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), c-suite members and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. Executive Departures: Yulanda Chung has stepped down as DBS Bank's head of sustainability, according to Responsible Investor. Also, Keith Tuffley has stepped down as chairman of energy transition and sustainability at Citi, Responsible Investor also reported.
2. Partnership - EV Charging Networks: Shift4 and Atlante are partnering to simplify the EV charging payment process across Europe, the two companies said.
3. Built Infrastructure: Demand for environmentally friendly buildings is set to increase strongly over the next two years, Reuters reported, as companies with emissions reduction commitments see their leases come up for renewal and seek a greener alternative, real estate company JLL said.
4. Financial Services and AI: Central bankers are using artificial intelligence to collect data for assessing climate-related financial risks, just as the volume of disclosures from banks and other companies is set to rise, Reuters reported.
5. Consumer Survey: Sustainability concerns are very or somewhat important to 78% of U.S. consumers when choosing to buy a product or shop at a retailer, a Blue Yonder survey found.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. M&A - Carbon Capture Technology: TotalEnergies E&P USA is acquiring Talos Low Carbon Solutions (TLCS) from Talos Energy for roughly $148 million. The deal includes Talos's entire carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) business. The business features three projects along the U.S. Gulf Coast: Bayou Bend CCS LLC, Harvest Bend and Coastal Bend, the seller said.
2. M&A - Recycling Services: Circular Services has acquired Midwest Fiber Recycling -- which has multiple facilities in Illinois and Indiana. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquired business will tuck into Balcones Recycling -- a Circular Services company. Balcones Recycling now operates 18 materials recovery facilities across the U.S., including five from Midwest Fiber.
3. M&A - Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Networks: Wattif Group, backed by sustainable investor Marguerite, has acquired Laddel, a ChargePoint operator in Kristiansand, Norway. Wattif Group positions itself as the Nordic region’s leading charging operator with over 26,000 charging points. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In 2023, Wattif secured €50 million in funding from investment fund Marguerite, one of Europe’s leading investors in sustainable infrastructure.
4. M&A - IT Services Software: ServiceNow is acquiring 4Industry and Smart Daily Management. The acquisitions boost ServiceNow's technology and consulting expertise in such vertical markets as manufacturing, energy and transport & logistics. 4Industry is a Netherlands-based partner whose manufacturing technology application is built on the Now Platform. Smart Daily Management is a connected digital worker application from EY. Financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed.
5. Complete M&A List: Here's our database of all M&A deals involving green IT and renewable energy buyers, sellers and investors.
C. Regional and Global Sustainability Policies and News
1. U.S. SEC Climate Disclosure Rule - Legal Challenges: A court ruling will temporarily halt the SEC climate disclosure rule. The SEC's climate disclosure policy faces multiple lawsuits from various energy companies and associations.
2. Nato and COP29: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg appeared with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 17. Stoltenberg praised the COP29 host nation for its role in delivering natural gas to NATO allies, and also credited Azerbaijani for investing in alternative energies, Barron's reported.
3. United States - AI Data Centers Demand Renewable Energy: NextEra -- the biggest U.S. wind and solar farm developer -- expects demand for electricity to soar to keep up with artificial intelligence, electrification, cloud capacity and chip factories, Bloomberg reported.
4. South Africa - Financial Challenges: South Africa’s government can’t afford to fund the development of infrastructure that can withstand the impact of global warming, Bloomberg reported.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- WindEurope 2024 (March 20-22, Bizkaia, Spain)
- One Earth Summit 2024 (March 25, Hong Kong)
- N-able Empower 2024: MSP Software Conference (March 25-27, Frisco, Texas)
- ChangeNow 2024 (March 25-27, Paris, France)
- Sourcing Journal Sustainability Summit 2024 (March 26, New York)
- 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.
