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Ikea is guiding its customers toward sustainable consumption. Here’s how - Greenbiz  (May 6) |
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May 6 · The giant furniture retailer is using its procurement clout and in-store promotions to nudge millions of customers toward lower-emissions products. Close to 860 million people visited Ikea stores last year, helping it generate more than $50 billion in sales. The world’s largest furniture retailer is using that exposure to drive a unique net-zero goal: a pledge to cut the climate footprint from products Ikea customers use at home by 70 percent by 2030. So far, Ikea has managed a 52 percent reduction to the baseline it set in 2016, according to Ikea’s sustainability report for 2023. The retailer calculates that claim by looking at the material composition and energy ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Tailwinds build for sustainable aviation fuel - Greenbiz  (May 6) |
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May 6 · As the aviation industry lobbies for sustainable jet fuel, new tax breaks could help lower the carbon footprint of business travel. Illustration of a jet's shadow over a field sunflowers. Credit: Shutterstock/Scharfsinn U.S. airlines use sustainable fuel in less than 0.1 percent of flights. Yet the government wants 10 percent of the industry to run on sustainable fuel by 2030, and to reach 100 percent by 2050. The scale of the challenge is massive: United Airlines used 7 million gallons of sustainable fuel last year, according to company spokesman Sam Coleman. "That was a threefold increase from the year before, which is great, except that United Airlines burns ... | By Elsa Wenzel Read more ... |
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The great corporate decarbonization derby is on - Greenbiz  (May 6) |
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May 6 · Are any technologies capable of solving the climate crisis at scale? To tackle big risks requires big imagination and big bucks. And, except for annihilation from global thermonuclear warfare, no set of risks loom larger than the continuing atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases, chiefly carbon dioxide. Earth is responding to this buildup through rising temperatures, melting glaciers, expanding seas, migrating species and disease vectors and a host of other impacts. Scientists and policymakers believe that the Paris accord goal of restraining warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2030 is or soon will be surpassed and that temperature increases of up to 7F ... | By Terry F. Yosie Read more ... |
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Inside Allbirds’ mission to make a shoe with no carbon footprint - Greenbiz  (May 3) |
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May 3 · As of its most recent progress update, the shoemaker is more than halfway toward its goal to cut its per-product footprint in half by 2025. Three years ago, Allbirds pledged to cut its per-product carbon footprint in half within four years, aiming for “near zero” status by 2030. As of its most recent progress update, the shoemaker is more than halfway there, thanks to an approach that requires every employee and business partner to consider emissions - from design to materials to packaging. Allbirds is also one of the few public companies that regularly highlights greenhouse gas emissions in its earnings report. And it calculates carbon labels for its products, even amid ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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The week in climate policy: 4 updates you need to know - Greenbiz  (May 3) |
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May 3 · Florida bans lab-grown meat; the G-7 nations double down on their intention to phase out fossil fuel-powered utilities. Two lab-grown cubes of beef. Photo: Shutterstock/Firn Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that bans lab-grown meat in Florida. Specifically, SB 1084 bans the manufacturing and sale of lab-grown meat in an effort to protect the state’s cattle industry against the rising competition. Opponents say the ban will limit future venture capital flowing into Florida; Emily Bogan, head of business operations at cultivated meat company Fork & Good, testified before a state legislative panel in February that "(a) ban like this threatens a free ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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How Workday uses carbon offtake agreements to scale climate impact - Greenbiz  (May 2) |
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May 2 · The enterpriser software provider is one of the large corporations signing offtake agreements with carbon reduction and capture projects. Offtakes are the next step in Workday's journey to support high-quality climate action. Source: Workday Since January, Workday has signed three new offtake agreements with early-stage carbon projects, committing to purchase over 300,000 carbon credits over the next six years. By guaranteeing future demand, the enterprise software provider is helping to close the finance gap that holds back many high-impact carbon projects. The projects include forest protection in the Amazon with remote sensing, carbon removal via biochar in ... | By Margaret Morales Read more ... |
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Alphabet, Meta and others are paying $58.3 million to bury sludge - Greenbiz  (May 1) |
