Articles on or after 3/18/2024: |
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| Greenbiz,Grist,Sightline,Sustainable Brands,Green Tech Media |
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3 key strategies for transforming the beef industry - Greenbiz  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · A growing array of techniques and technologies aims to reduce the supersized environmental footprint of commercial beef production. Changes to what cattle eat, how ranches are operated and the nature of the cattle themselves promise to hasten the process of making beef production more sustainable. Source: Parilov via Shutterstock This is the third in a series of articles on the quest for sustainable beef. For more, read Part 1 and Part 2. As cattle ranchers and the world’s largest purveyors of beef take steps to transform its production, they are relying on a growing toolkit of techniques and technologies that aim to reduce the impact of raising cattle on land and ... | By Joel Makower Read more ... |
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Amazon, Google and Microsoft signal growing interest in nuclear, geothermal power - Greenbiz  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Rising demand from artificial intelligence is forcing big technology companies to look beyond wind and solar for clean energy. An illustration of a data center at a Talen Energy site in Pennsylvania. Credit: Talen Energy The push to commercialize artificial intelligence is swelling the electricity demands of the three biggest cloud computing companies - Amazon, Google and Microsoft - and they’re looking for carbon-free energy, including nuclear and geothermal, to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from that growth. In mid-March, Talen Energy announced a $650 million deal with Amazon Web Services to sell a data center powered by one of the largest U.S. nuclear ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Biden administration announces $6 billion in clean energy funding - Greenbiz  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Historic amount signals what companies might expect from another four years of Biden. The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding for projects that will decarbonize and modernize the U.S. industrial sector this week. The Department of Energy (DOE) will manage the funds, disseminating them to recipients in some of the highest emitting industries, including aluminum, cement and concrete, chemicals, iron and steel and food. The DOE estimates that the projects will cut the equivalent of 14 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year, once completed. "Heavy industry like steel, cement and concrete account for nearly one-third of all U.S. emissions, and ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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CDP: Water Now a Major Risk for World’s Supply Chains - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · With $77B under threat due to water risk in supply chains, 50% of large corporate buyers now engage suppliers on water issues; but only 14% financially incentivize senior leaders to act on water. The water crisis threatens global supply chains like never before, according to new research from CDP - the global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system. Stewardship at the Source - CDP’s most-extensive-ever analysis on how companies are responding to water security, based on record-high disclosure numbers - focuses on 3,163 large companies with an annual revenue of more than €/US$250 million, who responded to CDP’s annual water-security questionnaire ... Read more ... |
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Could Supercharging Starch Production Secure Our Food Future? - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · ClimateCrop is boosting starch metabolism in plants through non-GMO gene editing - enhancing crop resilience to climate change, increasing yields, and offering a sustainable solution to future farming challenges. As we strain our planet's resources to meet an ever-increasing global demand for essential crops, the flaws in our agricultural system become ever more apparent. What once was a sustainable, farmer-driven endeavor has morphed into an industrial juggernaut obsessed with maximizing yields at any cost. Monocultural practices and an unyielding pursuit of productivity have left cultivated plants ill-equipped to adapt to our rapidly changing environment. While startup ... Read more ... |
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Dispatch from London: How corporate sustainability will change in 2024 - Greenbiz  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · On the near-term horizon: Artificial intelligence, nature and biodiversity risks, and a muting of ambitious public climate goals. For more than a year, European sustainability executives have been focused on how they would comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU regulation requiring third-party assured disclosures of climate targets, greenhouse gas emissions, governance and more. Now, as CSRD goes into effect for the reporting year starting in January, they’re illuminating ways regulation is already changing corporate sustainability. Last week I talked with 20 Europe- and U.K.-based sustainability leads from some of the world’s biggest ... | By Dylan Siegler Read more ... |
