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. Partnership - IT Solutions: Hitachi Solutions will leverage Makersite's supply chain management and sustainability technologies as part of its march toward net zero.
2. SAP Net Zero Strategy: SAP will seek to achieve net zero across its value chain by 2030, the software company reiterated in a blog.Â
3. Consulting - Executive Leadership: WSP has named Greg Kane as CEO of its Australia business.
4. Refurbished Smartphones: Worldwide shipments of used smartphones -- including officially refurbished and used smartphones -- will reach 431.1 million units in 2027, up from 282.6 million units in 2022, according to IDC. That's an 8.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), IDC noted.
5. Electric Vehicles: Volvo won’t provide further funding to Polestar, the electric-car maker it created with Volvo’s Chinese owner Geely, The Wall Street Journal reported.
6. Apple Vision Pro: More than 600 new applications have been built for the Apple Vision Pro, the technology giant said. Still, some big name content providers -- including Netflix and YouTube -- don't plan to create apps optimized for the Vision Pro, The Verge notes.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. M&A - Architecture: SRG Partnership and CannonDesign have merged. The combined businesses will focus heavily on sustainable building design in the Pacific Northwest, SRG said.
2. M&A - Environmental Consulting Part One: Trace Associates has acquired XCG Consulting, an environmental science and engineering consulting firm based in southern Ontario with offices in Kitchener and Kingston. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
3. M&A - Environmental Consulting Part Two: Alliance Technical Group has acquired ORTECH Consulting, a Canadian environmental, engineering, and science consulting firm. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
4. M&A - Solar Projects: Cubico Sustainable Investments has acquired Renantis Mexico and inked a strategic agreement with Sowitec Group. The Mexico-focused acquisitions span 12 solar and hybrid projects across seven states and in various stages of development, solidifying Cubico’s presence and impact nationwide.Â
5. 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 - Seattle and E-Waste Policy: Seattle Public Utilities has enacted a ban on disposing batteries and electronics in municipal solid waste, citing increased fires at city-operated transfer station, WasteDive reported.
2. United States - Nuclear Project Delayed: Southern Co. expects its long-delayed Vogtle nuclear project in Georgia to be pushed back again, Bloomberg reported. The delay reinforces questions about the United States' ability to harness nuclear power as part of a broader energy transition.
3. United Kingdom Wind Farm Debate: A UK energy minister condemned the behavior of wind-farm operators who have routinely overestimated how much wind power they’ll generate — a practice that adds to consumers’ bills, Bloomberg reported.
4. European Union - Policy Debate: Germany opposes the proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Bloomberg reported. The CSDDD calls for companies to "demonstrate what action they are taking to protect the environment and human rights," according to KPMG.
5. Asia Pacific - Green Data Center Market Forecast: Spending on green data centers in APAC (Asia Pacific) will reach $13.26 billion by 2028, up from $7.1 billion in 2022. That's a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2%, according to an Arizton market forecast.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- ARC Industry Leadership Forum 2024 (February 4-8, Orlando, Florida)
- Music Sustainability Summit 2024 (February 5, Los Angeles, California)
- ConnectWise Automation Nation 2024 (February 6-10, Tampa, Florida)
- GTDC Summit North America 2024 (February 7-9, Oceanside, California)
- Organizations and Environmental Sustainability Conference 2024 (February 8-9, Stanford)
- 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.