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May 1 · Corporate buyers’ group Frontier contracts with startup using deep wells to store waste that would otherwise emit methane or CO2. The Vaulted Deep well head in Kansas. Source: Vaulted Deep A corporate buyers group founded by Alphabet, Meta, Shopify and Stripe disclosed a $58.3 million contract to bury waste sludge in deep underground wells to prevent it from emitting carbon dioxide and methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO2. The agreement provides for the equivalent of 152,480 metric tons of carbon dioxide to be stored between 2024 and 2027 - starting with 20,000 tons this year. The companies will count credits related to the stored CO2 toward ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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EU gifts companies a two-year delay on sustainability disclosures - Greenbiz  (May 1) |
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May 1 · The delay grants companies more time before they’re expected to disclose ESG impacts and data under new reporting regulations. The delay gives more time to companies that must report sector-specific climate impacts. Source: wutzkohphoto via Shutterstock The European Council said on Tuesday that it will defer by two years the adoption of sector-specific sustainability reporting standards for EU companies under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The delay also applies to non-EU companies operating in the region. This means that U.S.-based companies that were preparing for the first time to disclose Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and other ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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How to put corporate capital behind climate commitments - Greenbiz  (May 1) |
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May 1 · The number of companies with science-based emissions reduction goals grew 500 percent since 2018, but corporate finance supporting those goals is only increasing 5 percent annually. Investors are making it clear to companies: It’s time for them to put their capital behind their climate commitments. More are looking for evidence in corporate climate transition plans, which outline steps a company is taking to reach net zero, including how it’s managing capital. Transitioning successfully will require "systemic changes in corporate behavior, facilitated by changes in cash flows," according to the authors of the "Corporate Climate Finance Playbook." Climate Policy ... | By Grant Harrison Read more ... |
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Microsoft signs its biggest renewable energy contract yet - Greenbiz  (May 1) |
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May 1 · Deal with Brookfield will add 10.5 gigawatts of wind and solar in the U.S. and Europe between 2026 and 2030. Microsoft is building its data center capacity to support artificial intelligence services, which is increasing its electricity consumption. Source: Microsoft Microsoft will almost double its renewable energy capacity through a five-year deal with Brookfield Asset Management and Brookfield Renewable that will add more than 10.5 gigawatts of solar, wind and other “carbon-free” energy sources in Europe and the U.S. The value of the contract is estimated at more than $10 billion based on current market conditions, according to news reports, although that amount ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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What Biden’s new power plant rules mean for utilities - Greenbiz  (May 1) |
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May 1 · Utilities must comply with the EPA’s new emissions rules and invest in carbon capture and storage. A gas-powered electricity generating station in Arizona. Source: Shutterstock/James Mattil The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new rules Thursday that require newly built natural gas power plants to cut 90 percent of their emissions by 2032, and existing fossil fuel-run power plants will have to comply or exit the grid by 2039. To reach this goal, utilities will have to invest in carbon capture and sequestration/storage (CCS) technologies, something EPA administrator Michael Regan believes is financially feasible. "[The EPA] has engaged ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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We must examine the connection between packaging and climate change - Greenbiz  (Apr 30) |
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Apr 30 · Companies should think more holistically about the link between packaging and carbon. What’s contributing to climate change? Everyone can probably name a few of the culprits: how we get around; how we produce energy; and maybe what we eat. Less top of mind? The things we buy, including what they’re made out of and how they’re packaged. For companies wanting to decarbonize, focusing solely on energy can stall efforts to tackle equally important sources of emissions. A 2019 report by Material Economics and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) calculated that "materials" (defined as aluminum, plastic, cement, steel and food) account for 45 percent of global emissions. That ... | By Olga Kachook Read more ... |
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Climate policy outlook: Ottawa plastics talks wrap up - Greenbiz  (Apr 29) |
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Apr 29 · This week’s most important climate policy stories. As the Ottawa talks wrap up, negotiators are far from solving the world's plastic emergency. Source: Mohamed Abdulraheem via Shutterstock Earlier, GreenBiz vice president of circularity Jon Smeija rounded up the three things that activists are looking for from the eventual treaty. Bottom line: None of them is guaranteed. The next session of the talks is scheduled for November in Busan, South Korea. | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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Protecting forests through better forest management - Greenbiz  (Apr 29) |
