News in the spotlight: Equitable Earth Raises USD 14.7 Million to Scale Nature-Based Carbon Certification
Equitable Earth has secured EUR 12.6 million (approximately 14.7 million USD) in seed funding to advance its certification standard for high-integrity, nature-based carbon projects. The funding round was led by Chris Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital alongside partners such as Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and impactful U.S.-based family offices. The initiative is designed to support tropical forest countries in achieving climate finance goals as part of the Paris Agreement.
Products and Services
Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) has launched the Global Equity Tilt Fund
Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) has launched the Global Equity Tilt Fund, aiming to provide investors with cost-effective global equity exposure while integrating climate and ESG considerations. The fund applies systematic tilts to global developed markets based on ESG and climate factors, reducing exposure to companies with high emissions and increasing weighting to those committed to climate transition. It follows an index-aware approach while seeking incremental return through responsible investment overlays. The fund complements RLAM’s existing sustainable equity range and meets Article 8 classification under SFDR regulations. RLAM emphasizes that the launch aligns with increasing client demand for transparent, climate-conscious investment strategies that do not sacrifice performance. The fund’s strategy integrates both quantitative and qualitative data to construct a diversified portfolio that targets long-term ESG and financial outcomes.
Impact Fund Denmark invests USD 6 million to support Africa GreenCo's Southern Africa expansion
Impact Fund Denmark has committed a USD 6 million equity investment to Africa GreenCo, a renewable energy and electricity market intermediary focused on Southern Africa. This marks a key milestone in GreenCo’s efforts to scale operations and improve regional electricity markets by acting as a creditworthy offtaker and facilitating power trade via the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). The funding round brings Africa GreenCo’s total equity raised to over USD 43 million and will support the company’s expansion into more Southern African countries. The investment aligns with Impact Fund Denmark’s strategy to promote green, inclusive, and sustainable growth in emerging markets. Africa GreenCo’s innovative power trading model is designed to improve energy access, support independent power producers, and reduce reliance on single-buyer arrangements in power transactions. The collaboration is also expected to attract further commercial investments and support regional integration in the energy sector.
Regulations, Law and Frameworks
Equitable Earth Raises USD 14.7 Million to Scale Nature-Based Carbon Certification
Equitable Earth has secured EUR 12.6 million (approximately 14.7 million USD) in seed funding to advance its certification standard for high-integrity, nature-based carbon projects. The funding round was led by Chris Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital alongside partners such as Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and impactful U.S.-based family offices. The initiative is designed to support tropical forest countries in achieving climate finance goals as part of the Paris Agreement. Equitable Earth’s certification aims to provide transparency, integrity, and alignment with jurisdictional REDD+ frameworks. The funding will allow the organization to scale up operations, invest in technology for project auditing and monitoring, and collaborate with governments and local communities. The initiative has garnered endorsements from major stakeholders across the Global South, including representatives from Brazil, the DRC, and Papua New Guinea, who emphasized the importance of equitable frameworks for carbon markets.
China Launches Unified Corporate Climate Disclosure Standards
China has introduced its first unified corporate sustainability disclosure standard, aligning with global ESG trends and aiming to enhance transparency and environmental accountability among businesses. Launched by the Ministry of Finance in early 2024, the standards provide guidance for listed and large non-listed companies to report on environmental impact, governance, and social performance. The initiative follows China’s broader climate goals, such as peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. The framework emphasizes mandatory disclosures for certain firms while offering guidelines for voluntary reporting by others. The article reviews developments in China’s ESG landscape over 2023, including the expansion of green finance instruments and stricter disclosure enforcement, and looks ahead to further regulatory convergence and greater climate risk integration by 2026.