Environmental

New Forests releases 2013 sustainability report

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 11 APR 2014  |  NEWS
Forestry and environmental markets fund manager New Forests has completed investing and closing in three funds in Australia and New Zealand and Asia and engaged in conservation and community engagement activities across its assets, the company reported ...

Margaret River Winery installs SunPower solar system

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 9 APR 2014  |  NEWS
Watershed Premium Wines, a Margaret-River based winery, has installed a 149-kilowatt solar power system that the winery says will offset electricity use by 30%.

Westpac signs on to Soft Commodities Compact

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 4 APR 2014  |  NEWS
Westpac Group has become a founding signatory to the Soft Commodities Compact, a banking industry initiative aiming to help clients achieve zero net deforestation by 2020.

ESG integration into quantitative investment management

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 28 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
There is a growing use of environmental and social factors as part of quantitative investment techniques in equity portfolios, with fund managers integrating ESG data to either screen out undesired stocks, or to create customised benchmarks that tilt ...

CEFC to provide $100m financing through Balmain Corporation

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 28 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is partnering with non-bank commercial loan manager Balmain Corporation to provide up to AU$100 million of debt finance to retrofit commercial properties.

Ethical Investment Advisers launches fossil-fuel free SMA

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 26 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
Brisbane-based financial planners Ethical Investment Advisers has launched a separately managed account (SMA) based on Australian equities that are screened to eliminate fossil fuel exposures.

PRI finds limited disclosure of fracking activity, impacts

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  WEDNESDAY, 26 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
Oil and gas producing and servicing companies provide "very limited" disclosure around risks and impacts of their hydraulic fracturing (fracking) activity, according to research commissioned by the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).

CEFC provides $20m loan facility to Carnegie Wave Energy

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 21 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has provided a AU$20 million, five-year loan facility to Carnegie Wave Energy to help accelerate final stage technology development, the CEFC said.

CEFC commits $30 million to EUA financing fund

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 14 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has committed up to AU$30 million to a fund financing environmental upgrade agreements (EUA).

Solactive develops Green Bond Index

RACHEL ALEMBAKIS  |  FRIDAY, 14 MAR 2014  |  NEWS
Index provider Solactive AG has launched its Solactive Green Bond Index, based on a bond universe provided by the Climate Bonds Initiative.