Woolworths Group Ltd has received an AUD-30 million (USD 21.1m/EUR 19m) investment from Clean Energy Finance Corp (CEFC) as part of its maiden green bond offering, the Australian green bank said Monday.
The retailer earlier this month raised AUD 400 million to back its Woolworths 2020 sustainability strategy, which includes measures such as the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity and other clean energy technologies, energy efficiency upgrades and LED lighting.
According to its 2018 sustainability report, Woolworths cut its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions 13% below 2015 levels, but it wants to do more.
“The transaction has given us the opportunity to build relationships with a number of new investors who focus on ESG [environmental, social and governance] investment such as the CEFC, supporting our objective of diversifying our investor base,” commented Woolworths Group’s CEO David Marr.
The green bond, a first for Woolworths, has been certified by the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), an international non-profit. According to a report by RenewEconomy, the Aussie retailer has attracted orders north of AUD 2 billion for the five-year bonds.
According to Climate Bonds, 2019 green bond issuance has reached USD 58 billion already.
Source Renewables Now