Sustainability News for Technology Partners: 25 May 2023

Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners, management consultants, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.

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A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Alliances

1. New Corporate Sustainability Reports: Our database tracking corporate sustainability reports and associated net-zero goals now spans 144 companies and organizations. Today's additions include the state of Alaska, Elme Communities, Enbridge (updated for 2023), Seabridge Gold.

2. Chief Sustainability Officers: DANDARA Group has named Lesley Treacy head of ESG for DANDARA Living. Related: See 241 CSOs listed here.

3. Partner Programs: Our database tracking sustainable technology partner programs now spans 90 companies. The latest addition is Logility --- which has updated its cloud-based Digital Supply Chain Platform. New features focus on corporate responsibility, traceability, and vendor management software applications, the company said.

4. Building Management Systems: Honeywell is touting multiple recent product launches and service expansions. Key developments to note, according to the company, include Honeywell Forge Sustainability+ for Buildings and the associated Carbon and Energy Management application.

5. Digital Twin Consortium: NEC Corporation has joined the Digital Twin Consortium. NEC's ongoing goal: "Supporting the sustainability of businesses and communities by leveraging the potential of digital twins to effectively visualize and respond to a wide range of challenges," the company said.

6. Compliance Management Software: Sweep, a carbon and ESG management platform, has launched Sweep for Compliance, a "solution for reliable, transparent, and audit-ready reporting in compliance with the EU’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)," the company said.

7. Software Integration - Sustainable Buildings: Sustainable Minds, which develops transparency solutions for building product manufacturers, now integrates with Autodesk Construction Cloud. The Transparency Catalog, from Sustainable Mines, is a continually updated source of "high-performance building and construction products that meet carbon impact and human health goals," the company said.

8. Logistics Software: FedEx has launched FedEx Sustainability Insights, a "cloud-based engine uses near-real time FedEx network data to estimate CO₂e emissions for both individual tracking numbers and FedEx.com accounts," the company said.

9. R&D - Higher Education Lab Funding: Collaborative Fund of New York and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University together are launching a research and innovation alliance focused on new, sustainable materials to fight climate change. Collaborative Fund will provide $15 million to create a Laboratory for Sustainable Materials Research and Innovation at the Wyss Institute to support research into transformational technology with strong commercial potential.

10. R&D - Chips and Data Center Efficiency: Researchers at Oregon State University and Baylor University say they have made a breakthrough toward reducing the energy consumption of the photonic chips used in data centers and supercomputers, according to the Universities. The circuitry in photonic chips uses photons – particles of light – rather than the electrons that course through conventional computer chips. Moving at the speed of light, photons enable the extremely rapid, energy-efficient transmission of data, the report said.

11. ESG Consulting - Accreditation: ADEC ESG Solutions has earned accreditation as a CDP silver climate change consultancy partner. CDP is a the global non-profit that runs an environmental disclosure system. More than 18,700 companies and 1,200 cities, states, and regions leverage the platform.

12. Talent - Renewable Energy Business Valuations: Kroll has expanded the firm’s Valuation Advisory Services for renewable energy. Recent hires include Mike Bammel as managing director and Anthony Vu as director. The team reports to David Scott, nanaging director and energy & mining industry leader, and Ross Prindle, managing director and real estate advisory group leader.

13. Book: Consulting firm WSP has published has published a book to help executives achieve their ESG goals. The book is titled Future Ready: Your Organization's Guide to Rethinking Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability.

14. Solar Power vs. Oil Investments: Solar is emerging as an energy superpower with this year's investment in the sector ($380B) set to surpass spending on oil production ($370B) for the first time, according to Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, SeekingAlpha reported.

B. Sustainability M&A & Investments

1. Funding - ESG Data Management Software: Novisto has raised USD$20 million in a Series B funding round, led by Inovia Capital. Novisto, founded in 2019, has over 100 employees in North America and Europe. The company is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. 

2. M&A - Solar Energy and Storage: Investment firm SUSI Partners has acquired Encore Renewable Energy, a U.S. clean energy company specializing in solar PV and battery storage projects. Financial terms were not disclosed.

3. M&A - ESG and Carbon Footprint Measurement Software: Deepki has acquired Nooco, a French SaaS company that measures and optimizes the carbon footprint of building construction and renovation projects. The seller was VINCI Energies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

C. Regional and Global Sustainability News

1. America's Climate Leaders List: USA Today and Statista have published this America's Climate Leaders List -- which recognizes companies' efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2. European Union - Legislation Concerns:  Increased political resistance to new EU laws to protect the environment has left the European Commission fighting to keep intact its vision for Europe's green transition, Reuters reported.

3. Canada - Green Data Centers: Cologix has started construction of its latest Scalelogix facility -- known as Montréal MTL8 data center. With a planned 205,000 square feet and 21 megawatts (MW) of power, MTL8 represents "one of Cologix’s greenest and most sustainably designed data centers to date," the company asserted.

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