Latest news with #ESG-compliant
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Prada team to visit Maharashtra next week, may roll out Kolhapuri Collection
Mumbai: Prada will send a team of technical experts to Maharashtra next week to engage directly with local artisans and manufacturers, marking a potential first step towards a formal collaboration on Kolhapuri chappals and other heritage crafts. The Italian luxury fashion house may also launch a limited-edition "Made in India" Kolhapuri chappal-inspired collection of sandals in partnership with local artisans, a senior official at the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce , Industry and Agriculture (Maccia) said. This was the outcome of a high-level virtual meeting between Prada and Maccia on Friday. Prada began the conversation "by accepting their mistake and with seriousness", the official said, referring to the fashion house unveiling sandals closely resembling Kolhapuri chappals-without initially acknowledging their origins-at the Milan Fashion Week last month. "They (Prada) are also keen to explore the possibilities for other products in jewellery and garment," Maccia president Lalit Gandhi told ET on a phone call. ET had first reported on June 29 that Prada may send a team. Gandhi said Prada's technical team will visit Mumbai and Kolhapur next week to discuss and share "standards and norms they are following for their products" with chamber office bearers, artisans and manufacturers. Maccia will facilitate this initiative by connecting the company with reputed artisan clusters and compliant manufacturers. Prada said the conversation marked an important moment in building mutual understanding and generated a meaningful exchange to discuss potential opportunities for future collaboration. "The next step will be for Prada's supply chain team to meet a range of artisanal footwear manufacturers, and the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce has kindly agreed to support in identifying GI-approved manufacturers that Prada Group could potentially collaborate with," a company spokesperson said in an email response to ET. According to Maccia, Prada's visit will focus on "identifying transparent, ESG-compliant and sustainable local supply chain partners for Kolhapuri chappal and other local artisan products manufacturers." Gandhi said Prada has agreed to acknowledge its collection as Kolhapuri sandals and complete GI compliances. Maccia further proposed collaboration on heritage crafts such as Paithani weaving, Himroo textiles, anklets and regional embroidery work. Prada responded positively and agreed to explore these crafts for potential integration into future collections, the industry body said in a press release. Both parties also discussed launching structured knowledge exchange and training programmes between Indian and Italian artisans. Prada expressed interest in supporting artisan skill development , design innovation and sustainability-led production models through cross-border collaboration and residencies. The meeting was attended by five senior officials from Prada's Milan headquarters, including group CSR head Lorenzo Bertelli and global communications director Christopher Bugg. Representing Maharashtra in the meeting were senior members and stakeholders across the chamber and artisans.
Fintech News ME
10-07-2025
- Business
- Fintech News ME
Tali Ventures Invests in Tarmeez Capital to Support Sukuk Market Growth
Tali Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of stc group, has led a strategic funding round in Tarmeez Capital, a fintech company specialising in sukuk and debt instruments in Saudi Arabia. The investment marks Tarmeez Capital's transition from a self-funded business to one backed by a major national investor and supports stc group's broader strategy to invest in digital platforms contributing to the Kingdom's financial infrastructure. Tarmeez Capital, licensed by the Capital Market Authority (CMA), offers digital financing solutions across multiple sectors. Its Sharia-compliant sukuk products are available to both institutional and retail investors. The company has facilitated financing programmes exceeding SAR 2 billion and serves more than 180,000 users. Over the past year, sukuk issuances grew by 459%, supported by the firm's proprietary technology, which enables faster issuance processes compared to traditional channels. The investment follows significant growth in Saudi Arabia's corporate debt market, which reached SAR 140 billion in 2024. Digital platforms licensed by the CMA accounted for SAR 3.5 billion in issuances, a 127.36% increase year-on-year, with the total number of issuances rising 317.62% to 4,527. Majed Al Jarboua, General Manager of Corporate Fund and Entrepreneurship at stc group, stated: 'Tarmeez Capital is gaining ground in a sector that's becoming central to how companies access capital in Saudi Arabia. stc group is proud to back a homegrown fintech pushing the boundaries of digital finance. This investment marks a strategic step in scaling the next generation of financial infrastructure.' Nasser Al-Saadoun, Founder and CEO of Tarmeez Capital, commented: 'We're glad to partner with stc group, whose vision aligns with ours in advancing innovative, Sharia-compliant financial solutions. We're also grateful to the Capital Market Authority for fostering an environment where fintechs can thrive, and to our exceptional team for their continued dedication and drive.' Tarmeez Capital has facilitated financing in sectors such as industrial services and real estate. Red Sea International secured Sharia-compliant capital through the platform to fulfil contracts with Baker Hughes and Red Sea Global. The funding supported prefabricated infrastructure deployment in the Eastern Region. In the housing sector, RASF Real Estate Development is using sukuk financing for the Deem project in Al Khobar, a townhouse development targeting the Kingdom's growing middle class. Tarmeez Capital's platform also provides retail access to sukuk, contributing to broader financial inclusion and aligning with demand for ethical and ESG-compliant investment products, particularly among younger and underserved investor groups. The development supports the objectives of Vision 2030 to expand access to capital markets and promote sustainable economic growth.
