ESG Monthly News Update: June 2025
From Momentum to Maturity: ESG in Motion this June
June’s ESG headlines tell a story of momentum meeting maturity. While climate ambition and corporate action remain strong, the ESG conversation is clearly evolving—pushing companies to adopt more durable, systems-level approaches.
Nature and biodiversity have moved from the sidelines to center stage, as businesses grapple with their reliance on ecosystem services and begin embedding nature-positive strategies into procurement, reporting, and risk management. Meanwhile, the focus on transition finance and clean energy innovation continues to grow, with geothermal energy, sustainable aviation fuel, and land-based emissions solutions gaining traction—not just as future technologies, but as viable investments today.
Global capital is also shifting, with many investors looking beyond U.S. borders for climate-aligned opportunities. As geopolitical currents shift, companies with strong, science-based strategies are better positioned to attract capital, secure supply chains, and meet rising expectations across markets.
Altogether, these trends signal a deeper integration of ESG into business strategy. It’s not just about targets—it’s about transformation. And in sectors long viewed as laggards (e.g., aviation), I’m seeing that credible action is not only possible, but increasingly expected.
At Summit Strategy Group, we help clients navigate this fast-changing ESG terrain—building strategic roadmaps, connecting financial and sustainability priorities, and unlocking long-term value. Let’s connect to learn how we can support your journey. Reach out today.
Contributor Spotlight: Brandon Suchan
Brandon Suchan is a Manager of ESG Consulting at Summit Strategy Group, where he helps clients navigate their sustainability journey by conducting greenhouse gas emissions inventories, developing ESG reports, and crafting strategic plans. With a background in data collection, analytics, and corporate sustainability, Brandon drives brand value through impactful storytelling and communication, leveraging both quantitative and qualitative insights.
Contact Brandon
What I Read in June 2025
Why nature loss matters to companies — and what they can do
Financial Times, June 1, 2025
Biodiversity decline, deforestation, and ecosystem degradation can directly disrupt supply chains, affect operations, and threaten long-term value. Ecosystem services like pollination, water purification, and climate regulation are foundational to many industries — yet their value often remains invisible on balance sheets.
Regulatory and financial frameworks such as natural capital accounting, biodiversity-inclusive disclosures, and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) are enabling businesses to account for nature-related risks and opportunities in a standardized, financially relevant way.
Leading businesses are embedding biodiversity into procurement, investing in regenerative practices, and exploring new financial instruments like biodiversity credits and nature-linked bonds. This signals a move toward a nature-positive economy centered on regeneration, resilience, and long-term competitiveness.
Investors turning outside U.S. to look for climate investment opportunities: Survey
ESG Today, June 10, 2025
Due to the Trump administration’s climate policy stance, many investors — particularly in Europe and Asia-Pacific — are increasingly looking outside the U.S. for climate investment opportunities in renewable energy, clean technologies, and net zero-aligned companies.
While climate change has dropped in immediate importance for some investors (especially in North America), the majority believe this is temporary. Most expect climate to regain prominence in investment strategies within the next two years, or when President Trump leaves office.
Despite geopolitical and market headwinds, 39% of investors plan to increase allocations to climate-related investments. Key areas of focus include electricity grid modernization, renewables, battery tech, sustainable real estate, and carbon capture — though challenges remain around risk, product availability, and credible targets for adaptation.
EU to subsidize high volume of greener aviation fuel to boost airline demand
Reuters, June 12, 2025
The European Union will use revenue from 20 million carbon permit sales to subsidize airline purchases of over 200 million liters of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), helping offset the high cost compared to kerosene. Subsidies offer up to €6/liter for synthetic e-fuels and €0.50/liter for biofuels.
Despite the subsidies, SAF currently makes up only 0.3% of global jet fuel supply, with production volumes and airline investments still low. Airlines have warned that EU SAF targets may be unrealistic unless costs and supply improve.
The EU is phasing out free carbon permits for airlines and setting rising SAF blending mandates (2% by 2025, 6% by 2030), signaling increasing regulatory pressure for decarbonization in a traditionally hard-to-abate sector.
260+ companies, one climate goal: Forest, land and agriculture targets in action
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), June 5, 2025
Over 260 companies have now set science-based Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) targets, with momentum accelerating in 2025. These targets address land-sector emissions — which account for 22% of global emissions — and are essential for companies with land-intensive supply chains to demonstrate credible climate action and resilience.
Early adopters are taking concrete steps to reduce emissions, including regenerative agriculture (85%), reducing food waste (82%), addressing deforestation (75%), and shifting toward plant-based products (47%). These actions show that FLAG targets are not only feasible but are already delivering scalable climate solutions.
While accounting for land-sector emissions can be challenging, tools like the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance and SBTi’s updated FLAG resources are enabling companies to advance on no-deforestation goals and land-sector removals. More than 1,000 companies have now committed to setting FLAG targets, signaling growing global alignment on land-based climate solutions.
Meta geothermal deal highlights growing interest in renewable alternatives
Trellis, June 18, 2025
Although it currently supplies less than 1% of U.S. electricity, advanced geothermal technologies are attracting significant investment and policy backing, with potential to power up to 10% of U.S. demand. It's also one of the few clean energy solutions with bipartisan political support.
Meta’s partnership with XGS Energy for a 150MW project in New Mexico reflects a broader trend among companies like Google and Microsoft, which are investing in enhanced geothermal systems to meet rising data center energy demands and sustainability goals.
Meta’s project is backed by state tax credits and structured through a service contract rather than a traditional PPA, signaling flexible approaches to financing clean energy. Next-gen geothermal projects are becoming increasingly cost-competitive, with or without federal tax incentives.