Year: 2025

Stocktake of Sustainability Standards and Initiatives for minerals and metals

Stuart Mitchell

Amid the global rising demand for minerals and metals, a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) maps over 100 Sustainability Standards and Initiatives operating across value chains to clarify how these interact with laws, regulations and policy commitments, and how they might enhance environmental governance rather than undermine it.  The study finds that while these standards and initiatives are increasingly used to promote environmental and social performance, their rapid proliferation has created a fragmented and often confusing…

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IFC Supports Côte d’Ivoire Electricity for All Program’s Second Social Bond to Bring Electricity to Millions More People

Stuart Mitchell

To boost access to electricity for low-income households and small businesses in Côte d’Ivoire, IFC recently announced its support for a bond issuance that will help finance up to 600,000 new electricity connections, benefiting nearly 2.8 million people in the country, an almost 10 percent increase in national electricity access. IFC’s guarantees, totaling up to XOF15.8 billion (US$28.3 million equivalent), will support the participation of Société Ivoirienne de Banque (SIB) and the Emerging Africa and Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) as anchor investors in the bond, issued by a securitization vehicle…

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IPA and ISBA release updated version of their Creative Services Framework Agreement

Stuart Mitchell

The Creative Services Framework Agreement (CSFA) is designed to help agencies and advertisers build clear and effective long-term relationships. The IPA and ISBA have released an updated version of their joint template Creative Services Framework Agreement, developed in partnership with law firm Lewis Silkin, to continue providing advertisers and agencies with tools to create balanced, proportionate contracts for the provision of creative services. Originally published in 1998, the CSFA has undergone several updates over the years. Its last full overhaul was in 2015, when significant changes were introduced to reflect…

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Triodos Bank UK named Sustainability Champion 2025 at Commercial Lender Awards

Stuart Mitchell

Triodos Bank UK has won the Sustainability Champion of the Year category at the Commercial Lender Awards 2025 for its leading role in advancing sustainability within commercial finance. The Awards are open to patrons and partners of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), with entries shortlisted by a judging panel and winners chosen through a combination of votes by the NACFB’s broker community and the judges’ scores. This year’s winners were announced at a ceremony on 27 November 2025.  New for this year, the Sustainability Champion of the…

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Co-Op Launches First UK Convenience Store Trial For Coffee Pod Recycling With Podback

Stuart Mitchell

o-op has become the first UK convenience retailer to partner with Podback, the nationwide coffee pod recycling service, to make it easier for its customers and members to recycle used coffee pods in-store. The six-month trial will see dedicated Podback-branded recycling units installed in 30 Co-op stores across southwest England and in Co-op’s three sustainability showcase stores in Leeds, Soham, and Northampton. Participating stores can be found via Podback’s online Recycle Checker, and Podback recycling bags can be ordered from its website or through participating coffee brands. Customers simply fill…

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