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ESG in 5 - Market Update & Sustainability News - 26-05-2025

  • Writer: Anthony Walters
    Anthony Walters
  • May 26
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jun 3

Welcome to the 26 May edition of Clever’s ESG Sustainability News, your quick snapshot of the latest breakthroughs and trends driving sustainable innovation worldwide. This week, we highlight cutting-edge cleantech advancements with Converge’s $22 million AI investment to decarbonise concrete, Microsoft’s landmark biochar carbon removal deal and new cloud sustainability tools, plus FedEx’s major move into sustainable aviation fuel.



Construction Cleantech Converge Raises $22 Million to Decarbonise Concrete with AI.


London-based cleantech construction technology firm Converge announced that it has raised $22 million in a new investment round, with proceeds aimed at further developing and commercially scaling its AI-based platform for decarbonising concrete. 


Building materials are a key source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cement production, an ingredient in concrete, accounts for approximately 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with over 900 kg of CO2 emissions generated for every 1000 kg of material produced. 



Microsoft Signs Largest-Ever Biochar Carbon Removal Agreement. 


Carbon removal provider Exomad Green announced a new deal with Microsoft, with the tech giant agreeing to purchase at least 1.24 million tonnes of carbon removal credits over ten years, generated from Exomad Green’s biochar projects in Bolivia. 

 

Biochar, or biological charcoal, is produced by heating biomass, such as forest residue, wood or crop waste, in the absence of oxygen, creating a stable form of carbon, which when buried in soil, enables centuries-long carbon sequestration. 



Microsoft Launches Solutions Enabling Users to Manage & Reduce Carbon Impact of Cloud Computing.


Microsoft has announced the launch of new solutions and capabilities aimed at enabling users of its Azure cloud computing platform to take sustainability considerations into account in their cloud migration plans and to manage and reduce the carbon footprint of their cloud usage. 

 

Microsoft also announced the general availability of carbon optimisation in Azure, a solution aimed at enabling continuous monitoring of the carbon emissions of Azure workloads and providing emissions insights and recommendations to allow the incorporation of sustainability factors into daily cloud operations decisions. 



FedEx Buys 3 million Gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel for LAX Flights.


Global delivery giant FedEx announced the purchase of more than three million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over one year from producer Neste, with the fuel to be used for cargo flights out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), marking FedEx’s first major U.S. SAF deployment. 

According to Neste, the company’s Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% over the fuel’s life cycle, compared to using conventional jet fuel. Neste’s global SAF production capability is 1.5 million tons (around 515 million gallons) per year. 


Sources. 

Anthony Walters - Head of ESG at Clever Adviser Technology Ltd (Clever)

Data sourced from FE FundInfo (quoted in Pounds Sterling) 

Construction Cleantech Converge Raises $22 Million to Decarbonize Concrete with AI, by ESG Today, 22/05/25 

Microsoft Signs Largest-Ever Biochar Carbon Removal Agreement by ESG Today, 22/05/25 

Microsoft Launches Solutions Enabling Users to Manage & Reduce Carbon Impact of Cloud Computing, by ESG Today, 21/05/25 


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