Commercial | Page 104

Salesforce announced March 8 that it has incorporated climate action into its public policy platform of the company's top priorities and is committed to advocating for policies that call for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Wells Fargo announced March 8 that it plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across business operations and in its financed emissions by 2050.

Aflac Incorporated announced March 8 that it has issued its first sustainability bond at $400 million to finance existing or future investments in environmental or social projects.

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced last week a new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) structure that will hold its executives more accountable to its goals by tying executive compensation to its ESG accomplishments.

The City of Santa Monica announced on Feb. 25 that it deployed a zero-emissions delivery zone within a one-square mile voluntary area by partnering with tech and delivery companies and community organizations.

Goldman Sachs announced March 4 that it achieved a fifth of its 2030 sustainable financing goal that it set in 2020, with $156 billion completed and $93 billion of that dedicated to climate transition.

Equinix announced Feb. 25 that it priced its second green bond offering for €1.1 billion to go toward advancing its sustainability initiatives and reducing its environmental impact.

Public companies have a responsibility to deliver long-term sustainable value, but the definition of that value has evolved beyond a return on investments for institutional and individual investors. In this column, Stacie Haas explains how Fifth Third Bank became the first regional commercial bank to achieve carbon neutrality, an achievement that wouldn’t have been possible without a strategic focus on ESG.

Kimco Realty Corp., which operators open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers and mixed-use assets in North America, announced on Feb. 17 a series of five and ten-year goals that will guide the company’s ESG strategy.