Greenbiz: |
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3 employee-focused tactics for advancing sustainability goals - Greenbiz  (Apr 15) |
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Apr 15 · Sponsored: Empowering employees to champion sustainability initiatives requires a culture where sustainability is ingrained in everyday operations. A warm embrace between two Sodexo colleagues. Image courtesy of Sodexo. This article is sponsored by Sodexo. Employees form the backbone of most organizations - and what they do or don’t do affects progress toward sustainability milestones. Engaging employees on sustainability is an opportunity that organizations must embrace if they hope to succeed with sustainability goals and climate-conscious initiatives. Organizations of all sizes can bridge the gap between corporate goals and individual actions by ... | By Katherine Walker Read more ... |
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A new chapter for transport decarbonization awaits - Greenbiz  (Apr 16) |
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Apr 16 · A look at the state of sustainable transportation in 2024 and beyond. I joined GreenBiz in May 2022 - a decision that profoundly changed my perspective on transport decarbonization. In my role as the director of transportation, I sat at the intersection of many subsectors within transport, able to survey the industry across on-road vehicles and electrification, aviation, maritime shipping and freight rail. From this vantage point, it has been a privilege to learn from those leading the efforts to decarbonize transportation and share my learnings with you. Sadly, all good things must end as I have already stepped into a new role in the EV industry. My final piece explores ... | By Vartan Badalian Read more ... |
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Al Gore's policy checklist for reaching net zero - Greenbiz  (Apr 16) |
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Apr 16 · The former vice president spoke to GreenBiz at a Climate Reality roundtable in New York City. Al Gore speaks in New York City at the 55th Climate Reality Project Leadership Corps training in April 2024. (Credit: Climate Reality Project) Companies have the power to reach “true net zero” by midcentury, according to former vice president Al Gore, if they “stop using the sky as an open sewer. We've got to get to true net zero, and then we will solve this crisis.” Gore, who since his controversial defeat in the 2000 presidential election has chaired the ESG-focused Generation Investment Management firm that he co-founded, sat on Apple’s board for two decades and advised ... | By Leah Garden & Elsa Wenzel Read more ... |
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Automakers are vastly underestimating their emissions. Here's what to do about it - Greenbiz  (Apr 16) |
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Apr 16 · The auto industry lags behind on both emissions reporting and net zero targets. Here’s what they can do to get on track. More than 90 percent of automakers' GHG emissions come from Scope 3 -- i.e., buyers driving their cars. Source: Mykhailo Pavlenko via Shutterstock With the advent of policies such as the European Union’s corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD), set to be phased in over a four-year period beginning in 2025, businesses across all industries are preparing to report on their emissions as never before. A crucial pillar of such policies is the normalization of reporting on Scope 3 emissions - those not directly linked to a company’s ... | By Tom Howarth Read more ... |
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Cutting carbon by 'electrifying everything’ - Greenbiz  (Apr 21) |
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Apr 21 · Sponsored: Electrifying infrastructure is an investment in the future. From buildings to vehicles, electrification can be done with technology we have right now. Siemens collaborates with Ford on customized electric vehicle charger for All-Electric F-150 Lightning Retail customers. Image courtesy of Siemens. Siemens. Across the United States, we are witnessing the transition to the "electrification of everything" to support the decarbonization of our environment. The technology to accomplish a fully electric transformation is already available - from electrifying buildings and vehicles to navigating the impact to the grid. But if we are going to address climate ... | By Matt Helgeson Read more ... |
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Demystifying low carbon steel manufacturing - Greenbiz  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · Sponsored: The challenge of decarbonizing heavy industry is significant. But “hard-to-abate” can be conquered with the right mix of approaches - and mindset. Steel coils at U. S. Steel’s Big River Steel facility in Osceoloa, Arkansas. Image courtesy of U. S. Steel. This article is sponsored by U. S. Steel. When I worked at Dell, I often felt I was on the front line of making an essential industry more sustainable. During my tenure of over a decade, we collaborated across functions to increase the percentage of recycled materials in our products, boost our recovery of used electronics and transition our production capability to rely more on renewable energy. But ... | By Erika Chan Read more ... |
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Future-proof your supply chain with sustainable innovation - Greenbiz  (Apr 16) |
