Claire Lewis

𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀: 𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 Every now and then, you come across a document that balances rigour with relevance but this one nails it. 🫡 The Environmental Key Performance Indicators (EKPIs): Reporting Guidelines for UK Business, developed by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), remains a cornerstone for environmental reporting. Though developed for the UK, its value extends far beyond. It offers a pragmatic, structured approach for businesses to understand, measure, and report environmental performance in a way that’s both meaningful and manageable. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹: ✅ It identifies 22 environmental KPIs and guides companies to focus on the 5 most material ones for their sector. ✅It clearly differentiates direct and indirect impacts—and encourages firms to look beyond their operational boundaries (supply chains, product life cycles). ✅It links KPIs directly to business outcomes like cost savings, reputation, regulatory compliance, and investor confidence. ✅It outlines principles of good reporting: transparency, credibility, comparability—no greenwashing here. ✅And perhaps most importantly, it recognises that one-size-fits-all doesn't work. Instead, it offers sector-based relevance without being prescriptive. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸? ▪️ Companies beginning their reporting journey and looking for a no-nonsense guide. ▪️ESG consultants and sustainability practitioners refining KPI strategies. ▪️SMEs needing a cost-effective framework that satisfies increasing due diligence from larger buyers. ▪️And yes, policymakers and regulators seeking to harmonize environmental disclosure without overwhelming the market. This is more than just a guide but it’s a free strategic toolkit. Worth bookmarking. Worth applying. Even if you're outside the UK. #planetaryhealth #planetaryboundaries #sustainability #ClimateAction #carbonfootprint #NetZero #ClimateEmergency #SDG #ESG #GHG #netzero #EnvironmentalKPIs #CorporateReporting #SustainabilityStrategy #SustainableBusiness #ReportingFramework #climateimpact

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QOTD: Are developers rent-seeking leeches? Last night I attended my first local council meeting at Ashfield Town Hall, where the Inner West Council voted on the Fairer Futures Plan, a proposal to add ~30k new homes through rezoning for greater density. I attended with a strong contingent of Sydney YIMBYs - a broad church spanning different political affiliations, professions, and personal backgrounds. One refrain from opponents was that the plan served the vested interests of developers, who they characterized as rent-seeking leeches who care only about profit, not people. The refrain was repeatedly invoked by the five Greens councillors, all of whom voted against the motion. The proposal ultimately passed 8 - 7, with Labor voting in support and Greens, Liberal, and Independent councillors voting against. I wanted to unpick the opposition's characterization of developers, because much of the rhetoric felt hand-wavey and emotionally charged, rather than substantive. Let’s dive in. "Developers only care about profit" Regardless of any individual developer's moral character, developments aren't feasible unless they can recover costs and make a reasonable return. Feasibility is based on the cost of land acquisition, construction costs, marketing expenses, and government fees. Developers need financing before breaking ground, which means convincing banks that their projected revenue will exceed costs with enough of a buffer to protect against the risks involved; construction projects face a lot of uncertainties (e.g. delays, changing market conditions). If the numbers don't stack up, the project won't proceed, regardless of housing need. This is why zoning changes move the needle: they spread fixed costs across more units, making previously infeasible projects financially viable. "New apartments will be expensive and that won't help affordability" Even if the new developments are not themselves the most affordable, increasing supply reduces competition across the entire housing market. When well-heeled buyers move into new apartments, they vacate other housing! For example, working professionals and downsizers might stop competing with students for older units, which makes housing more affordable downstream. "Build-to-rent will trap people in permanent renting" Another criticism is some of the proposed developments are BTR, which will 'make people permanent renters'. But people are already renting, often in poorly maintained properties with little accountability. Professional build-to-rent operators typically offer better maintenance, clearer terms, and more stability. In well-functioning markets, people can move between renting and owning based on life stage and preferences. Verdict? My take is that people who have a quarrel with the profit motive of developers have a quarrel with capitalism itself. In the context of capitalism, my preliminary verdict is that developers are not a priori rent-seeking leeches. WDYT?

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💡 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?   A new BwB publication, co-authored with CityScience and Innovate UK, offers a fresh approach to empowering local governments with scalable, climate-aligned Blended Regional Funds. The report provides clear, practical guidance on: ✅ Blending public and private finance effectively  ✅ Building investor-ready, place-based funds that are rooted in local needs  ✅ Equipping local authorities and municipalities with the tools to scale climate action “Regional net-zero funds have the potential to mobilise private capital, de-risk investment, and ensure that climate finance flows directly into the projects and communities driving change on the ground,” comments BwB Associate Harry Wain. “By blending public and private finance and structuring funds at the regional level, we can accelerate climate action, job creation, and resilience while empowering local authorities to lead the net zero transition.” 🔗 Read the full insight at this link 👉 https://lnkd.in/eXZ-_XA7  🔍 How could your city or region deploy innovative financing mechanisms to accelerate the climate transition? Share your ideas in the comments, and let’s learn from each other. Harry Wain | Lucy Champ | Simon Drake | Laurence Oakes-Ash | Sophie Kempthorne | Pete Radford | Stuart Leslie | Justin Olosunde FRGS   #NetZeroLiving #BlendedFinance #NetZero #ClimateInvestment #LocalGovernment #GreenInfrastructure

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We are delighted to share that we have supported Greensphere Capital LLP with a Capital Call Facility for its Gaia Sciences Innovation Fund. The fund invests into venture to early-growth stage businesses that are science-led, leveraging cutting-edge climate and biodiversity science from 12 world-leading bioscience and environmental science institutes across the UK to select or spin-out innovative climate tech companies. Divya Seshamani, Managing Partner, Greensphere Capital: “The team at HSBC Innovation Banking understand innovation and are very aligned with the Gaia Sciences fund’s aims of mitigating the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. It’s been a pleasure to work with them to get this facility up and running.” Great work from everyone involved, including Aleksandra Cison, CFA, Iga Nowak and Finn Mould from our Strategic Fund Solutions team.

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