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Florida is about to erase climate change from most of its laws - Grist  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · In Florida, the effects of climate change are hard to ignore, no matter your politics. It’s the hottest state - Miami spent a record 46 days above a heat index of 100 degrees last summer - and many homes and businesses are clustered along beachfront areas threatened by rising seas and hurricanes. The Republican-led legislature has responded with more than $640 million for resilience projects to adapt to coastal threats. But the same politicians don’t seem ready to acknowledge the root cause of these problems. A bill awaiting signature from Governor Ron DeSantis, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race in January, would ban offshore wind energy, relax regulations on ... Read more ... |
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How BMW is designing EVs: A case study - Greenbiz  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · In an interview, BMW North America's director of sustainability breaks down the importance of circularity in EV design and manufacturing. The BMW i5's body consists of secondary aluminum; its carpets are made from recycled fishing nets. Source: Shutterstock/Kittyfly As I noted in December, 2024 is the year of circularity and manufacturing decarbonization for the automotive industry. Simply producing an EV is not the whole picture when it comes to automotive decarbonization, even though new data from Bloomberg highlights that EV life-cycle emissions can be more than 70 percent lower than a gasoline and diesel vehicle when used for roughly 155,000 miles. Some ... | By Vartan Badalian Read more ... |
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How BMW is designing, manufacturing EVs: A case study - Greenbiz  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · In an interview, BMW North America's director of sustainability breaks down the importance of circularity in EV design and manufacturing. The BMW i5's body consists of secondary aluminum; its carpets are made from recycled fishing nets. Source: Shutterstock/Kittyfly As I noted in December, 2024 is the year of circularity and manufacturing decarbonization for the automotive industry. Simply producing an EV is not the whole picture when it comes to automotive decarbonization, even though new data from Bloomberg highlights that EV life-cycle emissions can be more than 70 percent lower than a gasoline and diesel vehicle when used for roughly 155,000 miles. Some ... | By Vartan Badalian Read more ... |
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How fashion giants are tackling water risks in cotton supply chains - Greenbiz  (Mar 28) |
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Mar 28 · Apparel companies are taking action to bolster their water-management commitments and practices. Growing cotton uses 16 percent to 24 percent of insecticides and up to 40 percent of pesticides applied to fields globally. Source: Shutterstock/Kent Weakley This is the second of a four-part series taking a closer look at how 72 companies in four industries - beverage, apparel, food and high-tech - performed in Ceres’ new Valuing Water Finance Initiative Benchmark report, which assesses how companies are valuing and acting on water as a financial risk and driving the systemic changes needed to protect freshwater systems around the world. The fashion industry is a ... | By Kirsten James Read more ... |
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How Patagonia and Seventh Generation include banks in their climate action plans - Greenbiz  (Mar 27) |
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Mar 27 · Corporate cash deposits are a huge source of carbon emissions, and sustainability leaders need to engage their bankers. Most companies don’t report the "hidden" carbon emissions generated by how their corporate cash deposits are invested, but it’s larger than many realize. If Apple, Google and Salesforce included that data in their disclosures, their total emissions would rise by 128 percent, 207 percent and 206 percent, respectively, according to an analysis published this week by a group of NGOs. Their analysis found that non-financial companies in the United States cumulatively hold $7 trillion in cash and investments. The cumulative emissions enabled by those ... | By Grant Harrison Read more ... |
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Lego invests $2.4 million in direct-air capture carbon removal - Greenbiz  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · Toymaker signs 9-year deal with Climeworks of Switzerland. Lego is experimenting with more than 600 materials to replace petroleum-derived plastic, including arMABS made from a type of recycled artificial marble typically found in kitchens. Source: Lego Group Lego Group plans to double its annual spending on emissions reduction and sustainability measures between 2023 and 2025, investing a total of $1.4 billion over the period. The Danish company this week committed a small portion of that money to a $2.4 million carbon removal contract with Climeworks, which makes technology that filters carbon dioxide emissions out of the air. The family-owned holding company ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Newly announced EPA tailpipe emissions rules: What you need to know - Greenbiz  (Mar 20) |
