FuturePlus partners with Virgin StartUps

This week, we announced that we are a proud partner of the Virgin StartUps Community.

The Virgin StartUp Community is a brand new digital platform that allows UK founders to connect, share, learn, and grow together.

FuturePlus has partnered with Virgin StartUp to create an exclusive offer as part of our mission to support more UK startups.

If your business is interested in joining the Virgin StartUp Community and accessing our exclusive partner offer, find more information here.

REPORT: Over 70% of companies abandon acquisition due to ESG concerns

According to a new report from Deloitte, more than 70% of M&A leaders report abandoning acquisitions due to ESG concerns.

With a vast majority revealing, they would pay more for potential businesses with strong ESG attributes.

The report covers 500 M&A leaders from corporations with at least $500 million in revenue and private equity firms with at least $1 billion in assets under management across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific regions.

“Abandoning a deal is certainly not an easy decision. While commercial or operational concerns are often the main reasons for walking away from a deal, ESG red flags are increasingly being considered with the same level of seriousness to either pause or end deal activity.” - Brooke Thiessen, Partner, Infrastructure M&A, Financial Advisory at Deloitte Canada

FuturePlus empowers investors to measure and track the sustainability performance and ambitions of their investments accurately across comparable indicators, identifying areas of risk, unlocking untapped opportunities for growth and promoting transparent reporting.

Our comprehensive data-driven solution provides real-time insights, robust reporting, and actionable strategies, with support from experts enabling organisations to drive positive impact.

Find out more here.

IMPACT CERTIFIED: MI Media

On World Environmental Day, FuturePlus member, MI Media revealed it has achieved IMPACT CERTIFIED status.

MI Media is using FuturePlus as part of the business’ ongoing commitment to drive a sustainable business approach while focusing on our five themes Social, Environmental, Diversity and Inclusion, Climate and Economic.

MI Media is an independent media agency accelerating growth for challenger brands through media strategy, planning and buying.

Congratulations to the whole team on a huge sustainability milestone.

Coldplay lowers tour emissions by 59%

Coldplay has revealed that, in the first two years of its current tour, it reduced its carbon footprint by 59% compared to its previous world tour.

Some of the strategy changes include the band travelling by train, giving concert-goers recyclable LED wristbands, and installing dance floors that use attendees' moves to generate electricity.

Fans could also use electric bikes during shows, which power sections of the stage and charging points for the band and crew.

Eighteen of the tour's shows so far have been powered by a system made of recycled BMW batteries.

The band planted 7 m trees, one for each ticket sold, and 72% of tour waste was sent for reuse, recycling, and composting.

The band said the figures had been verified by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Edinburgh to ban adverts for high-carbon products

The City of Edinburgh Council has revealed it is set to ban out-of-home advertising for fossil fuel companies and several high-emission forms of transport, announcing that a failure to do so would undermine the credibility of its climate emergency declaration.

The ban includes advertising commercial flights, SUVs (even electric models) and cruise ships.

"It's just basic common sense that if the council is serious about climate justice, we cannot allow council advertising space to be used to promote fossil fuel companies."

"We have taken a clear step to say: we don't need their money, we don't want their money, and we don't think it's right for the council to legitimise the practices of organisations whose business is to profit from war." - Ben Parker, Green Councillor, The City of Edinburgh Council