Cision Canada
03-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Rock Tech held its 2025 Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders
TORONTO, July 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") is pleased to announce it has held its Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders (as holders of Common Shares) (the "Meeting"). Detailed information regarding each of the matters voted upon at the Meeting is provided in the management information circular of the Company dated May 23, 2025 (the "Circular"), available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at A total of 14,877,471 Common Shares, representing approximately 13.76% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, were represented at the Meeting. All matters voted upon were duly authorized and approved by Shareholders. On behalf of the Management Mirco Wojnarowicz CEO, Rock Tech Lithium Inc. ABOUT ROCK TECH Rock Tech's vision is to supply the electric vehicle and battery industry with sustainable, locally produced lithium, targeting a 100% recycling rate. To ensure resilient supply chains, the company plans to build lithium converters at the doorstep of its customers, beginning with the Company's proposed Lithium Hydroxide Converter in Guben, Brandenburg, Germany. The second Converter is planned to be built in Ontario, Canada. Rock Tech Lithium plans to source raw material from its own Georgia Lake spodumene project in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario, Canada, and procure from other ESG-compliant mines. Ultimately, Rock Tech's goal is to create a closed-loop lithium production system. Rock Tech has gathered one of the strongest teams in the industry to close the most pressing gap in the clean mobility story. The Company has adopted strict environmental, social and governance standards and is developing a proprietary refining process to increase efficiency and sustainability further. CAUTIONARY NOTE CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws and are referred to herein as "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "predicts", "believes", "estimates", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking statements contained in this news release include expectations as described in the section "About Rock Tech". Forward-looking statements by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The material factors or assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements include: the Exploration Expenditures, the existence of certain spodumene pegmatites, the possible type of mining and concentration of lithium; the distance required for transportation of concentrate; the Company's ability to procure equipment necessary for its business; that all required regulatory approvals and permits can be obtained on the necessary terms in a timely manner; and that financing will be available to the Company on commercial terms. There may also be other factors that cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and annual information form filed with the applicable securities regulators. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, and the Company cautions the reader not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, nor does it assume any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in assumptions, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law. NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. SOURCE Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
The Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
ESG sustainability: societal and global perspectives
The increasing volatility and unpredictability of the global economy arising from Black Swan events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war, is prompting corporate managers the world over to initiate measures to enhance their chances of survival. Many are adopting the ESG framework. This strategy focuses on the ESG factors that are essential for the survival of the business enterprise over the long haul. The three measures of ESG sustainability are the following: > Environmental: the ecological criteria for corporate performance as a custodian of nature; > Social: standards by which a company manages its relationships with customers, workers, suppliers and the communities where it operates; and > Governance: factors relating to a company's style of leadership, compensation policy, corporate accountability and shareholder rights. High standards of performance along these three ESG dimensions reflect a firm's concern for its stakeholders and ensures it of a continued flow of economic resources from them. By contrast, poor ESG performance is generally scorned by government regulators and militant stakeholder groups, such as activist investors and consumers who may threaten to withhold resources from the firm, thereby posing a potential threat to its continued existence. In response to pressure from activist stakeholders, many corporations are investing in ESG-compliant projects in order to burnish their public image. Key risks in PH The ESG framework may also be applied to social policies aimed at the sustainability of nations and of the planet. This broader application of the ESG framework is traditionally a function of the state. However, the state has become remiss in performing this function, and business should therefore assume this responsibility. Firms can promote ESG for society by engaging with the various stakeholder activist groups in a collaborative effort to exert pressure on the state to promote environmental (i.e., ecological), social and governance sustainability for society, and consequently, for its component institutions as well. There are currently two major sources of instability in Philippine society that pose a potential threat to its sustainability, one political and the other economic. The recently concluded national elections have a potential impact on the current state of public-sector governance in our country. Many see in the outcome of the elections the resurrection of a political regime that history has shown to have been responsible for