Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners, renewable energy and green IT companies, management consultants, CIOs, chief sustainability officers (CSOs) and c-suite members.
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A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Alliances
1. Chief Sustainability Officers: Our database of chief sustainability officers now spans 358 CSOs. The latest additions include:
2. Annual ESG Reports: Our global database of annual sustainability and ESG reports now spans 296 companies. The latest addition is government energy consultancy Redhorse.
3. Right to Repair - Apple Airpod Challenges: Although Apple promotes carbon-neutral products and the company is warming up to California's Right to Repair Act, Apple AirPod products will need a redesign in order to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly, Vox reports.
4. Microsoft Data Centers: ENGIE Energy Marketing inked an agreement to provide renewable energy to cover the consumption of select Microsoft data centers in Texas. The collaboration will accelerate Microsoft’s mission to transition to 100% carbon-free energy on an hourly basis by 2030, the companies said.
5. Cloud Services - Carbon Calculator: OVHcloud has launched a carbon calculator dashboard that allows users to calculate their cloud-oriented carbon footprint, Data Center Dynamics reported.
6. Carbon Emissions - Operational Technology Monitoring: Ooredoo Qatar has deployed Ericsson's Smart Connected Site platform to "monitor and control energy consumption in real-time while optimizing the network’s use of energy sources and reducing reliance on diesel generators," Ericsson said.
7. Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): Colgate-Palmolive has signed a 20-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for a solar energy farm outside of Waco, Texas. With start-up anticipated in 2025, the project is expected to produce the equivalent of 100% of the Company’s U.S.-based operational electricity needs.
8. Carbon Reporting - Data Mismatch: One in five companies have disparities between their CDP GHG emissions reporting and their sustainbility reports, according to Clarity AI research.
9. Partnership - Hydrogen-Powered Trucks: ITD Industries Inc. will sell, service and support Nikola's HYLA hydrogen trucks in Canada.
10. Partnership: The University of West Georgia and Southwire, a North American manufacturer of wire and cable, have partnered to "advance sustainability efforts and promote the holistic development of their shared community," the two organizations said.
11. Wind Power Inspections - Drones and IT Services: NTT researchers have developed a methodology for using two drones to inspect wind turbines without shutdown. The approach significantly reduces Wind turbine maintenance costs, according to Tatsuya Nakatani, an NTT senior research engineer.
12. Many Boards Lack ESG Knowledge: Eighty-three percent of directors surveyed said ESG topics were critical knowledge for directors, but less than half considered themselves to have “advanced” or “expert” level knowledge, according to a survey of board directors conducted in July by WSJ Pro in collaboration with the National Association of Corporate Directors.
13. Executive Leadership - Transportation: Nikola has named Mary Chan as COO, effective October 9, 2023. Before joining Nikola and VectoIQ, Chan held key posts at General Motors and Dell.
14. Consulting: Strategic communications firm Cooksey Communications has hired Anna Clark as vice president and sustainability practice leader.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments and Funding
1. Climate Funding: The Rockefeller Foundation will invest $1 billion over the next five years in projects providing poor communities around the world with resources like electric buses, power grids, and ways to practice more sustainable agriculture, Reuters reported.
2. M&A - Clean Energy: FirstLight Power plans to acquire Hydromega, the Quebec-based clean energy company with over two gigawatts of wind, solar, storage and hydroelectric projects in its Quebec and Ontario development pipeline, Sustainable Biz reported. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
3. M&A - Renewable Energy Consulting: CRISIL plans to acquired Bridge To India, a renewable energy consulting and knowledge services provider to financial and corporate clients, CRISIL said. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
4. All M&A Activity: Our M&A database has now tracked 131 mergers and acquisitions so far in 2023. See all M&A deals involving sustainability listed here.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. United States - California Climate Emissions Legislation: California Governor Gavin Newsom plans to sign carbon emissions legislation -- known as SB 253. The soon-to-be California climate emissions law could impact IT service providers (ITSPs) and consultancies of all sizes -- regardless of geographic location.
2. Canada: More than a year after Canada announced incentives to jumpstart clean technology projects there is still no money flowing, and if they are not in place soon, more than C$50 billion ($37 billion) in investments could be at risk, Reuters reported.
3. Europe: There is a risk that European politicians will place less emphasis on environmental, social and governance finance as more right-wing governments come to power across the continent, according to European Council members, Bloomberg reported.
4. Germany - Renewable Energy Deployments: The country is likely to generate more than 50% of its power from renewable energy in 2023 but needs to ramp up the speed of its transition towards the end of the decade, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said, according to Reuters.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- TechCrunch Disrupt 2023: Sustainability Stage (September 19-21, San Francisco, California)
- Sustainable Investment Forum North America 2023 (September 19, New York)
- Caron Smart Summit 2023 (September 19, New York)
- Workiva Amplify 2023 (September 19-21, Nashville, Tennessee)
- CEM Emissions Monitoring Conference 2023 (September 20-22, Barcelona, Spain)
- Complete Calendar of Sustainability Conferences
E. Previous Updates & Future News
1. Did You Miss Yesterday's Daily Update?: Here is our previous sustainability, green IT and renewable energy news for technology partners.
2. Future Updates: Send us your news tips. Please email me the details.
