This week in ESG news: S&P 500 ESG index additions and deletions – Tesla in, Facebook out; Salesforce adds climate obligations to supplier contracts; Blackstone bulks up on ESG talent with new hires; Nestlé tackles palm oil labor rights issues; Walmart and ENGIE pass renewable energy milestone; ECB appoints lead on climate; new ESG reporting solutions launched; major pension funds join push for new directors at Exxon; Accenture & SAP partner on decarbonization solutions; DWS launches AI-driven ESG-focused fund, 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

Salesforce Adds Climate Obligations to all Supplier Contracts

Nestlé Launches Initiatives to Address Labor Rights in the Palm Oil Supply Chain

Merck Pulls Ahead Renewable Energy Goal by 15 Years, Aims for Carbon Neutrality by 2025

Allianz to Cut Emissions 25% by 2025 Across $85 Billion Global Real Estate Portfolio

Volkswagen Outlines its Climate Neutrality Roadmap

Government, Regulators and Politics

European Central Bank Appoints Irene Heemskerk to Lead Climate Center

Reporting and Disclosure

ISS ESG Launches Solution for SFDR Principal Adverse Impact Disclosure

Workiva Launches Solution to Streamline and Automate ESG Reporting Process

Markets

S&P DJI Announces Additions and Deletions to S&P 500 ESG Index: Tesla In, Facebook Out

S&P DJI Launches ESG Versions of Dividend Aristocrats Indices

Sustainable Finance

Whirlpool Issues $300 Million Sustainability Bond to Finance Social and Environmental Projects

Iberdrola Aims to Have Nearly Two-Thirds of its Debt as Green & Sustainable by 2025

S&P Global’s New Banking Facility Links Pricing to SBTi-Verified Emissions Reduction Goals

Scope Group Launches Green & ESG Bond Certification and Second Party Opinion Service

PNC Launches $88B Financing Commitments for Lower Income, Minority, Underserved Communities

ESG Services and Tools

Accenture, SAP Partner on Solutions to Accelerate Decarbonization, Drive Value from Circular Economy

Datamaran Launches Software Solution for C-suite Management of External and ESG Risks

Funds and Investors

DWS and Arabesque Launch AI-Driven Equity Fund

CalPERS, CalSTRS, New York State Pension Funds Support Board Refreshment Initiative at ExxonMobil

Nuveen Raises $575 Million in IPO of Closed-End Impact Investing and ESG Fund

Energy Transition

Walmart Sources More than 500 MW of Renewable Energy from ENGIE

Exec Appointments

Blackstone Announces Appointments for Several Newly Created Senior ESG Roles