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 Tuesday, April 11, 2023 include…
A. Sustainability and Net-Zero Partnerships, Research & News
1. Growth - Salesforce Net Zero Cloud Partner: Orion Global Solutions, a New York-based digital transformation consultancy, has been recognized as one of America's Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times. Orion ranks among the first Salesforce Net Zero Cloud customers and few implementation partners in the US.
2. Growth - Consulting & Sustainability: Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a management consulting firm that focuses heavily on ESG and sustainability services, generated global sales of $11.7 billion in 2022, up 11% from 2021, the company said. Over the past decade BCG has more than tripled in revenues. Also, BCG’s global workforce reached 30,000 in 2022, up from 25,000 in 2021.
3. Interviews - Chief Sustainability Officers: Microsoft Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa described her typical day, in an interview with FastCompany. Meanwhile. Google Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt shared her perspectives in this interview with The Cut.
B. Sustainability Funding, Financing, Mergers & Acquisitions
1. M&A - After the Deal: Environ Energy acquired carbon analytics software provider Scope 5 in October 2022. So what's occurred since the deal surfaced? GeekWire offers perspectives here.
2. M&A - Solar Power: Dominion Energy is acquiring the Foxhound Solar Project from Longroad Energy, the companies announced. The project has been in development for six years and will produce enough clean energy to power more than 17,000 homes, the firms said. Financial terms were not disclosed.
3. Romania - IPO: Romania’s Hidroelectrica plans to expand green power assets, Bloomberg reported. Among the key moves: Preparing for a €2.3 billion initial public offering (IPO), the report said.
C. Sustainability and Net-Zero Government Policies & Regional News
1. United States - Maine Hydropower Legal Debate: A battle over a $1 billion transmission line that won all regulatory approvals only to be rebuked by state residents in a referendum now comes down to nine regular folks, VigourTimes reports. In a rare move, a jury is being asked to decide a complicated constitutional matter — whether developers have a vested right to complete the 145-mile project, which would supply Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid, the report said.
2. United States - Maryland Offshore Wind Power: On the last day of the state’s regular legislative session, Maryland lawmakers passed the POWER Act, which sets a state goal of getting 8.5 gigawatts of power from offshore wind by 2031, Environment America reported.
3. United States - Amazon vs. Oregon Legislation: Amazon wielded its considerable lobbying power and killed legislation that would have cut industry emissions to zero by 2040, GreenBiz alleges.
4. European Union: The European Union is set to lengthen the list of activities that can qualify for a green label to include preserving marine resources, boosting biodiversity and transitioning to a more circular economy, Bloomberg reported.
5. UK - Carbon Capture Storage Project Partnership: Harbour Energy and BP have agreed to develop the Viking carbon capture and storage project at Humber, England. Viking CCS has the potential to meet one third of the UK Government’s target to capture and store up to 30 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030, the companies said.
6. India - Wind-Solar Projects: Vibrant Energy, backed by Amazon, has secured $268.8M in funding from Power Finance Corporation. The deal represents one of the largest project financing develops in India’s renewables sector this year, according to Environment+Energy Leader.
7. Australia - Telecom Services & Net Zero Targets: TPG Telecom is striving to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire operation and value chain by 2050, with the near-term goal of cutting direct (Scope 1) and indirect emissions (Scope 2) 95% by 2030, Mobile World Live reported.
8. Australia - Financial Services and Health Care: The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Australia’s government-owned green bank, plans to invest up to $80 million into a private equity fund designed to drive down the emissions of middle market companies, Renew Economy reported. The fund, managed by healthcare-focused private equity firm Crescent Capital Partners of Sydney, will invest in a range of sectors but is anticipated to focus significantly on companies in the healthcare sector, the report said.
9. Australia Carbon Tax Policy?: A carbon tax in Australia is a real possibility, according to Tony Yammine, CEO of Avarni -- which develops a carbon accounting and emissions management software platform.
10. New Zealand: New Zealand could face a bill of $24 billion in the years leading up to 2030 in order to meet its international climate change targets, the New Zealand Herald reported.
D. Send Us Your News Tips
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