The Securities and Exchange Commission delayed compliance for funds with over $10 billion in AUM until 2027 and for funds with less than $10 billion until 2028.

By Lamar Johnson • Feb. 20, 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

New York Senate passes bill targeting corporate climate disclosures

The Empire State’s Senate greenlit a bill that would require large companies doing business in the state to disclose their emissions. The bill is similar to California’s SB 253.

By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 13, 2026

First Solar releases poll showing support for solar among GOP voters

When asked if all forms of electricity generation, including utility‑scale solar, should be allowed to compete fairly in the marketplace without political interference, 79% of GOP-aligned voters surveyed agreed.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 10, 2026

GHG Protocol debuts carbon accounting standard for land sector

The standard seeks to track greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide removals from agricultural land use and offers a global benchmark for measuring such metrics.

By Zoya Mirza • Feb. 3, 2026

Keeping tabs on the state of ESG in 2026

A closer look at some of the biggest trends impacting the ESG space this year, from how companies talk about sustainability to their plans on navigating a complex disclosure landscape.

By Zoya Mirza , Lamar Johnson • Jan. 29, 2026

Companies face fragmented climate risk disclosure landscape in 2026

After the U.S. and European Union signaled an end to a growing regulatory consensus in 2025, businesses are bracing for a more complex environment this year.

By Lamar Johnson • Jan. 29, 2026

Companies with validated science-based climate targets hit 10,000: SBTi

The Science Based Target initiative said validated companies represent over 40% of global market capitalization and include major names like Danone, McLaren Racing and Lenovo.

By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 23, 2026

Most companies are staying the course on ESG — just talking about it less

While companies have increasingly downplayed or avoided announcing their sustainability efforts, experts say they “remain on the same trajectory.”

By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 22, 2026

PepsiCo CEO says sustainability debate needs a ‘reframe’ at Davos

Corporate strategy debates shouldn’t pit sustainability against profitability, but see it as a short-term versus long-term risk issue, Ramon Laguarta said during a World Economic Forum event.

By Lamar Johnson • Jan. 21, 2026