the breakdown of most of our social and political institutions. Rightly or wrongly, it was, according to a number of observers, the result of a well-oiled campaign machinery that twisted the truth beyond recognition, and aimed at gullible, impressionable voters. More ominously, it was a political exercise where government agencies that have been captured by pressure groups, profit-seeking social media platforms and self-seeking individuals have been complicit with. By whatever lens one views the current chaotic political scenario, the emerging system of public sector governance is apparently dysfunctional and patently unsustainable. Saving an unsustainable economic system: Can business save capitalism? In the introductory chapter of my recently published book, Strategy in the New Age of Capitalism (UP Press, 2022), I wrote: '... in the last thirty years, capitalistic societies have witnessed a dramatic increase in economic inequality, lack of economic opportunities and worsening living conditions among large segments of societies. Such large-scale economic disenfranchisement in the face of phenomenal growth is unquestionably among the greatest anomalies of capitalism.' The ever-widening gap in the economic fortunes of the few, very rich individuals in society and the great majority of the people suffering in abject poverty is unsustainable. There have been increasing calls from the business community itself for a more inclusive and a more compassionate form of capitalism. On Aug 19, 2019, the influential Business Roundtable (BRT) formally abandoned its long-standing advocacy of shareholder wealth maximisation as the main purpose of business corporations and formally adopted a new 'Statement of Purpose of the Corporation'. With this proclamation, the BRT committed corporate America to creating value for all stakeholders. Over a year later, 26 of the largest business and professional organisations in the Philippines, collectively known as the Philippine Business Groups, signed a 'Covenant for Shared Prosperity', by which they upheld the universal issues of economic and social inequality and non-inclusivity by ensuring '... ethical wealth creation and the sharing of prosperity with all stakeholders.' At its virtual annual meeting held on Jan 26, 2021, leaders of the World Economic Forum made an impassioned appeal for stakeholder capitalism, an approach to business and economic policymaking that looks beyond the interests of shareholders and toward the well-being of society. By all indications, stakeholder capitalism appears to be the new mantra in the corporate world. All the sound and fury about stakeholder—or inclusive—capitalism is cloaked with the empty promise of corporate social responsibility, or CSR, interpreted by most as a form of largess or altruism, and a moral obligation of business to society. In our view, corporate initiatives that pass for 'CSR' have an underlying strategic agenda. The social benefits arising from the commercial activities of business firms are the unintended external effects of their strategic and operational decisions on the material well-being of society, and not, as popularly construed, their intended purpose. To conclude, business organisations and other forms of social institutions can survive only in sustainable physical and social environments. It is therefore in the strategic interest of business to promote sustainable ecological, political, economic and social environments. This article is reproduced with the kind permission from the Philippine Daily Inquirer—a member of A-EPIC. It reflects the personal opinion of the author and not the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP). The author is a retired professor of economics and management, and currently a professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Feedback at map@ and nspoblador@
Economic Times
25-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
IFSCA unveils framework for ESG-linked transition bonds at GIFT City
International Financial Services Centres Authority introduces a framework. This framework allows companies facing carbon emission reduction challenges to secure funds at Gift City. They can do this through Environment, Social, and Governance-linked bonds. The framework focuses on sectors like steel and aviation. It requires a credible transition plan and enhanced disclosures. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of .) The International Financial Services Centres Authority has issued a framework that will enable companies that face difficulty in reducing carbon emissions to raise funds at Gift City through Environment, Social and Governance (ESG)-linked unified regulator issued Tuesday a framework for issuance and listing of the so-called transitions bonds. 'The said framework will enable the issuers, specifically from hard-to-abate sectors , to raise capital and list their securities at GIFT IFSC, while committing to a credible transition plan and making enhanced disclosures to ensure the interests of the investors are protected,' it such as steel, cement, aviation are classified as hard-to-abate. Companies from these sectors particularly find it difficult to reduce carbon emission because of their heavy reliance on fossil fuels and processes that make decarbonization noted that ESG-labelled debt securities have played a key role in mobilizing climate finance . But it is generally seen that their application is often limited to sectors/projects that are at near/net zero. 'Transition finance provides a structured pathway for hard-to-abate industries to reduce their emissions progressively,' it framework has four important pillars. These are a credible transition plan at the entity level, alignment with globally recognized taxonomies and technology roadmaps, mechanism for independent external review, and disclosure week, infrastructure conglomerate Larsen & Toubro raised ESG-compliant bonds amounting to Rs500 crore for a term of three years. This is the first such bond issue under the Securities and Exchange of India's (Sebi) newly issued framework on ESG and sustainability-linked bonds
