Never Forget: Today marks the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks against the United States. We remember the 2,977 victims who lost their lives, and the first responders who answered the urgent call for help that day and each day thereafter.
Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners, renewable energy and green IT companies, management consultants, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.
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A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Alliances
1. Chief Sustainability Officers: Our database of chief sustainability officers now spans 340 CSOs. The latest additions include:
2. Executive Leadership: Kuok Group has named Komi Rajdev as general manager and head of group sustainability. The Singapore-based business has interests in real estate, hospitality, logistics, food, maritime, digital infrastructure and commodities.
3. Executive Leadership: Seco Tools has promoted Head of Sustainability Maria Blomqvist to VP of sustainability and EHS. Blomqvist is now a member of the Seco Management Group. She continues to report to Seco Tools President Stefan Steenstrup.
4. Alliance Leader - Carbon Intelligence Software: Cedara has hired Ariel Sande as vice president of global client partnerships. Sande will lead Cedara's efforts to enhance sales efforts and cultivate relationships with some of the world's largest companies, the company said. Cedara's software "maps the carbon intensity across supply chains to empower investment teams to decarbonize the supply path across their goods and services," the company notes.
5. Sustainable Data Center: CyrusOne announced plans for its seventh data center campus in Frankfurt, named FRA7. The project, in partnership with BEOS and Swiss Life Asset Managers, will leverage renewable energy. The design and construction phase will source sustainable materials that involver lower CO2 emissions than traditional data center materials.
6. Partnership - SAP and BT: SAP SE and BT Group have partnered to show how carbon accounting could be standardized. The effort involves a SAP Sustainability Data Exchange (SDX) pilot program, which allowed BT Group to collect, trace and share carbon data across its own supplier base. BT can then share this information directly with business customers when they purchase products through SAP Business Network. Furthermore, BT can complement this with data-driven insights from its Digital Carbon Calculator and Carbon Network Dashboard to help customers optimize their own IT for both carbon and energy, the two companies said.
7. Supply Chains and Fleet Sustainability: The University of Tennessee Fleet Sustainability Index, built on a database created by the university, contains emissions profiles for more than 400,000 motor carriers and millions of trucks, including private fleets. The tool may ease supply chain emissions reporting, according to the university.
8. Startup Accelerators and Incubators: Three new incubators and accelerators -- organizations that nurture startups -- have launched. They are:
9. University Research: USC has opened a Sustainability Hub for students, researchers and staff focused on advancing sustainability at USC. Also, Pen State's Sustainability Institute has rebranded as Penn State Sustainability.
10. Financial Services - Clean Technology: Moelis & Company, an independent investment bank, has formed a Clean Technology Group. Managing Directors Rick Polhemus and Arash Nazhad will co-lead the new group.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments and Funding
1. Investment: Global IT consulting firm Accenture has invested in Open Cosmos, a space technology company that focuses on the design, manufacturing and integration of satellites. The two companies will help customers track and analyze data found in space in order to help solve business challenges found on Earth, particularly related to sustainability. Financial terms of the investment, led by Accenture Ventures, were not disclosed.
2. Investment: Schneider Electric has made an equity investment in Biofuels Junction through the Schneider Electric Energy Access (SEEAA) clean energy fund. The fund is also backed by Norfund, EDFI MC, and Amundi. Biofuels Junction’s technology converts agricultural waste it into solid biofuels.
3. Fund: Stripe's $1 billion Frontier fund has written its third round of checks to startups attempting to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, Bloomberg reported.
4. M&A - EV Charging Acquisition: PetroChina has acquired electric vehicle (EV) charging firm Potevio New Energy Co Ltd. PetroChina is the country's top oil and gas company. Potevio ran 50,000 charging points in more than 50 Chinese cities as of 2021, Reuters reported. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
5. M&A - ESG Software: Vertical market software investor Valsoft Corporation has acquired the UK business assets of Optima Energy Systems, a provider of software for managing and analyzing energy data. The software delivers energy and sustainability data for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
6. All M&A Activity: Our M&A database has now tracked 131 mergers and acquisitions so far in 2023. See all M&A deals involving sustainability listed here.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. Global Leaders: G20 leaders agreed to pursue tripling renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and accepted the need to phase-down unabated coal power, but stopped short of setting major climate goals, Reuters reported.
2. United States - President Biden Statement: President Joe Biden said the sole threat to humanity’s existence is climate change, and that not even nuclear conflict poses a similar danger, Bloomberg reported.
3. United States - California Climate Legislation: Apple has endorsed a California Senate bill proposing strict greenhouse gas reporting regulations, Reuters reported. The bill is expected to reach a state senate vote before the end of September. The Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, or SB 253, was introduced in early 2023 by Senate Democrats. If signed into law, the bill will require California businesses with a revenue of $1 billion or more to disclose Scope 1 and 2 emissions, starting in 2026, GreenBiz reported. Mandatory Scope 3 emissions reporting would begin in 2027, with every corporation required to comply, regardless of whether the company is headquartered in the state, GreenBiz added. By contrast, The SEC’s proposed reporting rule excludes Scope 3 disclosures, the report noted.
4. United States - Luisiana Insurance: Damages from hurricanes have pushed insurers to close their doors or hike rates, forcing some Louisiana residents to move out of state, Bloomberg reported.
5. United Kingdom: Britain will commit to provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help developing countries cope with climate change, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi, Reuters reported.
6. South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged an additional US$300 million to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as part of the country's efforts to help counter climate change, Yonhap News Agency reported.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- ISPA Sustainability Conference 2023 (September 13-14, Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Net Zero Conference 2023 (September 13-14, Los Angeles, California)
- Leadership and Innovation Summit 2023 - Business and Climate Change (September 15, Washington, D.C.)
- Concordia 2023 Annual Summit (September 18-20, New York, New York)
- TechCrunch Disrupt 2023: Sustainability Stage (September 19-21, San Francisco, California)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
1. Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
2. Future Updates: Send us your news tips. Please email me the details.