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Mar 20 · A tightening of emissions standards is expected to create an EV boom in the next 10 years. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new tailpipe emissions regulations Wednesday. The rules aim to cut down current emissions by up to 50 percent, while increasing the long-term viability of the EV and hybrid vehicle marketplace. First proposed by the EPA in April 2023, the "Multi Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium Duty Vehicles" build upon existing smog-forming pollution, soot and carbon dioxide emissions regulations that originally impacted cars and light trucks for model years 2023 to 2026. The new, ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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Risk Managers, Consumers Cite Climate Change as Top Emerging Concern - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · 2023 surveys of risk professionals and consumers indicate an intensifying concern about extreme weather as it more directly impacts people’s daily lives, and a corresponding interest in sustainable investment opportunities. The news about extreme-weather events since 2023 has been nearly unrelenting: Atmospheric rivers unleashed flooding in California; deadly wildfires in Canada, Maui and Texas; tornadoes and cyclones in regions as far-flung as Southeast Africa, Myanmar and Mississippi. Not to mention the widespread droughts and heatwaves: The US set a record in 2023 with 28 extreme-weather events costing $1 billion or more, surpassing the previous record of 20 such events in ... Read more ... |
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Seven steps to achieving responsible supply chains - Greenbiz  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · Sponsored: The Accountability Framework offers companies a practical approach to managing nature, climate, and human rights risks. Companies that produce or source agricultural or forestry commodities can use the Accountability Framework to achieve supply chains that are protective of forests, other natural ecosystems, and human rights. Image courtesy of Adobe Stock. This article is sponsored by Accountability Framework initative. With the twin threats of climate change and ecological collapse looming, companies are under increasing pressure to address the impacts of their supply chains on people and the planet. More than ever, today’s consumers, downstream ... | By Jeff Milder Read more ... |
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Shrinkflation: Drawbacks for the Environment, Consumer Trust - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · In times of inflation, consider whether shrinking a product for a short-term win could cause long-term brand damage - first, determine if it’s the best option and include a robust assessment of the environmental impacts. In an era of intense inflation, the practice of shrinkflation raises important questions about its environmental impact - particularly regarding packaging waste. One might thin less product means less packaging and less waste in our landfills and oceans. But, like most things in life and business, it’s not that simple. Does shrinkflation really lead to increased packaging waste, or does it reduce it? To better understand this, it's essential to ... Read more ... |
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This week in climate policy - Greenbiz  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · In the week ahead, a Senate hearing about PFAS hazardous chemical designations, a House hearing on the DOE’s 2025 budget request, and more. Graphic courtesy of Sophia Davirro Wednesday, March 20: The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing about the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently proposed designation of PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. PFAS do not break down easily, leading to pollution in soils and groundwater, eventually accumulating in wildlife. Hearing witnesses include Kate R. Bowers, legislative attorney at the American Law Division, James ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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Unilever takes tougher stance on supply-chain emissions - Greenbiz  (Mar 18) |
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Mar 18 · Company calls for “absolute” reductions across ingredients, agriculture and ice-cream refrigerators. A selection of non-dairy Ben & Jerry's ice cream cartons. Source: Unilever Unilever’s new climate transition plan has a sharper focus on cutting emissions from suppliers in its drive to achieve net-zero status by 2039. The updated strategy showcases Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher’s decision to downplay aspirational commitments and play up operational specifics, such as replacing ingredients and chemicals with a higher environmental impact. "They’ve illustrated a clear path, in simple terms, for how they intend to achieve consequential progress," said Ken Pucker, ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Unilever threatens to quit trade associations that block climate policy - Greenbiz  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · The company says it will cut ties with groups that obstruct progress on Paris Agreement net-zero goals. "We want our associations to be catalysts for positive policy change, and if they can’t, then we reserve the right to withdraw our membership fees." Rebecca Marmot, Unilever CSO Unilever is threatening to walk away from any trade association that doesn’t align its policy positions with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The London-based consumer products company in early March published a detailed assessment of 27 of the more than 600 organizations of which it is a member. The groups - ranging from the ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Walmart funds almost 1 gigawatt in new U.S. solar power - Greenbiz  (Mar 28) |
