Stay informed with the latest developments shaping the future of sustainability, energy, and tech. From major green investments and breakthrough hydrogen projects to AI-powered climate platforms and EV infrastructure milestones. Here’s a roundup of this week’s most impactful news and deals across the sector:
Net Zero/Sustainability Key Industry News
More than 880 ESG funds renamed as EU clamps down on greenwashing – edie
Over 880 funds have rebranded in response to tighter EU rules on ESG marketing claims. This regulatory crackdown will affect sustainability disclosures and investment product positioning across Europe.
Economic risks of climate inaction increasing, warns OBR – edie
The UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility warned that failing to act on climate change could significantly damage the economy. This reinforces the financial case for accelerating decarbonisation investments.
Net Zero/Sustainability Key Deal News
Odos secured €680k to expand its data collection platform helping agri-food businesses track and improve their sustainability performance. While sector-specific, it highlights growing investment in digital tools for decarbonisation.
Data Centre Key Industry News
Report: Data centres exposed to climate risks that could cost billions
A new report warns that climate impacts like flooding and heat stress could impose billions in costs on data centres. This highlights the urgency of resilience planning and adaptation strategies in digital infrastructure.
Data Centres: How OVHcloud is Advancing Green Cloud | Sustainability Magazine
French provider OVHcloud launched an environmental impact tracker to help customers measure and reduce cloud emissions. This tool strengthens transparency and supports greener digital infrastructure adoption in Europe.
EdgeConneX: Protecting Water while Building Data Centres | Sustainability Magazine
EdgeConneX discusses strategies to reduce water consumption in data centre cooling and operations. This focus on water stewardship is increasingly important in sustainable digital infrastructure.
Apatura files for 300MW data center campus in Scotland – DCD
Apatura has filed plans to build a massive 300MW data centre campus near Edinburgh. This project illustrates the scale of new digital infrastructure in the UK and opportunities for sustainable power integration.
Vesper Infrastructure acquires French operator Thésée DataCenter – DCD
Vesper Infrastructure purchased France-based Thésée Datacenter, reflecting growing investment in European colocation and sustainable digital infrastructure. This deal highlights strong institutional appetite in the sector.
More clean energy pledged for proposed €3bn data center campus in County Kildaire, Ireland – DCD
Developers of a €3 billion hyperscale campus in Ireland have pledged additional renewable energy sourcing commitments. This project showcases how sustainability is central to large-scale data centre planning in Europe.
Plans submitted for wind farm to power UK’s fastest supercomputer- report – DCD
Developers have proposed a wind farm dedicated to supplying renewable electricity to the UK’s most powerful supercomputer. This project illustrates integrated clean energy strategies in high-performance computing.
Data Centre Key Industry Deals
Photonic chip startup Arago closes $26m seed round – DCD
Arago raised $26 million to develop photonic chips that can improve energy efficiency in computing. While early-stage, this innovation could transform future data centre architectures and energy use.
QuiX Quantum raised €15 million to develop universal photonic quantum computers, aiming to pioneer commercial quantum processing in Europe. While early-stage, this technology could transform computing power and efficiency in the future.
Arago secured €22.1 million to develop photonic chips designed to dramatically cut energy use in AI workloads. This technology has significant potential to improve sustainability in data centres and high-performance computing.
Hydrogen Key Industry News
How Rolls-Royce is Powering a Port with Hydrogen | Sustainability Magazine
Rolls-Royce is deploying hydrogen engines to supply clean power to a European port. This project demonstrates practical applications of hydrogen in decarbonising industrial and logistics operations.
Sumitomo eyes £7.5bn UK wind and hydrogen investment under new gov deal | Power | H2 View
Sumitomo plans to invest $7.5 billion in UK offshore wind and hydrogen production as part of a new agreement with the UK government. This is a major commitment supporting clean energy infrastructure and decarbonisation goals.
EU low-carbon hydrogen rules still ‘fall well short’ of market needs, says Hydrogen Europe
Hydrogen Europe has criticised the EU’s latest low-carbon hydrogen regulations, warning they are too restrictive to enable sufficient market growth. This regulatory friction is crucial for project planning and investment decisions.
European Commission adopts long-awaited low-carbon hydrogen rules | Policy | H2 View
The European Commission has formally adopted low-carbon hydrogen regulations defining production criteria and certification pathways. This framework will shape project eligibility, investment, and compliance across the EU.
Tech-neutral hydrogen treatment will undermine EU climate and industry goals: RHC | Policy | H2 View
The Renewable Hydrogen Coalition warns that treating all hydrogen technologies equally risks slowing progress toward EU decarbonisation goals. This policy debate is key for investment certainty and project prioritisation.
Hydrogen Key Deal News
Tulum Energy secured €22.9 million to scale its low-carbon hydrogen production technology in Italy. This funding reinforces Europe’s commitment to developing competitive, clean hydrogen supply chains.
Graphene hydrogen storage start-up secures €2.5m to scale testing and production
A European start-up developing graphene-based hydrogen storage solutions raised €2.5 million to accelerate testing and scaling. This innovation could improve storage efficiency and safety in hydrogen supply chains.
An Italian start-up raised €27 million to construct a hydrogen production facility in Mexico using electric arc furnace (EAF) pyrolysis technology. This demonstrates international scaling of European hydrogen innovations.
Energy Storage Key Industry News
UK Government invests £452m in next-gen battery innovations
The UK is investing £452 million to accelerate research and commercialisation of advanced battery technologies. This funding will support EV adoption, grid storage, and energy transition goals.
Dozens of nuclear SMRs tipped to restore Midlands as energy hub – edie
Industry experts forecast that deploying dozens of small modular reactors (SMRs) could re-establish the Midlands as a nuclear energy hub. This could play a major role in decarbonising the UK’s power sector.
EU invests €852 million in six innovative electric vehicle battery projects
The EU has committed €852 million to support six cutting-edge battery projects across Europe, aiming to boost EV manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate the transition to clean mobility.
Built Environment Key Industry News
Construction giants launch net-zero skills programme – edie
Leading UK construction and property firms have launched a collaborative programme to develop net-zero skills across the sector. This initiative supports workforce readiness for sustainable building and infrastructure projects.
EV & EV Charging Key Industry News
Cranswick rolls out solar electric refrigerated trucks – edie
UK food producer Cranswick is deploying solar-electric refrigerated trucks to cut emissions in its supply chain. This demonstrates scalable applications of clean mobility and renewable technologies in logistics.
How is Volvo Using Carbon-Neutral Energy for EV Charging? | Sustainability Magazine
Volvo is piloting carbon-neutral energy solutions to power EV charging infrastructure. This strategy reinforces the importance of decarbonising not only vehicles but the electricity that fuels them.
How PepsiCo and XPO Are Cutting CO₂ Emissions With EV Trucks | Sustainability Magazine
PepsiCo and XPO Logistics have introduced an electric truck into their UK fleet operations to reduce logistics emissions. This collaboration illustrates progress toward decarbonising supply chains.
How are Shell & Nissan Partnering to Extend EV Racing Fluid? | Sustainability Magazine
Shell and Nissan are co-developing specialised EV racing fluids to improve performance and efficiency in motorsport. While innovative, this has limited near-term relevance for mainstream EV infrastructure or fleet decarbonisation.
EV & EV Charging Key Deal News
A Finnish start-up raised €25 million to expand its EV development platform covering electric propulsion for vehicles across land, sea, and air. This funding supports innovation in clean transport and electrification technologies.
