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 Wednesday, April 5, 2023 include…
A. Sustainability and Net-Zero News and Research
1. Microsoft AI and Sustainability: A Microsoft blog assured customers and partners that the software company will leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a responsible way to assure fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability. The blog surfaced a few days after Elon Musk called for a six-month pause on big tech AI projects to study their potential implications...
2. Research - Carbon Management Footprint Software: The global market for carbon footprint management solutions will reach $19.2 by 2030, up from $10.9 billion in 2022. That's a 7.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to ResearchAndMarkets.
3. IT Services: L&T Technology Services is promoting sustainable and smart ecosystem solutions that include IoT, integration, AI/DAta, cloud, and safety/security offerings...
4. Recommerce: eBay estimates that sales of used goods on the site earned $4.6 billion in 2022 and avoided sending 73,000 tons of usable products to landfills, which contributed to reducing carbon emissions by 1.6 million tons, Earth911 reported. The report surfaced as part of a conversation with eBay Chief Sustainability Officer Renee Morin.
5. Vertical Market - Utilities: Here's how utilities can win the energy transition, according to several WiPro consultants.
6. Talent - Consulting: Bain & Company has appointed Karan Singh has been appointed Asia Pacific head of Sustainability and Responsibility (S&R) practice effective April 1.
7. Talent - Real Estate and Investment Management: JLL, a professional services firm focused on the real estate and investment management sectors, has hired Doug Mackenzie as VP of energy resilience, for its Clean Energy and Infrastructure Advisory team. In his new role, Mackenzie will a"advise public and private clients on energy and sustainability, including distributed generation, demand management, microgrids and other solutions related to ensuring sufficiency and reliability of their energy supply," the company said.
8. Talent: Robert Half has promoted Susan Haseley to chief environmental, social, governance (ESG) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer.
9. Europe - Solar Battery Systems: Enphase Energy has started shipping IQ Batteries to customers in France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, further expanding the product’s availability in the European market, the company said.
10. Philippines - Net Zero Roadmap: ACEN, an energy firm, has developed a Net Zero roadmap that includes near-term scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets.ACEN aims to deliver reduction-led decarbonization by 2040, with an interim target for 2030, and a Net Zero status (including neutralization) by 2050, the company said.
B. Sustainability and Net-Zero Government Policies
1. European Union Sustainability Rules - U.S. Impact: At least 10,000 foreign companies -- including more than 3,000 U.S. firms -- will be subject to new European Union Sustainability Rules, according to The Wall Street Journal and financial data firm Refinitiv. The rules involve the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, or CSRD.
2. European Union and United Kingdom: The European Union reached a provisional deal to increase its renewable energy targets, an important pillar of the bloc’s plans to fight climate change and end dependence on Russian fossil fuels, CNN reported. And the United Kingdom released its long-awaited climate strategy, promising “an energy revolution," the report added. Both developments surfaced on March 30.
3. United Kingdom - Net Zero Policy Analysis: The UK still enjoys a leading position when it comes to Net Zero expertise, access to private financing and green innovation, but there’s a risk the UK’s competitive advantages disappear as other countries take enormous strides forwards while we take incremental steps, according to Ernst & Young analysis.
4. United States - New York: New York State's Legislature is considering several bills to get the state to utilize ethical and sustainable supply chains, according to Public News Service.
5. United States - Maryland: The Maryland Department of the Environment and The Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland are partnering to "model Maryland’s pathway toward ambitious climate goals," according to Governor Wes Moore. Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 calls for 60% in emissions reductions by 2031—the most ambitious target in the country, according to the state's claims.
6. Australia: Australia is quitting coal in record time thanks to Tesla, Bloomberg reported. Elon Musk helped accelerate a transformation of the country’s electricity grid to replace fossil fuels with clean power — now it's a testing ground for global climate action, the report said.
7. Italy: Investors want Enel to hire a leader who has expertise in renewables and an international focus, according to Reuters. Enel is Italy's state-controlled energy provider. The government is screening candidates to replace the energy group's long-serving chief executive, the report noted.
8. China: China should strive to eliminate emissions by the 2030s, more than two decades ahead of schedule, Australian metals billionaire-turned-green hydrogen disciple Andrew Forrest said in a speech at the Boao Forum for Asia, according to Bloomberg.
C. Sustainability Funding, Financing, Mergers & Acquisitions
1. Investment: Honeywell has invested in Redaptive to "bring Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) capabilities to private sector-owned commercial and industrial buildings," the firms said.
2. Investments - Net Zero Apartments: An arm of billionaire Tom Steyer’s investment firm Galvanize Climate Solutions will begin buying and upgrading property across the US this summer and fall, aiming to cut the portfolio’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in three years without the use of offsets, Bloomberg reported.
3. M&A: Covanta Holding is acquiring Circon from Kinderhook Industries. Circon is a full-service provider of sustainable environmental services with a customer base across more than 20 waste facilities in the Midwest, Southeast and Gulf Coast. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.
4. Funding - Africa: Equator, a climate tech venture capital firm focused on sub-Saharan Africa, has raised $40 million from such firms as British International Investment (BII), the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), the Shell Foundation, and DOEN Participaties. Equator backs seed and Series A startups across the energy, agriculture, and mobility sectors.
D. Sustainability Partnerships, Alliances and Associations
1. Partners of the Year: Schneider Electric announced the six global winners of the inaugural Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Awards.
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.