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Apr 16 · Sponsored: Discover innovative strategies to reduce supply chain-related emissions and build a more sustainable and resilient energy future. This article is sponsored by Prologis. In the coming decades as the world electrifies to decarbonize, global energy demand will surge. Businesses must manage today’s pressures on their operations - such as geopolitical tension and labor disruptions - while investing in future-focused solutions such as renewable energy, electric vehicles and automation alongside artificial intelligence. To find the balance, leaders want to know what they can do to improve their efficiency today while planning for a sustainable tomorrow. As the ... | By John Hoekstra & Will O'Donnell Read more ... |
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Here’s how Apple has cut its emissions 55% since 2015 - Greenbiz  (Apr 18) |
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Apr 18 · The company aims for a 75 percent reduction by 2030. Apple suppliers sourced approximately 25.5 million megawatt-hours of clean electricity in fiscal year 2023, which avoided more than 18.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Source: Apple Apple has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent since 2015, an achievement made possible largely because of its successful work to convince manufacturing partners to use renewable energy for Apple-related production. For 2015, its baseline year, Apple reported 38.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent across Scopes 1-3. That number is now 16.1 million metric tons of emissions, according to ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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How SBTi’s shift on Scope 3 rules will affect carbon markets - Greenbiz  (Apr 18) |
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Apr 18 · 4 possible outcomes of the proposed flexibility on carbon credits. At the heart of the debate lies a fundamental question about how to advance global decarbonization. Source: metamorworks via Shutterstock On April 9, the board of trustees of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) announced forthcoming updates to its net zero standard, proposing to allow the use of some environmental attribute certificates (EACs), including carbon credits, towards Scope 3 abatement. Since then, climate watchdogs both within and beyond SBTi have hotly debated whether the new flexibility will maintain best practices in corporate climate action. At the heart of the debate is the role of ... | By Margaret Morales 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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Plastics production on the Gulf Coast is exploding. Here’s how to respond - Greenbiz  (Apr 15) |
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Apr 15 · Even as the world suffers a plastics glut, petrochemical companies are prolonging the 'plasticene era.' The Gulf Coast petrochemical industry, one of the most polluting industry complexes on Earth, has expanded in response to low natural gas prices. Source: Roschetzky Photography via Shutterstock The Gulf Coast petrochemical industry has big expansion plans for plastics production that threaten to undermine corporate efforts to reduce plastics use and waste as well as the international negotiations for the Global Global Plastics Treaty that will continue this month in Ottawa. The looming plastics boom raises questions for sustainability professionals ... | By Meg Wilcox 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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Salesforce to lobby for new rules on AI’s environmental impact - Greenbiz  (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Computing uses up to 3 percent of global power consumption and AI could triple that, the company believes. The Salesforce Tower in New York City. Image via Shutterstock/Arnett Murry Salesforce will begin lobbying for new regulations requiring companies to disclose emissions data and efficiency standards for artificial intelligence. The company announced the move Monday as part of its new "Sustainable AI Policy Priorities." It has previously published positions on ethics and equity related to AI, as have other big tech companies including Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Salesforce’s new policy comes amid growing concern over the amount of electricity required to ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ... |
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Scaling the value hill: How to incorporate circular economy practices into the building sector - Greenbiz  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · The business opportunity to convert building sector waste into valuable resources promises hundreds of billions of net profit gains. The French firm Saint-Gobain has become a leader in applying circular economy practices in the building sector. Source: Jean Lucichard via Shutterstock More than 90 percent of all materials extracted and used in industrial processes are wasted, according to the World Green Building Council. The business opportunity to convert that waste into valuable resources is huge. Applying the circular economy to the building sector, for example, has "the potential to yield an annual net profit gain of $31-46 billion by 2030 and $234-360 billion by ... | By James Ball Read more ... |
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Supreme Court: Companies can’t be sued for not disclosing climate risk - Greenbiz  (Apr 18) |
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Apr 18 · As the SEC struggles to enforce new corporate climate disclosures, the high court grants companies even more wiggle room. A judge's gavel. Photo: Shutterstock/Atthapon Niyom The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled shareholders cannot sue companies for securities fraud when they fail to disclose information about future risks, unless the omission made their statements deliberately misleading. The decision benefits companies by allowing them more leeway to pick and choose what they disclose to investors. If a company is silent about a risk it faces, it cannot be sued, the court said. But if a company makes a statement that is misleading because it omits information ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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The corporate-startup handoff is broken. Here’s how to fix it. - Greenbiz  (Apr 24) |