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Mar 28 · Half the power needed by the world’s largest retailer now comes from clean energy projects. Walmart is funding almost two dozen new community solar projects and three long-term purchase agreements that will add almost 1 gigawatt of zero-carbon energy to the U.S. grid. That’s roughly enough energy to power 750,000 U.S. homes. The new installations include Walmart’s first investments in projects for Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi - almost half the amount in the new contracts. They are in addition to the more than 600 onsite and offsite renewable energy projects the retailer has supported in the past, representing 2 more gigawatts in clean electricity ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Washingtonians Will Soon Enjoy Cleaner Heating and Cooling Options - Sightline  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · Workers connect a sewer line to the South Lake Union Energy District in 2023 in one of the United States’ first large commercial projects to use sewer-system-generated heat as a renewable energy source for buildings. Photo by King County Wastewater Treatment Division. The possibility of connecting your home or business to a clean heating and cooling network could be coming to your neighborhood soon. Washington lawmakers have opened up a new realm of climate-friendly business opportunities for the state’s energy utilities. With the unanimous passage of House Bill 2131, introduced by Representative Alex Ramel (D-40), electric and gas utilities may now sell thermal energy, ... Read more ... |
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What the SEC's climate rule means for IPOs - Greenbiz  (Mar 20) |
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Mar 20 · Emerging growth companies are subject to new climate risk and emissions disclosure rules, although they have longer to comply than bigger businesses. While many large public companies have been bracing for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new rule on emissions and climate risk disclosure, smaller companies looking to go public are less likely to have the systems in place to comply with the rule. The SEC’s long-awaited climate disclosure rule requires publicly listed U.S. companies to disclose Scope 1 and 2 emissions considered material to their business starting in 2026. The largest of them will need to have those disclosures assured starting with fiscal ... | By Nico McCrossan Read more ... |
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Why Bain is going beyond net zero - Greenbiz  (Mar 21) |
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Mar 21 · One of the world’s largest consulting firms is the first company to set a Carbon Integrity Platinum Claim for reductions of current and ongoing greenhouse gas emissions. Setting a Carbon Integrity Claim for reductions of ongoing emissions will add rigor to Bain's climate strategy, help fulfill client expectations and meet employees' desires for near-term emissions reductions. Source: Tada Images via Shutterstock Bain and Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms, is the first company to set a Carbon Integrity Platinum Claim, going beyond its existing net zero commitment. The new Carbon Integrity Claims framework, established by the Voluntary Carbon ... | By Margaret Morales Read more ... |
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Why Bayer and the Gates Foundation are using CRISPR to reduce food's climate impact - Greenbiz  (Mar 25) |
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Mar 25 · Gene editing technology can help create the next generation of climate-resistant crops. Mustard greens at a market. Credit: Shutterstock/Lanywati CRISPR gene editing technology is beginning to deliver on a promise to quickly create crops with traits that withstand a changing climate, resist aggressive pests and reinvigorate healthy soils, according to experts at the South by Southwest event in Austin earlier this month. Companies exploring CRISPR to make climate-friendly foods and medicines are enjoying some tailwinds: At the same time, startups and researchers are taking on investment partnerships with larger organizations to commercialize CRISPR ... | By Jesse Klein Read more ... |
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Why businesses should stop planting trees and start protecting forests - Greenbiz  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · Investing in forest protection is the most effective approach to enhancing forest carbon sequestration and supporting biodiversity. Tree planting pledges have become a near-universal sign of corporate environmental commitment, despite widespread project failures, negative unintended consequences and a lack of accountability. Over 100 companies from 148 countries have pledged to the World Economic Forum’s Trillion Tree campaign. And a recent study found that 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies in France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have been involved in tree planting projects over the past two decades. Companies cite carbon offsetting, remediation, sustainable ... | By Alex Novarro Read more ... |
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Why H&M is turning away from polyester recycled from bottles - Greenbiz  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · The fashion industry has found a circular solution to its textile recycling problem. Spools of polyester yarn. Credit: Shutterstock/RecycleMan H&M’s new deal to buy $600 million of "circular" polyester over seven years from Syre, a Swedish startup it co-founded, underlines one of fashion’s dirty secrets: Making new polyester from recycled bottles sounds environmentally friendly but, in reality, polyester is a huge source of pollution. And recycling bottles to make more polyester might be worse than the alternative - keeping the bottles in the beverage industry where they can be recycled. Now some fashion companies are moving toward circular, textile-to-textile ... | By Elsa Wenzel Read more ... |
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