A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Alliances
Raymond Shelton, VP/chief sustainability officer and communications officer, YKK AP
1. New Chief Sustainability Officer:YKK AP America (YKK AP) has hired Coca-Cola veteran Raymond Shelton as vice president/chief sustainability and communications officer.
3. Supercomputers: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) executives touted "sustainable supercomputers" multiple times during the technology company's earnings call on August 29, 2023. Stay tuned for more perspectives.
5. AI and Green Buildings: Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to help buildings go greener, The Wall Street Journal reported. So far, more than 80% of buildings lack smart systems to effectively manage energy use, the Journal said. However, eco-friendly buildings charge higher rents and are on the market for less time. The evidence: Property management firm JLL says it expects 56% of organizations to pay a premium for sustainable spaces by 2025, The Journal reported. Related Podcast:BrainBox AI CEO Sam Ramadori, describes how autonomous technology will improve buildings and reduce HVAC energy consumption.
6. Long-Duration Energy Storage: Eos Energy Enterprises unveiled a $500 million plan to expand its long-duration energy storage systems. The effort is called Project AMAZE — American Made Zinc Energy. Among the plan's key components: The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has issued an up to $398.6 million conditional commitment for a loan guarantee. If the loan is finalized, it will likely fund 80% of an Eos expansion effort in Pennsylvania, the company said.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments and Funding
1. ESG-Linked Loans: After years of rapid growth, ESG-linked loans are suffering the worst drought since their inception in 2017, Bloomberg reported. With investors now questioning the usefulness of many ESG investments, a rebound on ESG-linked loans will depend partly on whether issuers can make these products more transparent, and their goals more ambitious, Bloomberg added.
2. M&A - Real Estate Climate Risk Software:PEXA Group has acquired Land Insight -- an Australian environmental risk data analytics company. Land Insight’s software and climate risk data allows customers to assess and respond to the increasing impacts of natural hazards on the use and value of land, the buyer said. PEXA's overall software portfolio allows governments, financial institutions, banks and property practitioners to estimate the future value of property.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. The Americas - Urban Sustainability Plans: The city of Austin, Texas was selected as one of 24 cities to participate in the Cities Forward program, a new initiative promoting collaboration between the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean to build local urban sustainability plans, The Daily Texan reported.
2. European Union and COP28: EU countries are preparing to push for a global deal on phasing out fossil fuels at the United Nations COP28 climate summit, a draft of the EU's negotiating position showed, according to Reuters.
3. Australia - Energy Shortfall?: The country's grid operator sees risks of energy shortfalls over the next 10 years as the nation retires 62% of the coal power fleet that still provides most of its electricity, Bloomberg reported.
4. Australia - Climate Risks and Debt Concerns: A UN-backed investor program designed to pressure Australia to accelerate decarbonization plans will add 18 new money managers including Fidelity International and Morgan Stanley Investment Management, as investor concerns grow over the impact of climate change risks on the country’s debt, Bloomberg reported.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
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