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Apr 24 · Corporations can be vital supporters and partners for climate-tech startups. Corporations need to align incentives and up their risk tolerance to work more effectively with startups. Source: sirtravelalot via Shutterstock Successful startup-corporate partnerships - the full adoption of startup tech or integration into a corporation's business unit - are a relatively rare outcome. Corporate executives want to know how startup adoption will help their bottom line: will it open new markets and increase efficiency? Is it relatively easy to adopt? Even when there is a good match, the transition often gets lost in corporate friction and complexity, due to either ... | By Jake Mitchell Read more ... |
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The week in climate policy: 4 updates you need to know - Greenbiz  (Apr 19) |
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Apr 19 · Permitting reform holds up renewable energy transmission in the West; the EU is getting serious about ocean conservation. A fish swimming next to plastic pollution in the ocean. Photo: Shutterstock/Rich Carey [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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This week in climate policy: 3 federal briefings to watch - Greenbiz  (Apr 15) |
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Apr 15 · The political and commercial outlook for ocean CO2 removal. An aerial view of the Pentagon. Photo: Shutterstock/Jeremy Christensen Tuesday, April 16: A briefing by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and World Resource Institute will cover "Demystifying Ocean Carbon Dioxide Removal." Panelists participating will address the current state of CO2 removal, the policy landscape and the importance of responsible scaling. Tuesday, April 16: The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing to examine the 2025 Fiscal Budget Request for Department of Defense’s Energy, Installations, and Environment Programs. While details regarding the hearing haven’t been ... | By Leah Garden Read more ... |
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What ESG investors need to know about 'systems-level investing’ - Greenbiz  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · ESG can measure risks to cash flows, but 'systems-level investing’ offers a more complete view of where corporations might be vulnerable over the long term. ESG analysis helps investors consider how environmental, social and governance factors could affect long-term corporate value. For large, institutional investors such as asset managers or pension funds, which own a slice of the entire economy and can’t diversify away from system-wide risks, that may not be enough. That’s why more are leaning into "systems-level investing," an approach that aims to generate superior long-term, risk-adjusted returns by studying the complex systems that drive economic and financial ... | By Grant Harrison Read more ... |
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Sightline: |
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Aging Solutions Are Climate Solutions - Sightline  (Apr 18) |
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Apr 18 · Senior Couple Walking in London by Themeisle used under CC ZERO 1.0 When climate disasters like wildfires, flooding, heat waves, or polar vortexes grip communities, they hold a sharper threat for older adults, whose numbers in the US and Canada are growing. And even beyond these more headline-grabbing events are the everyday activities that may prove more challenging for older adults to perform independently in a warmer world. In Cascadia, that might look like being able to afford air conditioning to keep cool as the summers get hotter. Or so one can close the windows against wildfire smoke to keep indoor air safer for breathing, especially for those with respiratory ailments. Read more ... |
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Sustainable Brands: |
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'CATAN - New Energies’ Adds Sustainability Twist to Classic Strategy Game - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · The update to one of the best-selling board games of all time presents players with a pertinent dilemma: spend resources to invest in clean, sustainable energy sources or opt for cheaper, yet polluting, fossil fuels. CATAN Studio’s forthcoming CATAN – New Energies ushers players into a reality more reflective of our modern world with a compelling blend of strategy, sustainability and societal progress. This latest update to the beloved game challenges players to navigate a pivotal crossroads in the island of Catan's history, set in the modern day. Gone are the days of the island's pre-industrial past: This latest version of Catan demands energy to fuel its growth. CATAN ... Read more ... |
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As Droughts Zap South America’s Hydroelectric Energy, What Can Be Done? - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 19) |
