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NatWest Cushon announced on Thursday, June 19, that it intended to allocate 2% of its Sustainable Investment Strategy to the Aviva Investors Carbon Removal Fund, marking a dedicated push into natural capital as part of its long-term approach to sustainable investing.
NatWest Cushon is the workplace pensions and savings arm of the UK-based banking and insurance-focused NatWest Group.
The Aviva Investors Carbon Removal Fund invests in both nature-based and engineered carbon removal solutions, including afforestation, ecosystem restoration, commercial forestry, and nature tech, through private equity and venture capital, in the UK and globally.
“It’s great to add diversity to our strategy and continue to lead the way in private assets,” said NatWest Cushon Chief Investment Officer Veronica.
The International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) published new guidance on Monday, June 23, intended to help companies improve the clarity of disclosures about their climate-related transition plans under the IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures standard.
The announcement was part of broader efforts by the Foundation to support the implementation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) global baseline for sustainability-related financial reporting.
The IFRS Foundation oversees global financial reporting standards and the work of the ISSB, which developed IFRS S1 and S2 to bring greater consistency and comparability to climate-related disclosures worldwide.
The new guidance builds on the UK’s Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) framework and has been revised for international application. It outlines how companies should report progress against climate targets, including both mitigation and adaptation strategies, when disclosing material risks and opportunities under IFRS S2.
Although IFRS S2 does not require companies to have a transition plan, it does require disclosure of significant climate-related information that could affect a company’s outlook. The guidance provides clarity on what to disclose if such a plan exists.
“This guidance addresses the fragmentation of disclosures about transition plans, which is costly for both preparers and investors,” said ISSB Vice-Chair Sue Lloyd. “It provides inspiration for entities applying IFRS S2 when making disclosures about their climate-related transition plans.”
The guidance also emphasizes that such disclosures should align with financial materiality and should be clearly distinguishable from broader ESG reporting.
Jurisdictions adopting IFRS S2 may choose to supplement the required disclosures with additional information tailored to local stakeholders’ needs, as long as the sustainability-related financial disclosures remain clearly identifiable and are not obscured.
The IFRS Foundation noted that the guidance does not change the requirements under IFRS S2 but may be updated in the future based on how companies apply the standard. Any formal revisions will follow the Foundation’s due process.
The guidance draws on input from stakeholder roundtables held earlier this year and supports the ISSB’s broader effort to promote high-quality, globally consistent sustainability disclosures.
Agoro Carbon has signed a 12-year agreement to supply software giant Microsoft with 2.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in soil carbon credits, the company announced on Tuesday June 24.
According to the announcement, the credits will be generated from Agoro Carbon’s US-based crop and rangeland projects using regenerative practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage and improved grazing.
These projects are being developed under Verra’s VM0042 methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management.
These practices sequester carbon dioxide in the soil while improving yields, biodiversity and agricultural resilience. Soil carbon credits represent carbon dioxide removals achieved by storing atmospheric CO2 in soil through changes in land management. These credits are considered nature-based removals and are used by companies to meet long-term climate goals.
The credits delivered under the agreement will be subject to third-party verification. Agoro Carbon said that its methodology combines advanced modelling, field-level soil sampling and continued monitoring to align with Microsoft’s criteria for durable, science-based removals.
The Agoro Carbon deal follows Microsoft’s May purchase of 60,000 soil carbon credits from Indigo Ag, issued under the Climate Action Reserve’s Soil Enrichment Protocol. Both deals are part of Microsoft’s effort to source high-quality, nature-based removals across a diversified portfolio.
“This agreement supports our broader sustainability goals at Microsoft, including support of scalable, agriculture-based climate solutions that deliver measurable effects over time,” Microsoft’s senior director of energy and carbon removal, Brian Marrs, said in the announcement.
The agreement was expected to unlock further investment to scale sustainable agriculture and “reflects corporate demand for durable, science-backed soil carbon removals,” according to Agoro Carbon.
Agoro Carbon was established by Yara International and works to generate verified soil carbon credits through regenerative agriculture. The company partners with farmers and ranchers across the US and internationally, to implement regenerative practices and generate verified soil carbon credits.
The Carbon Markets are at the forefront of climate innovation, bridging the gap between corporate sustainability goals and global climate targets. Whether through nature-based credits, biochar or other durable carbon removals, VCM developments are setting a precedent for high-quality, impactful climate finance.
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The stories included in this article are taken from the Fastmarkets carbon markets news subscription service, from June 2025.