Here is today’s sustainability news, research and analysis for technology partners; renewable energy and green IT service providers; Today's sustainability news also involves management consultants; CIOs; chief sustainability officers (CSOs), c-suite members and climate accounting professionals.
A. Sustainable Technology, Talent, Partnerships and Green IT Alliances
1. Live Blog - Hannover Messe 2024: Check out our sustainable IT updates from the Hannover Messe 2024 conference. The massive industrial automation conference, held this week in Germany, focuses heavily on AI and machine learning; carbon-neutral production; energy supplies for industrial applications; hydrogen and fuel cells; and industry 4.0 business trends.
2. SBTi Controversy: The CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) on April 19, 2024 sought to reassure critics' concerns over the global nonprofit's plan to allow companies to use carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions from their value chain, Reuters reported.
3. IT Services - Part One: NTT Data has launched a new corporate sustainability strategy focused on three pillars -- prosperity, planet and people positive.
4. IT Services - Part Two: Logicalis' net-zero targets have been validated and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
5. Enterprise Software - Financial Services: Oracle has unveiled the Oracle Climate Change Analytics Cloud Service, a new reporting and analytics solution that is "designed to help financial institutions understand financed emissions, address statutory compliance, and mitigate climate change-related risks."
6. Partnership - IBM and AWS: Poke around the IBM-AWS partnership, and you'll notice IBM touting FinOps and Sustainability Now (FOS Now) -- a "solution integrates essential cloud operations capabilities with IBM Apptio, IBM Turbonomic, and other partner technologies, providing holistic insights, actionable intelligence, and AI-infused operational execution for clients."
7. Apple Patent - Removable Batteries?: Apple is pursuing a patent for uniform battery enclosures -- which would create a standard, replaceable battery for iPhones, wireless keyboards and other devices, TechRadar reported.
8. Microsoft Patent - Sustainable Devices?: Microsoft's patent efforts include "sustainability-aware computing device behavior management." Hmmm...
9. Microsoft Sustainability Software and AI: Microsoft Sustainability Manager is gaining an AI-powered capability called what-if analysis. The capability, now in preview, enables customers to "forecast the impact of business practice changes on your overall emissions footprint so you can implement more informed carbon reduction strategies."
10. Cloud Services: Although cloud-based AI systems consume considerable energy, consulting firms such as McKinsey continue to tout cloud-based AI, machine learning and IoT technologies that can "play a critical role in decarbonization."
11. Carbon Credits: C-Zero plans to purchase carbon dioxide removals (CDR) credits from Drax. The deal represents 2,000 metric tons of permanently stored carbon, the two companies said.
12. Research - E-Waste Reduction Market Forecast: The e-waste management and reduction market will reach $207.1 billion in 2032, up from $66.6 billion in 2023, according to DataHorizzon Research. That's a 13.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), according to the forecast.
13. Travel & Leisure: Expedia Group launched two programs -- Destination Climate Champions and the Destination Giveback Initiative -- to help destination marketing and management organizations (DMOs) in becoming "better environmental stewards and helping ensure travel is truly a force for good in their local communities." The programs align with Expedia Group's Open World social impact and sustainability strategy, the company noted.
B. Sustainability M&A, Investments, Funding and Green IT Business Launches
1. Funding - Data Centers and Renewable Energy: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Andreessen Horowitz General Partner Katherine Boyle, and multiple venture capital firms are funding Exowatt, a renewable energy startup that wants to offer cost-effective power for generative AI applications and data centers.
2. Funding - FinTech: Unwritten has raised $3.5 million in seed funding, led by Connect Ventures. Unwritten develops analytics software climate finance use cases.
3. M&A - Consulting: EY has acquired Denkstatt, an ESG consulting and sustainability firm. Denkstatt, founded in 1993, has roughly 170 employees who serve customers in Austria and across Europe.
4. M&A - Solar Infrastructure for Schools: Madison Energy Infrastructure has acquired Sun Tribe's commercial assets, pipeline, and development team. Sun Tribe built a K-12 solar market in Virginia over the past seven years, helping 94 schools in 21 counties deploy renewable energy systems. Financial terms of the deal 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. United States - Carbon Offset Policies: The United States will unveil in the coming days guidelines for the use of carbon offsets inside and outside of government to build confidence in the market and ensure credits reflect real emissions cuts, Reuters reported.
2. United States - New York Wind Farms Cancelled?: New York State stalled three major offshore wind-energy projects on April 19, 2024 after General Electric Vernova changed the turbine design, which the state said "materially altered" the plans, Reuters reported.
3. United States - Maryland Building Emissions: Keep an eye on the Maryland Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS), which will require buildings that have 35,000 square feet or more to meet various energy use and carbon targets by 2030.
4. China- Sustainability Guidelines: The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) and Beijing Stock Exchange (BSE) on April 12, 2024, issued self-regulatory sustainability guidelines that will be effective May 1, 2024, KPMG noted. The guidelines "aim to integrate the concept of sustainable development into companies' business strategies and operational activities," KPMG said.
5. India - Scope 3 Reporting: Roughly half of India's top 100 listed companies disclosed their Scope 3 data in fiscal year 2023, PwC India reported. The disclosure is voluntary, per the BRSR (Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting) regulation that SEBI introduced in May 2021.
D. Sustainability and Green Technology Conference Calendar
- Scale Green 2024 (April 23, London, United Kingdom)
- Circular Computing Re: 2024Â (April 23, UAE)
- 2nd Net Zero with Nature-based Solutions Conference (April 23-24, Singapore)
- EarthX E-Capital Summit 2024 (April 23-25, Dallas, Texas)
- AVPN Global Conference 2024 (April 23-25, United Arab Emirates)
- 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.