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Apr 19 · As our climate systems become more erratic, clean sources of energy will become ever more precious; and scaling and diversifying sustainable ways to harness it will be key to our survival. Climate change is affecting all of us in numerous ways. From the penguins of Antarctica to corporate executives in Tokyo, everyone is feeling the effects of our shifting climate system in one way or another. Whether we accept it or not, the cumulative effects of human industrial activities are altering the atmosphere in a way that severe droughts and floods are becoming much more common; and this may only be the beginning of what’s to come. The Amazon rainforest, until recently ... Read more ... |
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Events Are Driving Transparency, Awareness with Climate-Labeled Food Menus - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · Using climate-impact labels is one way events can persuade attendees to choose more sustainable menu options. Event organizers globally are recognizing the need to evolve standard event practices into more sustainable versions. With the many routes trade shows and conferences can use to reduce their environmental footprint, the food and beverages served onsite mustn't be overlooked. With more than a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions linked to the food system, the food and beverage items served to event attendees can significantly impact the event’s carbon footprint. Using climate-impact labels is one way events can persuade attendees to choose more sustainable ... Read more ... |
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Free Course Aims to Train Advertisers to Combat Climate Change - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Good-Loop’s Good-Media Academy outlines how climate change impacts the ad industry, and what it can do to mitigate it. Today, Good-Loop, an ethical ad agency that “exists to make advertising a positive force in the world,” launched its Good-Media Academy - a free course designed to teach agency teams the principles that make up “Good-Media,” and educate participants about the technologies available to mitigate the environmental impact of their campaigns. Williams - who told Sustainable Brands® (SB) in a recent interview that her previous experience in advertising was the “antithesis of sustainability” - says the idea for Good-Loop, the first B Corp-certified ad-tech ... Read more ... |
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Interface Commits to Carbon Negativity, Without Offsets, by 2040 - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · The sustainability leader sets out to hit its climate goals through direct carbon reduction and carbon storage - and challenges industry peers to do the same. Interface, Inc - a global leader in sustainable flooring solutions - has announced a new focus on direct carbon reduction and carbon storage to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. The company is aligning its strategy to meet its climate commitments without the use of carbon offsets. As we edge dangerously close to triggering several critical climate tipping points, absolute emission reductions become more and more critical to addressing the crisis. Beginning in 2025, Interface says it will repurpose former ... Read more ... |
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It’s Time to Stop Fanning the Flames of Climate Anxiety - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · To all fellow impact professionals, I encourage you to look at the narrative your communications are fueling and consider whether your business, your audience and the planet would benefit from a more nuanced view. “Global boiling.” “Two years left to save the world.” “2023 was the hottest year on record by a long shot.” Republicans repeal climate projects. “Climate change costs the global economy $38 trillion a year.” These are all headlines alarmingly familiar to anyone keeping up with climate news over the last year. But let me share some highlights you may not have seen: The Biden administration announced nearly $200 million in ... Read more ... |
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Paving the Way for Resilient Transportation Infrastructure - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 16) |
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Apr 16 · Repairs and reconstruction are critical for improving the state of our country’s infrastructure. Advancements in elastomers and PCR plastics in asphalt can enhance road integrity, increase roads’ lifespan and pave the way for a circular economy. Across North America, our roads play a crucial role in our infrastructure, and the state of our roads impacts everyone and everything - from people’s ability to socialize or get where they need in emergencies to a business’s supply chain. Without adequate roads, we cannot reach our destinations safely and efficiently. Yet, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, growing wear and tear on our nation's roads has left ... Read more ... |
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Science-Based Climate Targets Key to Sustainable Tourism - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Regardless of whether a travel-related company has submitted its commitments to SBTi; setting specific, quantifiable, time-bound goals is essential for meaningfully reducing climate-changing emissions. British mathematician Lord Kelvin is credited with saying that if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Business management consultant Peter Drucker later offered his additional perspective when he said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” At a time when industries around the world need to drastically reduce their environmental footprint, these quotable missives offer more than nice soundbites: They clearly explain why definitive measurements are needed ... Read more ... |
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