This week in ESG news: EU member states agree to carbon tax on imports; survey highlights progress, challenges on corporate ESG disclosure; Target’s first net zero store; HSBC unveils key steps on its net zero journey; Microsoft’s Scope 3 emissions jump highlights key pain point for emissions reduction plans; 300 companies join Climate Pledge’s 2040 net zero commitment; Nature-related risk disclosure framework prototype released; Starbucks plans to eliminate single-use cups; EY to help build climate solutions startups; ECB says all banks falling short on climate risk disclosure, 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

Target Announces its First Net Zero Store

Starbucks Advances Plans to Eliminate Single Use Cups

Neiman Marcus Launches 2025 ESG Strategy

Microsoft Reiterates Carbon Negative Commitment as Scope 3 Emissions Jump in 2021

SAP, Maersk Join Climate Pledge as the Number of Companies Pledging Net Zero by 2040 Triples

Apex Group Offsets its Lifetime Carbon Footprint

PepsiCo Partners with N-Drip to Scale Water Saving, Sustainable Agriculture Technology

OMV Launches Strategy to Shift from Oil & Gas to Renewable Fuels & Circular Solutions

Amazon Commits Over $120 Million to Affordable Housing

ESG Reporting & Disclosure

GRI Unveils New Sustainability Reporting Standard for Coal Sector

Nature-Related Risk Disclosure Prototype Framework Unveiled by TNFD

Deloitte Survey: Companies Mobilizing on ESG Disclosures, but Data & Consistency Challenges Remain

$130 Trillion Investor Group Calls on Over 10,000 Companies to Report Environmental Data to CDP

ESG Services and Tools

Google-Backed Startup Normative Launches Free Carbon Calculator for SMEs

ISS ESG Launches Net Zero Alignment Solutions Suite for Investors

Carbon Marketplace Climate Impact X Launches Digital Platform for Carbon Credits

Diginex Partners with Coca Cola, Reckitt to Launch Supply Chain Transparency Solution

IsoMetrix Launches ESG Data Collection and Reporting Solution

Accenture, AWS, Ecopetrol Launch Water Sustainability Data Solution

Government & Regulators

EU Member States Agree to Impose Carbon Tax

ECB Says Banks Falling Short on Climate Risk Disclosure, Need to Remedy Immediately

ESG Investing

Investor Group Targets Berkshire Hathaway for Improved Climate Disclosure

Investor Group Launches Standard to Assess and Guide Corporate Climate Lobbying

Sustainable Finance

HSBC to Review Client Climate Plans to Assess Whether to Continue to Provide Financing

Scotiabank Launches $350 Billion Climate Finance Commitment

Nomura Joins Growing List of Japanese Financials Committing to Measure and Disclose Financed Emissions with PCAF

Private Markets & Venture Capital

EY Partners with Carbon13 on Program to Build Emissions Reductions-Focused Startups

Carbon Capture Startup Heirloom Raises $53 Million Backed by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy, Microsoft

Microsoft Leads $34 Million Capital Raise for Shipping Decarbonization, Optimization Startup Nautilus

KKR Raises $17 Billion for Infrastructure Fund, More than Doubling Predecessor Fund

Circular Chemicals Startup Encina Raises $55 Million to Fund Plastic Waste-to-Aromatics Buildout

Energy Transition

Delta, Airbus Collaborate on Hydrogen-Powered Aviation

Google Hits Milestones in Energy Tracking to Enable 24/7 Carbon Free Energy

 Exec Appointments

Russell Reynolds Appoints Pam Fitzpatrick as Global Head of Sustainability