This week in ESG news: Google joins growing list of companies to abandon DEI goals; €6 trillion investor coalition warns against watering down EU sustainability reporting rules; IKEA accelerates program to help suppliers switch to 100% clean energy; LEGO to ramp up use of solar to power operations; Google invests over $100 million in carbon removal; EU sustainable finance advisors unveil plan to slash Taxonomy reporting burden; BNP Paribas surpasses 75% of energy financing to clean energies; DHL announces major SAF deal with Neste; Vanguard softens diversity expectations for voting policy; capital raises for advanced nuclear tech,  circular economy solutions, energy storage AI, PFAS solutions, and more.

See below for the highlights of the past week, and get all your ESG news at ESG Today:

Sustainability Goals, Initiatives and Achievements

Google Invests Over $100 Million in Carbon Removal in 2024

LEGO Group Plans to Increase its Use of Solar Energy by More than 70% in 2025

Google Eliminates DEI Goals

DHL to Purchase 375 Million Liters of SAF from Neste per Year by 2030

IKEA Expands Program to Support Suppliers’ Switch to 100% Renewable Energy

Pharma Supply Chain Decarbonization Consortium Signs 10-Year Clean Energy Deals for Haleon, GSK, Thermo Fisher, Gilead

LEGO Group Adds Nature-Based, Engineered Solutions to its Carbon Removal Portfolio

EY, Microsoft Social Impact Collaboration Launches AI Skills Training Program

Amazon Expands Renewable Energy, Cloud Partnership with Iberdrola to Spain, Portugal

ESG Reporting

EU Platform on Sustainable Finance Releases Proposals to Reduce EU Taxonomy Reporting Burden by a Third

€6.6 Trillion Investor Group Warns Against Rolling Back EU Sustainability Reporting Regulations

Government & Regulators

EU Invests $439 Million in Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Projects to Decarbonize Transport

Court Ruling Halts UK Approval of Major Shell, Equinor Oil and Gas Projects Over Lack of Climate Considerations

ESG Services and Tools

Clarity AI Launches Solution to Help Fund Managers Comply with New Sustainable Fund Naming Rules

Sustainable Finance

BNP Paribas Surpasses 75% of Energy Financing to Low-Carbon Energies

Île-de-France Mobilités Raises €1 Billion in First-Ever Public Sector “EuGB” Green Bond Offering

Private Equity & Venture Capital

Tyba Raises $14 Million for Solution to Maximize Value of Energy Storage Projects

Cleantech Startup MacroCycle Raises $6.5 Million to “Upcycle” Plastic Waste into New Products

TPG Acquires US Solar Developer Altus Power for $2.2 Billion

Amazon-backed X-Energy Raises $700 Million to Accelerate Small Modular Nuclear Technology

IONATE Raises $17 Million to Help Grids Meet Decarbonization and AI Needs

Resale Tech Platform Archive Raises $30 Million to Reduce Environmental Impact of Retail

Oxyle Raises $16 Million to Eliminate Forever Chemicals in Water

Sustainable Investing

Vanguard Softens Language on Diversity for U.S. Proxy Voting Policy

Exec Moves

Climatetech Incubator Greentown Labs Appoints Georgina Campbell Flatter as New CEO