Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners; renewable energy and green IT service providers; management consultants; CIOs; chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. IT Consulting: Blue Connections IT, an MSP in Melbourne, Australia, has been certified carbon neutral for its business operations in the financial year ending 30 June 2023, CRN reported.
2. IT Services - Certification: NetImpact Strategies, a Microsoft and ServiceNow partner, has earned the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems certification. The certification is "a testament to the company's environmentally responsible practices and commitment to sustainability," NetImpact asserted.
3. ChatGPT Store, Generative AI Lawsuits: OpenAI has launched a GPT Store to help customers "find custom versions of ChatGPT." The launch comes amid continued media company lawsuits against generative AI companies for alleged copyright infringements. Meanwhile, a group of media executives urged lawmakers to enact new legislation that would force AI developers to pay publishers for use of their content to train their computer models, CNN reported.
4. Talent: ABN AMRO has named Tanja Kramer as head of the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund. The fund, launched in 2021, invests in circular economy, energy transition, and social impact companies and startups.
5. Sustainable Fleet Management: MoveEV, an EV transition platform that helps organizations convert fleet and employee-owned gas vehicles to electric and reimburse for charging at home, has partnered with Geotab, which specializes in IoT and connected transportation. The result: MoveEV's flagship product, known as ReimburseEV, is now integrated with the Geotab Marketplace, the company said.
6. Layoffs - Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers: ChargePoint layoffs will impact 12% of its workforce, the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure company announced.
7. More Electric Vehicle (EV) Market Concerns: Rental firm Hertz Global Holdings plans to sell about 20,000 electric vehicles from its U.S. fleet due to higher expenses related to collision and damage, and will opt for gas-powered vehicles, Reuters reported.
8. Internet of Things and Green Manufacturing: NFC Forum, a standards body for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, has launched a sustainability program to "help product and component manufacturers meet impending regulatory requirements for green manufacturing that will impact global product development."
9. Solar Power: Onsite Utility Services (OUS) Capital has launched a Solar Thermal Air Conditioning-as-a-Service to capture energy savings up to 45%, the company said.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. M&A - IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) Services: Sprout acquired CircleIT assets in late 2023, E-Scrap News reported. Also, Iron Mountain has completed its acquisition of Regency Technologies, a provider of ITAD services in the United States. The deal was announced in 2023. M&A activity involving ITAD companies has been steady to strong, as IT companies strive to reduce e-waste while improving their circular economy solutions.
2. M&A - Environmental Engineering: Sweco has acquired Econsultancy B.V., an environmental consulting firm in the Netherlands. More than 200 Econsultancy engineers will join Sweco's Dutch organization -- which spans 1,900 engineerings, consultants and architects.
3. M&A - ESG Consulting: Anthesis has merged with Revolt, the two companies said.
4. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving sustainability, green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - California Building Decarbonization Budget Concerns: California Governor Newsom announced a budget proposal today that cuts $283 million in funding for the Equitable Building Decarbonization program, according to allegations from the Building Decarbonization Coalition. The coalition is calling on Newsom to reinstate the money. The funds help low-income California residents upgrade their homes with zero-emission heat pumps without shouldering the upfront costs of modern appliances and installation, and supports the state in its clean air and emissions goals, the coalition asserts.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- CES 2024 (January 9-12, Las Vegas)
- European Chief Sustainability Awards (January 15, Davos)
- Intersolar North America and Energy Storage North America 2024 (January 17-19, San Diego, California)
- CleanTech Forum 2024 North America (January 22-24, San Diego, California)
- Recycling, Circular Design & Sustainable Sourcing for EV Batteries and Carbon Neutral Vehicles USA Conference 2024 (January 23-25, Detroit, Michigan)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
- Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
- Future Updates: If you have news to share then please email me the details.
