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, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.
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Our updates for Thursday, March 30, 2023 include…
A. Sustainability and Net-Zero News and Research
1. Sustainability Software - Manufacturing: aPriori, which develops sustainability software for the manufacturing industry, has formed a dedicated sales and customer support team for Canada. aPriori empowers product manufacturers to "reduce cost, CO2e emissions, and risk while also increasing manufacturability and time to market," the company asserts.
2. Sustainability Software - Net Zero Scorecard: Greenly, which makes a carbon accounting software platform. has launched an Open Carbon API. The API assigns companies a score to "make it easy for anyone to check how transparent it is on its carbon emissions," Greenly said.
3. Solar Contract: EDP Renewables has ordered 1.8 gigawatts (GWdc) of First Solar’s advanced thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules. The modules, which will be delivered up to 2028, will power U.S. projects developed by EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA).
4. Consulting - ESG and Artificial Intelligence Software: ERM, which positions itself as the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, has selected the Lucy software platform to "help boost productivity and efficiency across its business." Lucy is an answer engine powered by artificial intelligence. ERM will deploy Lucy across all departments and geographies.
5. Consulting - Carbon Neutral Services: International energy logistics provider Peterson has launched a new carbon neutral consultancy service to "support companies with their carbon-neutral status certification and net-zero journey," the firm said.
6. Advice: Here are three steps to profitable and sustainable energy management, according to SAP.
7. Research - Energy Management System Market Forecast: Global spending on energy management systems will reach $208.4 billion by 2032, up from $55.2 billion ion 2022, according to Market.us. Tat's a 14.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period. The market includes building energy management systems (BEMS), industrial energy management systems (IEMS), and home energy management systems (HEMS).
8. Talent: Recent executive announcements include:
- Accor, a hotel operator in Australia and New Zealand, has named David Young as chief sustainability officer and director of ESG for Accor Pacific.
- German auto giant Volkswagen is restructuring its Sustainability unit, and appointed Dirk Voeste as the new chief sustainability officer -- effective April 1, 2023.
9. Talent: Budderfly, which develops managed sustainability services for retailers and franchises with repeatable locations, has hired Scott Avirett as chief operating officer (COO).
B. Sustainability and Net-Zero Government Policies
1. Oil and Gas: The Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, convened by the United Nations, has outlined new guidance for members regarding their approach to the oil and gas sector, calling on consumers and suppliers of oil and gas to set Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets while aligning their operations activities, including capital expenditure, with established 1.5°C pathways.
C. Sustainability Funding, Financing, Mergers & Acquisitions
1. Funding: ClearFlame Engine Technologies of Chicago has raised $30 million in Series B funding to develop clean energy sources for heavy-duty engines. Mercuria Energy Group led the round, with Mercuria and Breakthrough Energy Ventures participating. New investors, include Rio Tinto and WIND Ventures, the strategic venture arm of Copec.
2. Climate Startup Funding Under Pressure: The interest-rate increases and market volatility that hit risky investments in 2022 have finally caught up with green startups, according to The Wall Street Journal. Indeed, clean-energy startups have privately raised about $8 billion in equity in the first quarter of 2023, down nearly 40% from a year earlier and the lowest figure since 2020, PitchBook data show, the Journal said.
3. ESG Investment Concerns: If BlackRock's largest ESG-labeled exchange-traded fund is a bellwether for the sustainable investing industry, it’s fair to say the US sector may be in for a bumpy ride, Bloomberg reported.
4. Mergers & Acquisitions: See a deal list here.
D. Sustainability Partnerships, Alliances and Associations
1. Renewable Energy Partnership: Iberdrola and Amazon.com have signed wind and solar power purchase agreements (PPA) for projects in Europe, the United States and Asia-Pacific. The agreements will "help Amazon stay on path to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 – five years ahead of its original 2030 commitment," the company said.
2. Salesforce Partner: The Will Solutions Sustainable Communities platform will be built on Salesforce's Net Zero Cloud.
3. Higher Education: Syracuse University, in partnership with One Earth Leadership, has announced a three-phase Sustainability Leadership Program. The program blends virtual and in-person eduction. The deadline to register is May 5, 2023.
4. Sustainability Partner Programs: See them all here.
E. Sustainability Conferences, Summits and Events Calendar
Here are five upcoming sustainability conferences and ESG events for business and technology partners:
Bonus: See our complete Sustainability Conference Calendar here
F. Send Us Your News Tips
Got news tips, research or data to share? Please email me the details.
