Here is today’s sustainable IT services and climate tech news, research and analysis -- written for technology partners, green IT service providers, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable IT, Talent, Partnerships and Green Tech Alliances
1. Retirement: General Motors Chief Sustainability Officer Kristen Siemen announced her retirement via LinkedIn. We'll be watching to see if or when GM announces her successor.
2. IT Asset Disposition (ITAD): ERI now maintains eight e-waste recycling facilities, including a state-of-the-art location in Flower Mound, Texas, the company notes. The ITAD company has developed AI and machine learning technology systems -- including optical character recognition technology -- to increasingly automate recycling operations.
3. Refurbished Devices: Logitech International has expanded its portfolio of refurbished devices available for customers and partners. The lineup includes mice, keyboards, tablet accessories, Logitech G gaming gear and Bluetooth speakers.
4. Partnership - Asset Management: GE Vernova and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are partnering to promote software that allows customers to "manage their asset and emissions data" amid the energy transition, the companies said. The partnership involves GE Vernova's Asset Performance Management (APM) and CERius software, running on AWS.
5. AI and Energy Efficiency: By mimicking how neurons in the brain learn, RIT professor Alexander Ororbia is working to make AI more powerful and energy efficient, according to the university.
6. AI for Small Business: IBM is touting AI for small business and entrepreneur use, the company said.
7. Data Centers and Renewable Energy: SolarBank, a provider of renewable energy solutions, is expanding into the data center market as a "developer and strategic partner." Still, SolarBank did not mention any partner or data center customer engagements.
8. Nuclear Energy - Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Testing: Texas A&M University has potential sites available for multiple companies to test and construct next generation nuclear reactors, the university disclosed.
9. Research - Net Zero Challenges: Only one in six (16%) of the world’s largest companies are on track to reach net zero emissions in their operations by 2050, while close to half (45%) continued to increase carbon emissions, Accenture research found.
10. Research - DevOps: Roughly 59% of DevOps practitioners work for organizations that align sustainability initiatives with application development and deployment, according to TechStrong Research.
11. Layoffs - Renewable Energy: Enphase Energy layoffs will impact 17% of company employees, the renewable energy company disclosed in an SEC filing. While the overall solar energy market continues to grow, multiple companies are struggling to generate profits amid intense international competition and heightened interest rates that hinder customer financing.
B. Sustainability M&A, Climate Tech Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. SEC Fine and Greenwashing: Invesco Advisers agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle an SEC investigation into how it marketed funds described as "ESG integrated," The Wall Street Journal reported.
2. Climate Tech Funding: President-Elect Donald Trump has made clear he plans to kill or undercut many clean energy incentives, Bloomberg notes. Yet the prospect of less federal support for new climate technologies is already motivating some investors to step in to fill the void, the report said.
3. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. COP29 News: Track all news from the United Nations climate conference here.
2. United States - Rooftop Solar: Trump's election victory has hammered solar stocks, but Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said on the company's earnings conference call that full repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act climate law, including tax credits for solar equipment, is "highly unlikely," Bloomberg and SeekingAlpha reported. Among the variables to keep in mind: Many Republican-leaning states have businesses that depend on IRA-related money.
D. Sustainable IT and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- COP29 (November 11-24, Baku, Azerbaijan)
- GreenBuild 2024 International Conference and Expo (November 12-15, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council 2024Â (November 12-13, Milwaukee)
- Resource Recycling Conference 2024 (November 13-15, Louisville, Kentucky)
- Green Building Congress 2024 (Bangalore, India)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainable IT, climate tech and renewable energy news for technology partners.
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
