This week in ESG news: Mars launches $250 million sustainability solutions fund, ties exec compensation to climate goals; EU proposes major simplification of sustainability taxonomy; Google turns the corner on data center emissions, but supply chain drags carbon footprint higher; revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards may cut datapoints by two thirds; Microsoft signs 3 million ton carbon removal deal; Iberdrola, Masdar sign record offshore wind agreement; EU Commission looks to develop nature credits market; California releases guide for companies beginning mandatory sustainability reporting; UL Solutions launches new sustainability data and reporting solutions; ESMA guides issuers and fund managers on anti-greenwashing expectations; European lawmakers reject new deforestation regulation’s country risk categorization system, 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

Frontier Coalition Signs $41 Million Carbon Removal Deal with Bioenergy Startup Arbor

Iberdrola, Masdar to Co-Invest Over $6 Billion in UK Offshore Wind Project

Google Reduces Data Center Emissions, but Supply Chain Continues to Drive Carbon Footprint Higher

Microsoft Signs Deal for 3 Million Tons of CO2 Removal Generated Through New Waste-to-Energy Carbon Capture Project

CapitaLand Launches New Framework to Quantify the Financial Return of Sustainability Investments

Mars Launches $250 Million Sustainability Solutions Fund

Government & Regulators

EU Lawmakers Reject EUDR’s Country Risk System in New Setback to Deforestation Regulation

EU to Develop Nature Credits Market to Fund More Sustainable Agriculture Practices

ESMA Guides Issuers, Fund Managers on Anti-Greenwashing Expectations

EU Launches Major Simplification of Sustainability Taxonomy to Ease Compliance Burden on Companies

ESG Reporting

California Releases FAQ to Guide Companies Beginning Mandatory Climate Reporting

EFRAG Considers 66% Reduction in European Sustainability Reporting Standards Datapoints

Guest Post – California Climate Disclosure: What We Know After CARB’s First Public Workshop

ESG Services and Tools

ISS STOXX Launches New Climate Data Solution for Sovereign Portfolios

UL Solutions Launches New Scope 3 Data and Sustainability Reporting Solutions

Clarity AI Acquires Sustainability-Focused Fintech ecolytiq

Sustainable Finance

Sumitomo to Facilitate Over $10 Billion in Clean Energy Investments in UK

Private Equity & Venture Capital

Guest Post – Inside Our Fundraise: Lessons from a Climate VC

Tikehau Raises Over €1 Billion for Egis to Decarbonize Transport, Cities, Energy