The REP Wrap: 60+ US firms make statement on Minnesota
Your weekly summary of corporate sustainability news.
More than 60 companies issued a statement on Sunday in response to recent events in Minnesota. Clashes between citizens and US border patrol agents in the state have been escalating, with ICE officials fatally shooting 37-year-old nurse, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, on Saturday. Cargill, 3M, Target, Best Buy, Deluxe and Winnebago are among those to sign a statement coordinated by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “The recent challenges facing our state have created widespread disruption and tragic loss of life,” it reads. “For the past several weeks, representatives of Minnesota’s business community have been working every day behind the scenes with federal, state and local officials to advance real solutions. These efforts have included close communication with the Governor, the White House, the Vice President and local mayors. There are ways for us to come together to foster progress.” The group called for “an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions”.
Schneider Electric has been named ‘the world’s most sustainable company’. The French firm knocked Australian waste management business Sims Ltd off the top of the annual ranking from Canadian research house Corporate Knights – jumping from 7th place a year earlier. Firms are scored on everything from green revenues and investment, to tax and board diversity. Most of the businesses featured in the ‘Global 100’ aren’t consumer-facing: Sims came in second, and wind giant Vestas retained its spot in third place. New additions in 2025 included Turkish industrial bank Türkiye Sinai Kalkinma Bankasi, American manufacturer BorgWarner and Danish jewellery maker Pandora. Despite president Donald Trump’s current clampdown on sustainability, US companies continued to represent the largest portion of the 100, at 15%. Canada was second.
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures has issued draft guidance for the technology and communications sector. The proposal is out for consultation until April 10th.
The Global Reporting Initiative has named Susanne Stormer as the chair of the board that oversees its standards (GSSB). Stormer is a corporate sustainability and leadership specialist at Copenhagen Business School, and has worked in sustainability at PwC and Novo Nordisk. She was also a board member for the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, SASB, a member of EFRAG’s European Sustainability Reporting Standards taskforce, and a founding member of the International Integrated Reporting Council.
CDP has teamed up with food safety company Ecolab on a Water Use Efficiency Index to help firms measure, compare and improve their operational water performance. The Index will offer sector‑specific ranges for ‘best-in-class’ water use efficiency and targets. The initiative begins with a pilot for the Beverage and Brew segment of the Food, Beverage and Agriculture industry.
Sustainability consultancy SLR has acquired WAP Sustainability for an undisclosed sum. WAP is a US-based firm that offers life-cycle assessments, ESG advisory, carbon accounting, software and data services. SLR has more than 100 offices across the UK, Europe, North America, Africa, Australia and Asia.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has predicted that its members could generate up to 8.5 million barrels of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) every day by 2050. In a report produced in partnership with Boeing and the Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development, the body assessed the potential for Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam to supply SAF over coming decades, as well as demand from Japan, Singapore and Korea.
European governments and the private sector should together invest some €70bn annually into climate adaptation between now and 2050, if they want to reduce exposure to climate hazards and improve resilience. That’s according to a new study commissioned by the European Commission’s climate division.