Here is today’s sustainability, Net Zero and circular economy news, research and analysis. This daily update is designed for technology partners, management consultants, CIOs and chief sustainability officers (CSOs).
Our updates for Wednesday, March 15, 2023 include:
1. IT Services: Tekenable, an IT services provider in in Ireland, has formed an ESG (environmental, social and governance) business practice. The company has also partnered with EcoVadis and BluePlanet Consulting to help customers leverage technology for improved environmental, social and ethical performance.
2. Request for Proposals: IBM is accepting proposals for the next cohort of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator, which will focus on water management solutions. This program "applies IBM technologies, such as hybrid cloud and artificial intelligence, and an ecosystem of experts to enhance and scale projects focused on populations vulnerable to environmental threats," IBM said.
3. Boardroom Expertise - Sustainability: Among Fortune 500 companies, 25% of board appointees in 2022 had previous experience on sustainability committees, up from 14% in 2021, according to executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles International, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
4. Expansion - ITAD: TES, a provider of sustainable IT asset disposition (ITAD) and IT lifecycle management services, has opened a new 40,000-square-foot facility in Las Vegas. TES, founded in 2005 and based in Singapore, owns 43 facilities across 22 countries.
5. Research - IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) and E-waste Management: The global IT asset disposition (ITAD) market will reach $54.5 billion by 2030. That's a 13.3% compound annual growth rate from 2030, Research and Markets forecast. ITAD services are designed to manage e-waste while helping IT organizations and consumers to participate in circular economies.
6. Research - Precious Metals E-Waste Recovery Market: Spending on precious metal e-waste services is expected to reach $11.8 billion in 2025, up from $9.4 billion in 2020. That's a 4.6% compound annual growth rate, according to MarketsandMartets.
7. Chief Sustainability Officers:
- Restaurants: KFC Global has hired Nira Johri as Chief Sustainability Officer, effective April 3, 2023. KFC expects to be a fully circular zero waste business by 2035, and a net zero carbon business by 2040 or sooner.
- Agricultural Sciences: FMC Corp has named Julie DiNatale to succeed Karen Totland as chief sustainability officer (CSO) in July 1, 2023. Totland is retiring. DiNatale will report to FMC CEO and President Mark Douglas.
8. Financial Services - England: The Bank of England has delayed climate-related risks to frameworks, according to a report analyzed by Edie.
9. Data Centers - Asia-Pacific Japan (AJP): AirTrunk, a hyperscale data center specialist in the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, has linked 100% of its financing platforms to ESG, the company said.
10. Financial Services - ESG Bond Fund: TD Asset Management has launched the TD North American Sustainability Bond Fund, its first actively managed Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG")-related fixed income product.
11. Financial Services - Net Zero Banking Alliance: Banco BPM Spa has joined the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. The alliance, promoted by the United Nations, is designed to "accelerate the sustainable transition of the banking system through the commitment of participants to align their credit and investment portfolios to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement."
12. Private Equity and ESG: Private equity investors (PEI) are nearly three times as likely to approach ESG due diligence "consistently and formally" (26.8%) compared to corporate M&A professionals (9.3%), according to a Deloitte poll. ESG evaluations could become more widespread as additional professionals from both groups indicate that their organizations plan to incorporate ESG into due diligence processes in the next 12 months (PEI = 23.2%; corporate = 32.6%).
13. Partnership - Asia: SP Group and Turnkey have partner to offerESG analytics, carbon accounting and climate advisory services in Singapore, China, Vietnam and Thailand.
Note: Got news tips, research or data to share? Please email me the details
Sustainability Conference Calendar
Here are five upcoming sustainability conferences and ESG events for business and technology partners:
- Oman Sustainability Week (March 12-16, Muscat, Oman)
- NAEM Tech23: EHS and ESG Tech Week (March 14-16, Tucson, Arizona)
- Sustainability Week 2023 (March 29-31, London, England)
- Responsible Business USA 2023 Sustainability Conference (April 4-5)
- Green Media Summit 2023 (April 13, New York)