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Apr 29 · Understanding sustainable forestry practices can lead to more responsibly made products. This article is sponsored by P&G. As recent wildfires have demonstrated, an untouched forest isn’t necessarily a healthier one. In parallel with climate action, responsible forest management is one of the best tools to build resilient forests that will in turn help in the fight against climate change. There are 3 billion acres of working forests around the world - that is, forests that are managed to supply a steady, renewable supply of wood for thousands of items people use every day. Those that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) ensure that the forest is ... | By Chris Reeves Read more ... |
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Why climate disclosure policy is critical to corporate sustainability - Greenbiz  (Apr 29) |
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Apr 29 · There are 3 primary reasons why disclosure rules can help accelerate climate policy progress. There’s a lot of confusion and controversy swirling around the issue of climate disclosure: how much companies are mandated to tell the public about emissions they directly and indirectly generate. The controversy is now so thick that it has become a smokescreen, blocking a clear look at this issue. It’s important for sustainability professionals to know the facts and also understand how policy on disclosure can help drive the change we need to address our climate crisis. In 2023, disclosure policy seemed to be on a fast track forward, with California’s enactment of the landmark ... | By Deborah McNamara & Bill Weihl Read more ... |
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How to access $6.97 billion from the EPA’s green bank - Greenbiz  (Apr 26) |
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Apr 26 · The Climate United Coalition has billions of dollars to give out to advance decarbonization. Here’s how to qualify. Invest in urban decarbonization. Graphic: Sophia Davirro The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the nonprofit organizations that will receive some of its $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, including $6.97 billion to the Climate United Coalition. Comprising Calvert Impact, Community Preservation Corporation and Self-Help, Climate United specializes in making green loans to fund specific decarbonization projects while also transforming existing traditional mortgages and project financing markets into greener ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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The week in climate policy: 4 updates you need to know - Greenbiz  (Apr 26) |
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Apr 26 · Biden Administration reveals billions saved by companies due to the Inflation Reduction Act; Local governments in Wyoming bypass governor’s refusal to apply for decarbonization funding. President Joe Biden delivers a speech. Photo: Shutterstock/Spike Johnson [Continue the conversation on climate policy at Circularity 24 (May 22-24, Chicago), the leading conference for professionals building the circular economy.] | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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Biden administration creates new rule to speed up clean energy transmission - Greenbiz  (Apr 25) |
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Apr 25 · The Department of Energy finally streamlines permitting requests and requires only one environmental impact statement for each project. Transmission lines carrying renewable energy. Photo: Shutterstock/lovelyday12 The U.S. Department of Energy will become a "one-stop-shop" for permits for new electricity transmission projects under a rule announced by the Biden administration. The move is intended to make building green energy projects simpler and faster, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told reporters. The rule will create a new program, the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorization and Permits (CITAP), which will be the lead agency handling permits for ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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No more funding forests in Cambodia: Interface is ending offsets to go carbon-negative - Greenbiz  (Apr 24) |
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Apr 24 · The carpet company says its carbon-negative manufacturing means it can stop buying CO2 credits. Instead of investing in offsets, Interface is looking to innovations internally and in its supply chain. Credit: GreenBiz/Sophia Davirro Interface, the maker of technically innovative commercial carpet tiling, will stop paying for carbon offsets - which typically fund forest projects in developing countries - to reduce the impact of its greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, starting in 2025, Interface will direct what it used to spend on offsets toward exploring manufacturing with raw materials that remove or store carbon, in hopes of becoming carbon-negative by 2040 - a ... | By Elsa Wenzel Read more ... |
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Revolutionizing agriculture for a sustainable future - Greenbiz  (Apr 24) |
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Apr 24 · Sponsored: Agoro Carbon redefines agriculture's climate role by offering quality carbon credits and focusing on regenerative practices. Regenerative Agriculture, a solution to Climate Change. Image courtesy of Agoro Carbon. This article is sponsored by Agoro Carbon. The climate clock is ticking, and immediate action is necessary, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Agriculture must transition from being part of the problem to being a cornerstone of the solution. As the ongoing story of sustainability unfolds, agriculture is a key player and potential hero. At Agoro Carbon, we are actively working to make this narrative a ... | By Dylan Lubbe Read more ... |
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