The REP Wrap: Apple drops ESG-linked executive pay 

Your weekly summary of corporate sustainability news.

Apple has become the latest company to drop ESG-linked executive pay. Bloomberg reported this week that the tech giant dropped an “ESG modifier” from its 2025 pay packages for top executives, including CEO Tim Cook. The provision had allowed Apple’s board to adjust bonuses by as much as 10% based on the firm’s performance on topics like emissions reductions and renewable energy use in its supply chain. It follows a similar move by Starbucks last month.

Nestlé has surpassed its 2025 goal to reduce its direct and indirect emissions by a fifth. The Swiss firm published its integrated annual report on Monday, revealing that it had cut its emissions by 24.5% compared to a 2018 baseline.

Microsoft has achieved its 2025 target to match its annual energy use with the purchase of renewable electricity, including through power purchase agreements. The US tech giant, which announced the news on Wednesday, described it as a “key milestone” on its journey to becoming carbon negative by the end of the decade.

The International Organization for Standardization, better known as ISO, has launched a standard for climate change adaptation. ISO 14092 is intended to help entities implement and monitor climate adaptation plans.

Telecommunications company AT&T is being sued by four New York City pension funds over its refusal to include their shareholder proposal on its 2026 ballot. The quartet alleges that the decision not to allow investors to vote on a request for more information about AT&T’s diversity, equity and inclusion performance is against US securities law.

The European Commission has this week responded to the Ombudsman’s conclusion that the Omnibus I process didn’t comply with EU rules for democratic and transparent law-making. In an official reply to November’s ruling, the Commission acknowledged issues around transparency, but denied wrongdoing.