The Morning Risk Report: CEOs See Sustainability As a Core Business Risk, Despite Headwinds By David Smagalla | Dow Jones Risk Journal

Good morning. Chief executives are in a tricky position as they navigate the risks and rewards of talking about sustainability, reports Risk Journal's Clara Hudson .

But they are linking environmental goals to business needs more than ever, according to a Bain & Company report published Monday.

Core risks predominate: CEOs now refer to sustainability as a core business risk rather than a moral imperative, according to the analysis of over 35,000 statements from 150 leading companies' CEOs.

More CEOs cite business needs: The report said 54% of mentions of sustainability in 2024 focused on business necessity while only 13% were more "purpose-driven," or based on moral incentives. In 2018, the report said, 34% of sustainability mentions focused on business needs, and 26% cited loftier goals.

Context: Companies have been quietly watering down references to ambitious sustainability goals and emissions reduction, according to data from WSJ Pro Sustainable Business. The changes come amid a politically fraught era on sustainability as the Republican Trump administration unwinds many environmental policies while climate requirements loom in states controlled by Democrats and in Europe.

Also: SEC Chair Threatens to Drop International Accounting Standards Over Climate Agenda Compliance

Uber faces Justice Department suit for alleged disabilities act violations.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Uber Technologies, alleging the ride-hailing giant discriminated against passengers with disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks $125 million in monetary damages for individuals who have been subject to discrimination and previously submitted complaints to Uber or to the Justice Department, and demands that Uber pay a civil penalty.

SEC to drop case against Nikola founder Trevor Milton.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moved to dismiss its fraud case against Trevor Milton, the founder of truck manufacturer Nikola, reports Risk Journal's Max Fillion.

The commission said on Thursday it deemed dismissal appropriate "in the exercise of its discretion" and the move doesn't necessarily reflect its views of any other case. A lawyer for Milton didn't respond to a request for comment.

A cryptocurrency venture-capital executive tapped by President Trump to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has fired back at the Winkelvoss twins over allegations the two entrepreneurs attempted to derail his nomination, Risk Journal reports.

China escalated its regulatory campaign against U.S. chip juggernaut Nvidia, heightening pressure on Washington as senior officials from both countries meet in the latest round of trade negotiations. China's antitrust regulator said Monday that preliminary investigations found Santa Clara, Calif.-based Nvidia violated the country's anticompetition law.

The European Union is ready to hand hefty fines to companies that breach antitrust rules despite risks of raising tensions with the U.S. at a delicate time for trade, the bloc's top competition enforcer said.

Every year, thousands of Nestlé employees contact the company's hotline to report wrongdoing. One of them just brought down its CEO -and pulled back the curtain on an $18 billion industry built on anonymous complaints.

The publisher of Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter has sued Google , alleging that the AI summaries that appear atop search results are illegally using its reporting and depressing online traffic.

President Donald Trump is expected to give another lifeline to TikTok this week.

Boeing was hit with proposed fines of more than $3.1 million for alleged violations related to its plane's door-plug blowout in January 2024.

The Labor Department weighed in on a thorny legal issue for Morgan Stanley: Are the company's deferred compensation plans for advisors covered by a federal retirement law ?

Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, whom President Trump is attempting to fire for allegedly misrepresenting a property as her primary residence, described one of the properties at the heart of those allegations as a vacation home or second home on at least two documents. Risk

China pushes for Trump visit as high-stakes trade talks begin.

For two months, Chinese diplomats have courted the White House , hoping to lock in a visit by President Trump to China that would grant leader Xi Jinping a significant diplomatic victory, according to people familiar with the matter. In return, the U.S. administration has straightforward demands, the people said: tangible concessions, or "deliverables," from Beijing on everything from trade to TikTok.

So far, China has conceded little. Now, a crucial round of trade talks in Madrid is poised to reveal whether Beijing is finally ready to give some ground, or if it intends to press on with its delicate maneuver to secure a presidential visit by offering up as little as possible.

Beijing Warns Mexico Against Tariffs That Could Harm Chinese Goods

NATO launches mission to bolster eastern flank's defenses.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has launched a new mission to bolster defenses on its eastern flank with Russia, the alliance's chief announced, following this week's incursion of Russian drones deep into Polish airspace.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the new operation, named Eastern Sentry, would aim to provide more flexibility and plug gaps in the alliance's eastern defenses. It will include a focus on how to defend alliance members from drone attacks.

Russian Drone Incursion in Poland Tests NATO Defenses, Cohesion These Charts Show How Putin Is Defying Trump by Escalating Airstrikes on Ukraine The appliance maker Whirlpool is stirring up a new trade dispute , telling the Trump administration that its overseas competitors could be evading hefty tariff bills by undervaluing their imports.

Iconic U.S. brands have a new pitch for European consumers: We're from here, too .

President Trump launched a remarkable broadside against India this summer, branding it a "dead economy." Faced with this onslaught, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strategy has been clear: do nothing .

One is a close U.S. ally. The other is an adversary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin both have consistently disregarded President Trump's wishes , often without major consequences.

President Donald Trump's looser financial regulation has helped send bank mergers to a four-year high -and more are on their way. Risks and opportunities abound.

As UnitedHealth Group faces government investigations and changes in federal payments that have hurt its results, it is turning to an increasingly common Washington playbook: hiring Donald Trump's allies and trying to plead its case directly with top officials in his administration.

Israel's Gaza campaign has diminished global sympathy , risking its status even among allies, due to civilian casualties and social media's reach. Data Security

Companies are competing for employees with AI skills. So are hackers.

Just as companies use AI to become more efficient, perform repetitive tasks and in some cases replace people, cybercriminals are doing the same . Some ransomware groups already use chatbots to negotiate with victims. Now they are looking for AI experts to crunch data and automate more of their activities.

"They have the same challenges, and they actually see that it's working on our side. So, they want to incorporate it into their business processes, too," said Michael McPherson, head of technical operations at cybersecurity provider ReliaQuest, whose researchers studied the underground recruitment bazaars.

What Else Matters The coolest trade on Wall Street is known as "run it hot."

The 22-year-old man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk isn't cooperating with authorities, but those close to him are, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday.

The number of incidents in which toxic fumes have leaked onto planes is rising, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation that shows not much is being done about it.

China has weaponized rare earth minerals. The U.S. is finally fighting back . For investors, one company stands out as a potential winner.

More than 300 employees at Hyundai battery plant have returned home after Georgia immigration raid. One Korean engineer tells of a week in U.S. ICE detention . About Us

Follow us on X at @WSJRisk . Send tips to our reporters Max Fillion at [max.fillion@dowjones.com], Mengqi Sun at [mengqi.sun@wsj.com] and Richard Vanderford at [richard.vanderford@wsj.com].

You can also reach us by replying to any newsletter, or by emailing our editor David Smagalla at [david.smagalla@wsj.com].

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 15, 2025 07:10 ET (11:10 GMT)

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