EU countries on Tuesday gave the final approval to the biggest revamp to date of Europe's carbon market, which is set to make it more costly to pollute and sharpen the 27-member bloc's main tool for cutting carbon dioxide emissions. The world's first major carbon trading system has since 2005 forced power plants and factories to buy permits when they emit CO2 and has cut emissions from those sectors by 43%.
The low-cost airline Wizz Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Neste for the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2025. Wizz Air is characterized as the most environmentally sustainable globally.
China's CATL is building a factory in the eastern Hungarian city of Debrecen to produce batteries for electric cars, in a plant that will be one of the largest in its category in Europe.
The European Commission approved the acquisition of Lotos by Polish PKN Orlen in the summer, and the news also had Hungarian implications, as PKN had to sell assets in order to acquire its sector partner, some of which were to be obtained bz Hungarian energy group Mol. The latest news is that this transaction has been completed, with Mol buying Lotos Paliwa, which operates 80% of the petrol stations owned by the Lotos oil company, for a total of USD 610 million.
Microsoft has achieved its goal of matching 100% of its annual global electricity consumption with renewable energy, reaching the milestone five years ahead of its 2025 target. The achievement supports the company's commitment to become carbon negative by 2030.
The recent weakening of the CSRD may have some real estate developers cheering the compliance rollbacks, but the consequences could be complicated. A new research survey examines how EU real estate firms are navigating changes to the CSRD, and what that could mean for upcoming SFDR revisions.
Waldevar Energy has begun construction on two utility-scale photovoltaic parks for Doral Energy in Tudor Vladimirescu (Brăila County) and Ștefan Vodă (Călărași County), Romania. The projects will deliver 14 MWp of installed capacity using around 25,000 photovoltaic panels.
Lidl Romania has published its eighth sustainability report for the 2024 financial year, announcing accelerated progress in reducing environmental impact. The retailer has achieved its international 2030 target for transitioning to natural refrigerants, with these now used in 100% of logistics centres and 81.7% of stores, compared to the original goal of 100% of logistics centres and 40% of stores. The company has also increased its green energy usage to 80% of total consumption.
The European Union has reached a provisional agreement to reduce the scope and stringency of two major ESG regulatory frameworks: Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
